2025.07.15 | Where Do Your Donations Go?
At Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve (FFRP), we're often asked how we use the generous support we receive from donors, members, and grant makers. The answer: Your contributions directly protect, restore, and enhance the Ranch — today and for the future.
Investing in the Land
Although our expenses include staff time, rent, accounting, utilities, insurance, and the like, roughly 50% of every dollar we receive — from donations, memberships, grants, and earned income — goes straight into Ranch projects or programs. That includes:
- Boardwalk Construction: Our most visible recent investment was the $800,000 boardwalk linking the Bluff and Marine Terrace Trails — funded entirely by FFRP.
- Habitat Restoration: In 2021 and 2022, we invested $80,000 to remove invasive ice plant along the bluffs, complementing our hand-weeding efforts and opening space for native species to return.
- Trailhead Improvements: This year, we're installing new signage across all west Ranch trailheads — designed to be informative, attractive, and durable.
Responding When Nature Calls
When storms damage trees or trails, FFRP steps in to support cleanup. We also help Cambria Community Services District to:
- Control invasive species.
- Clean up abandoned campsites.
- Restore native habitats.
- Maintain a native plant nursery and plant thousands of Monterey pines.
- Support ongoing research and restoration.
Educating and Engaging the Community
All educational programs on the Ranch — whether for students, adults, or visitors — are offered free and are run by FFRP. We also:
- Produce and distribute thousands of Ranch maps and brochures at every trailhead and throughout Cambria.
- Provide 80,000 Mutt Mitts and 150 bike bells annually to promote stewardship and safety.
- Maintain and update maps, trail information, and other visitor materials.
- Inform Cambria's visitors about the Ranch through our shop at 604D Main Street.
Beyond the Call of Duty
While the Cambria Community Services District holds legal and fiscal responsibility for Ranch management, FFRP has voluntarily contributed more than $1.15 million to support Ranch operations since 2020 — entirely thanks to donors like you.
And that doesn’t even count the value of time:
- Volunteers give more than 2,200 hours each year working on the Ranch — equal to a full-time staff member — and another 2,600 hours supporting education, outreach, and operations.
- Using nationally recognized estimates, FFRP volunteers have contributed more than $750,000 worth of time since 2020 — dedicated to protecting, maintaining, and enhancing the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Their work is an invaluable part of our mission and impact.
- Staff focus on building future support. For example, since 2020, we have helped secure a $250,000 forest health grant, grants for a restoration nursery, and thousands of native plants — and we continue to pursue funding for preventing fire, restoring habitat, and promoting biodiversity.
Your Impact Is Real
Every sign, every trail, every restored habitat — your donations make it happen. With your continued support, we can ensure the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve remains a vibrant, thriving refuge for wildlife and people alike.
Thank you for being part of this vital work.