The Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve

Every drop of water and every byte of data has a story,  interwoven with the tapestry of our environment. Both possess the power to shape the world around them at each stage of their life cycles. As rainwater disappears into the earth before flowing through creeks and rivers, its journey parallels the flow of data among conservationists, researchers, land stewards, and policymakers. Each step in this data cycle contributes to our understanding of water and its conservation. At the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, The Nature Conservancy’s preserve in Santa Barbara County, where native ecosystems have been protected from extensive development, scientists are pioneering a concept known as the Freshwater Digital Twin — a groundbreaking tool that merges the narratives of water and data into a transformative whole.

A Digital Twin is an interactive 3D map of a system. While these models have been developed primarily for urban infrastructure, the Dangermond Preserve is pioneering their application to complex natural environments. The Freshwater Digital Twin is an online map on which researchers, land managers, and other conservation workers can observe a real-time representation of the preserve’s hydrology. Users can click on points representing sensors installed in streams, tanks, and wells to download the most current data. Users can also view how the preserve changes under different climate scenarios, as the map visualizes potential future water dynamics.

The Dangermond Preserve, encompassing 24,346 acres of protected land, serves as a living laboratory where scientists delve into the mysteries of California's ecosystem dynamics. Nestled at the convergence point of marine and terrestrial ecosystems along the state's coastline, it holds the key to unraveling the intricate relationship between water and life. Within the preserve lies the Jalama watershed, meandering through hilly canyons and lush vegetation before ultimately merging with Jalama Creek and the vast ocean. This setting presents an unparalleled opportunity to study the water system holistically. It is here that I embark on a mission to collect data throughout the basin, constructing a digital model that captures the preserve's water dynamics. This distinctive interpretation of the Digital Twin concept enables us to observe and study the natural environment through a digital abstraction. The future of groundwater in California hinges on the quality of analysis conducted in such invaluable initiatives.

In my prior life as a data scientist, my curiosity was immersed in theoretical models and algorithms. However, I yearned for data science applications that facilitated meaningful contributions to our planet. In my job as a Conservation Technologist at the preserve, I draw upon my knowledge of environmental science, statistics, and technology to address broader questions about how to achieve a sustainable future. Now that I work in the field, I spend my days surrounded by the captivating beauty of untouched landscapes. Venturing into the field allows me to collect data that will underpin the construction of the Freshwater Digital Twin. Our digital twin relies on a water budget model to enhance our comprehension of the intricate relationships between precipitation, streamflow, and groundwater storage. 

Today, my journey takes me deep into the chaparral, surveying wells and deploying sensors in riverbeds, capturing the unique stories within every droplet of water. By collecting data from precipitation patterns observed by weather stations, estimating streamflow through an intricate model developed by the Nature Conservancy, and monitoring groundwater levels with pressure transducers installed in wells, we weave together the threads of water's narrative. I embark on an early morning expedition, traversing winding roads in an ATV laden with well-survey equipment. As I arrive at each well, I carefully brush away foliage to deter rattlesnakes before removing the cap from the casing. Spending hours meticulously recording the conductivity, temperature, and depth of the water, alongside details about the sensor, the surroundings, and any noteworthy observations, I capture the essence of each well's story. When I’ve finished, I download the data onto a field computer, from which I’ll later upload it into the models within the Digital Twin. Finally, the sensor is redeployed or replaced, continuing its data collection until the following year.

Like my personal journey intertwining data science and environmental science, the development of valuable digital abstractions like the Digital Twin hinges on ground truth. The data we collect in the field, much like a drop of water, possesses its own unique story. It flows among conservationists, researchers, land stewards, and policymakers, informing their work and thereby creating an impact at every step of its journey. Just as water is essential to life, this data will ultimately contribute, in its own right, to preserving the well-being of our planet.

As we near the five-year anniversary of the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the progress we have made at this 24,460-acre living laboratory. This is my first year as director of this amazing place and it is an honor to help chart the course to so many groundbreaking conservation goals. Take a look at this video to learn about our work at the preserve directly from scientists and staff.

I am pleased to share the 2022 Dangermond Preserve annual report. In this report, you’ll find updates on our growing staff of experts, research discoveries with huge implications for the future of water conservation, and updates on partnerships that are rapidly expanding our influence as a hub for environmental science and education.

