2022 PROJECTS

Six young women with Troop 1602 Scouts BSA out  of Paso Robles completed a conservation service project on the  Chimineas Ranch by replacing an old, galvanized cattle trough riddled  with holes with a trough wildlife can easily access.  They removed the  old trough, dug a trench, set the 2,000 pound concrete trough in the  ground, and connected the plumbing. The scouts worked hard, learned new  skills, and did a great job!.  Retired CDFW Habitat Assistant Joe  Lambirth and the Scoutmasters provided the training. CRF Director Terry  Palmisano was on hand to support the project. 

Unnecessary fencing can be a hazard for wildlife when they get tangled in it.  CRF coordinated a volunteer day with CDFW's Natural Resource Volunteer Program to start removing the wire from a 4-strand barbed wire fence on the North Chimineas Unit.  Wildlife are heavily using the area as evidenced by the well-worn trails going  across the fence.  Now the elk, pigs, and antelope will have clear access.  Work will continue as there are miles more fence to remove.   

Another fantastic weekend for a junior hunter!  Cole, age 13, had never hunted big game before but calmly filled his cow elk tag in the first hour Saturday morning on the Chimineas Ranch.  Looking on proudly are his father (in the black vest), and two uncles who got him interested  in hunting.  The hunt was sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation which provided meals, guides, and  help cleaning the animal.  CRF hosted the group at the ranch headquarters. 

Three  SoCal junior hunters scored big in September at CDFW’s apprentice deer hunt  on the Chimineas! The hunt was sponsored by the A-Z Foundation and  hosted by CRF.  Grace, Jonathon, and Victoria  each took their first ever deer, and they were beauties! Victoria also  took a huge hog and celebrated her 13th birthday while she was there.  The hunters and their families stayed at the ranch HQs and everyone had a great time. Butcher Shop Taxidermy will mount the 3 bucks for the young hunters. Meals and guide  service were provided by A-Z, who also presented camo backpacks with  knives and Vortex binoculars to each hunter.  

Water  had to be turned off to one of the troughs in September when it was  discovered a pipe between the tank and the trough was broken. CRF  Directors Don and Terry repaired the pipe and got water  flowing back into the trough.  With the temperature hovering around 105  degrees that day, if the trough had been a little bigger the wildlife  might have come for a drink and found both directors cooling their heels  in the water! 

The Chimineas Ranch Foundation got a great deal on a much needed John Deere Gator utility vehicle from Cal Coast Machinery in Santa Maria.  In just the first few weeks it was put to good use for  checking water troughs, doing pipeline repairs, removing fences, and taking junior hunters out on their hunts.  

YOUR FUNDRAISING DOLLARS HELPING WILDLIFE!  Funds raised from the Foundation’s February banquet have already proven to be a huge benefit to the wildlife on the Chimineas Ranch. The well pump for one of the troughs on the south end of the property froze up and needed to be replaced. This was especially critical as the south end of the ranch is much drier than the north side, and this trough has been heavily used for years by a wide variety of animals.

Leaving it dry in the middle of the drought would have been a disaster for the wildlife that have come to depend on that water. Your donations and auction bids allowed CRF to purchase a new pump. Directors Don Copeland and John McGray, with CDFW Habitat Assistant Joe Lambirth, installed the pump, filled the tank, and got water flowing into the trough again. 

Sam Schley, with Santa Barbara Boy Scout Troop 26, completed his Eagle Scout project by designing, constructing, and fund raising for a wildlife guzzler on the Chimineas Ranch.  A guzzler is a water catchment system that collects rainfall, directs it into a storage tank, and then meters the water out into a trough so water is available to wildlife throughout the year.  He requested and received funding from the Chimineas Ranch Foundation, Santa Barbara County Fish and Wildlife Committee, and San Luis Obispo County Fish and Game Fines Committee.  CDFW provided the tank and trough.

Sam let a group of Boy Scouts and family members in the construction work.   CDFW staff Joe Lambirth and Warden Kevin Hare provided expertise and encouragement.  After working onsite two weekends in January the project is complete, the wildlife have another source of water on the ranch, and Sam completed the fieldwork required to become an Eagle Scout.  Congratulations Sam!