Chorro Creek Ranch
Chorro Creek Ranch is a 640 acre parcel located approximately 6 miles north-northwest of San Luis Obispo and 4 miles southeast of the coastal town of Morro Bay, California (Figure 7). The ranch is located in the Chorro Valley, which has a northeast-southwest aspect. To the north of the valley the Santa Lucia Mountains rise as an extension of the South Coast Range, and to the west rise a series of isolated peaks formed by ancient volcanic activity. Cuesta College is located to the east of the ranch, and Highway 1 to the north of the ranch. Rangelands border the southern and western sides of the ranch. The sewage treatment plant for the California Men’s Colony is located adjacent to the southeastern corner of the ranch, near the point where Chorro Creek enters the ranch property (Figure 8).
In addition to Chorro Creek, the ranch has a second creek, Walters Creek, that bisects the northern-most corner of the property and eventually joins with Chorro Creek near the northwestern corner of the ranch. Walters Creek is smaller in terms of both total flow volume and the watershed area it covers. Both creeks are within the Morro Bay watershed, which drains into Morro Bay estuary.
The Cal Poly College of Agriculture is responsible for management of Chorro Creek Ranch. Of the 640 acres, 280 acres are arable land and managed for cultivation of student enterprise crops and dry land crops for cattle-feed. The remaining 360 acres are maintained as rangeland for cattle (excluding riparian areas).
Three water reservoirs, Gibson Reservoir, Johnson Reservoir, and an unnamed reservoir are located in the southeastern portion of the ranch (Figure 8). All three reservoirs hold treated water from the California Men’s Colony sewage treatment plant that is used for crop irrigation and livestock watering.
Figure 8. Cal Poly’s Chorro Creek Ranch property. (not available)
Escuela Ranch
Escuela Ranch is located in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Range, about 4 miles northwest of San Luis Obispo north of Highway 1 (Figure 7). The ranch is bordered by property owned by California National Guard, County of San Luis Obispo, U.S. Forest Service, and private owners.
The largest of Cal Poly’s ranches (1,820 acres), the topography of Escuela Ranch is highly variable, ranging from gentle slopes to steep rocky inclines. Elevations range from 300 to 1,310 feet, and two major waterways traverse the property, Pennington and Walters Creek. Pennington Creek, the larger of the two, supports a rich riparian corridor with a cooler microclimate that differs from the rest of the site.
Escuela Ranch is managed by the College of Agriculture for livestock grazing. The ranch is divided into 10 fenced fields with the northeast section of the property (211 acres) partly fenced and designated as a biological reserve (Figure 9). In 1978, the Department of Natural Resources Management procured 17 acres of the southeast corner of the ranch to plant and maintain an experimental eucalyptus fuelwood grove.
Walters Ranch
Walters Ranch covers 743 acres of land located 6 miles northwest of the city of San Luis Obispo, and 4 miles east of Morro Bay, along the north side of Highway 1 (Figure 7). The ranch is bordered to the north by Escuela Ranch and the Santa Lucia Range, to the west by California Fish and Game Wildlife Area, to the south by Chorro Creek Ranch, and to the east by San Luis Obispo County lands (Figure 10). Walters Ranch supports some of the finest quality rangeland in California (Stechman 1985). Pastures have slopes ranging from 15 to 30%. Chumash and Walters Creeks run through the ranch and eventually join Chorro Creek, which flows through the Morro Bay watershed into Morro Bay estuary. The most prominent landmark within the ranch is Walters “peak” at 505 feet elevation.
