sustainability
Sheep are employed to graze the vineyards from harvest to bud break. Using sheep for weed management is a natural alternative to chemical herbicides and fertilizers. The sheep mow the grasses and control native invasive weeds, and they fertilize the soil. Their sharp hooves loosen the soil making it more permeable and resistant.
“If you’re bringing in compost and manure from another place, that will have some sort of effect on the grapes.” - Joseph Brinkley
Sheep enable winemakers to get ever closer to authentic terroir.
“When talking about a fine California wine, drinkers will discuss everything from the soil to the fruit to the winemaker's deft hand. But here's one small creature that often gets overlooked: The owl that protected those vines from rodent attacks.”
Professor Matt Johnson, Humboldt State University found that owls showed a strong preference for boxes placed near natural cover, such as grasslands and oak savanna. Johnson’s advice to vineyard owners for maximizing the opportunities for getting Barn Owls in nest boxes:
“Leave some wild habitat near the areas where owl boxes are posted, which he says creates an incentive for the farmers to conserve those uncultivated habitats—the riparian areas, the oak woodlands, and so on [that have] strong conservation benefits for all sorts of species, not just the Barn Owls.”
conservation
Alamo Creek Ranch
Alamo Creek Ranch borders the Los Padres National Forest on the northern edge of Santa Barbara County.
The ranch is home to two herds of Tule Elk and is a nesting site for the critically endangered California Condor.
The Tule Elk are the smallest of all the elk species in North America and they are endemic to California.
Today there are nearly 4,000 Tule Elk throughout California, signifying the success of conservation efforts which have brought the population back from an estimated 28 surviving individuals.
Of the 22 Tule Elk herds in California, 3 reside on land adjacent to the Los Padres National Forest.
The California Condor is the largest bird in North America and the rarest. In 1987 the world’s 22 remaining Condors were all living the hills above Santa Barbara County. Despite successful conservation efforts, the number of California Condors in the wild today is less than 240.
In 2003 Robert Lieff purchased the historic Alamo Creek Ranch, a 150-year-old pristine property of 2200 acres in southern San Luis Obispo County.
Working with the Wildlife Conservation Board Robert Lieff placed the back parcels—1,860 acres—into a conservation easement in perpetuity. This land has oak woodlands, is a critical habitat for two herds of Tule Elk, and is a remote nesting site for critically endangered California Condors.
The front piece—250 acres—has the 40-acre Alamo Creek Vineyard.
In 2009, with the County of San Luis Obispo, Robert Lieff created a second conservation easement at Alamo Creek Ranch protecting the front 250 acres.
Robert and his wife Susan produce their Lieff Ranch wines with grapes from this vineyard.
“The other fork of the road — the one less traveled by — offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the preservation of the earth. ”
