Preserve Overview

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is pleased to announce that the inaugural Point Conception Institute Anthony LaFetra Research Fellow is Dr. Erica Nielsen, a coastal marine scientist who shares the deep passion for California and its native wildlife that Anthony LaFetra personified throughout his life.

Serving for 57 years with the Rain Bird Corporation, including as president and chief executive officer, Mr. LaFetra evolved Rain Bird from a local company based in Glendora into a global irrigation leader promoting water efficiency. In addition to his decades of leadership with Rain Bird, Mr. LaFetra was a gifted fly fisherman, an avid skier, and a lover of nature, as well as an engaged philanthropist who supported land preservation, native wildlife, and education. Mr. LaFetra passed away at age 80 in January 2021, survived by his daughter and son, his sister and her husband, and four grandchildren.

In September 2022, Mr. LaFetra’s family made a generous gift of $1,900,000 to TNC to establish an endowment for the Point Conception Institute Anthony LaFetra Research Fellowship, which will support a term fellowship that offers graduate and postgraduate researchers the remarkable opportunity to synthesize data and advance knowledge about coastal ecosystems and how they can be restored and protected in the face of a changing climate and other threats.

After a highly competitive search that attracted dozens of applicants from around the country, Dr. Erica Nielsen was selected as the program’s first fellow. Dr. Nielsen’s fellowship will be based at the Point Conception Institute, a global conservation
science center based at the Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve in Santa Barbara County.

Dr. Nielsen has extensive experience in coastal marine science and is a field leader in bringing advances in molecular ecology to systematic conservation planning. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in zoology from Stellenbosch University in South Africa and a B.Sc. in biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. For her graduate work, Erica pioneered the integration of marine species’ genetics into conservation planning, or “seascape genomics.” Dr. Nielsen most recently served as a postdoctoral associate at the University of California, Davis.

As the climate crisis takes hold around the world, there is a pressing need for living laboratories where the future of resilience and sustainability can be designed. Protected areas like Dangermond Preserve can serve as proving grounds for bold conservation action and engines of knowledge generation if their data and lessons learned circulate beyond their borders.

During her two-year fellowship, Dr. Nielsen will lead coastal research collaborations with the Point Conception Institute and leverage and synthesize data on coastal biodiversity, species range shifts, and climate change to increase the pace, scale, and effectiveness of conservation.

As a fellow Californian, Dr. Nielsen embodies many of the same values as Anthony LaFetra: a love for California’s natural heritage and native wildlife, a passion for education, and both a local and global perspective. The Point Conception Institute Anthony LaFetra Research Fellowship will serve to advance the conservation of biodiversity and critical eco- system processes and functions—and provide an
unparalleled legacy of research and collaboration for future generations.

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.