As climatic shifts give way to global conservation challenges, it’s critical for scientists around the world to exchange insights and strategies for protecting natural lands and waters. But despite new technology, conservation data from remote preserves are notoriously hard to capture and share. The Point Conception Institute is changing that.

Led by Director Mark Reynolds and supported by Director of Conservation Technology Kelly Easterday, the institute is building a Digital Twin of the Dangermond Preserve—a working model of the 25,000-acre protected area, updated in near real-time by a vast network of sensors strategically positioned across land, water, even air. This digital rendering is built for distribution and will be available online, allowing researchers to study every aspect of the preserve from anywhere in the world.

TNC scientists and research partners have already turned this amazing landscape into an engine of knowledge generation, from sampling environmental DNA for shark detection to modeling wildfire behavior. The Point Conception Institute will function as a research institution and a hub for collaboration across disciplines and organizations. With the Digital Twin to put these ecological insights into context for a global audience, the work done at the institute will be even more meaningful and effective.

But a conservation data-sharing revolution can’t rely on a single preserve, even one as special as Dangermond. That’s why the Point Conception Institute will openly share the systems and technology that make its digital monitoring possible, with the goal of catalyzing similar efforts in new locations. These technological advances would have been unachievable without the work of Jack and Laura Dangermond and Esri.

The Dangermond Preserve is truly a living laboratory. The landscape represents the ecological nexus of north and south. It encompasses an entire watershed along with eight miles of pristine coastal wilderness. Because of the preserve’s unique ecology, the information we gather can function as a crystal ball for climate adaptation around the world. The Point Conception Institute is creating a future where that world is connected by conservation.

As an environmental activist and youth advocate, my passion is inspiring the young generation of environmentalists through programs that integrate science, education, action, and advocacy. Environmental education can address significant challenges in the conservation field and create opportunities for young people, particularly those from underserved communities.

I am relatively new to The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and will be based at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve, where I am building a partner-based, scalable model for transformative educational experiences for youth, leveraging TNC’s iconic protected lands. The program aims to develop infrastructure to catalyze environmental education at the interface of nature preserves and local communities that leverages the preserves’ science, stewardship, and innovation to understand and advance the pipeline of diverse future environmental leaders.

This fall, we kicked off our program with a weekend of hikes with local families in partnership with NatureBridge, our environmental education partner, and the Lompoc YMCA. We hosted families for eight educational hikes through Dangermond’s Live Oak woodlands and Coastal Bluffs. From plein air watercolors, to plant and animal identification cards, and activities to understand the Chumash’s seafaring prowess, participants experienced our Environmental Education Program and connected to one of TNC’s most special places.

Imagine if students who visit the preserve could interact with our research partners, such as NASA or the Smithsonian Institute as they develop conservation science for the future. In the years ahead, we envision a program where students work with scientists and stewardship managers on conservation projects, experience the landscape through hikes and hands-on lessons, learn about career paths in conservation through panels and internships, and develop key leadership and teamwork skills through overnight trips.

The vast expanse of the Dangermond Preserve is unlike any other region in California. North truly does meet south both on land and in the waters surrounding the preserve. Many Southern California species reach the northern edge of their habitat ranges here, only to pass the baton to the species of the North Coast. But to fully understand this dynamic, we must first know who and what is using the preserve.

Working with researchers from UCSB, UCSC and Point Blue Conservation Science, we are finding that the beaches, tidepools, and nearshore environments of the Preserve are extraordinarily biodiverse. These areas provide safe haul outs for harbor seals, resting and feeding areas for migrating shorebirds, and varied habitats for fish, crabs, barnacles, mussels and other invertebrates.

To further investigate wildlife on the preserve, we deployed a Mobile Marine Monitor Radar system known as M3 with our partners at Protected Seas. The system is solar powered and sited in locations that overlook areas of increased biodiversity like the Point Conception State Marine Reserve. We’re also using M3 to study human activity in the area. The system is equipped with radar to monitor offshore boating in the Marine Protected Area that abuts the preserve, as well as a weather station and additional cameras trained on nearshore wildlife.

Our goal is to build a comprehensive picture of this wild coastline and generate datasets that scientists and conservationists worldwide can use. Each day uncovers new patterns and intersections in the ways that humans and wildlife share this remarkable place.