Sea Ranch

I spent the last week relaxing on the northern coast of California in a place called Sea Ranch. Sea Ranch is a unique place because when the community was designed, the architect and planner envisioned a place where the homes would complement the natural beauty of the area. The design of the homes is either wooden shingles or slates, which allows for the homes to better blend in with the environment. Homes stretch back from the ocean into the hills however the strict architectural regulations allow for the scenery to be the main focus. Grassy fields surround the houses and I couldn’t help but notice how the residents of Sea Ranch were not doing a proficient job regarding the LNT principle “stick to the trail”. Where one path would be sufficient to meet up with other trails, numerous trails had been created some only a few feet apart. Walking along the trails you are likely to see many deer grazing, voles scampering across the trails, and hawks circling above. The homes to these animals are the fields that people are trampling through creating trails wherever they see fit. Sea Ranch does have sectioned areas where there are coast rehabilitation and marine preserves but the issue revolving around trail use also needs to be addressed.