Santa Cruz Sandhills Distribution

The Santa Cruz Sandhills are found only in Santa Cruz County, which is located on the coast of central California. Within Santa Cruz County, the Sandhills occur on outcrops of sand soil known as the Zayante Series in the central portion of the County near the towns of Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond, Boulder Creek, and Bonny Doon.

It is estimated that Sandhills originally covered more than 6,000 acres. However due to sand quarrying and development, fewer than 4,000 acres of Sandhills habitat remain today.

Other "Sandhills" Communities

Other regions including South Carolina, Nebraska, Montana, Texas, and Georgia also support communities located on sandy soils that are referred to as "sandhills". Because the sandy soils greatly influence the ecology of these systems, sandhills share may characteristics, including high rates of endemism, vegetation that is drought-adapted, and fire ecology. However, the various sandhills systems contain few if any plant and animal species in common and therefore are regarded as different communities.

Sandhills Alliance for Natural Diversity (S.A.N.D.)
PO Box 2363 Boulder Creek, CA 95006
www.santacruzsandhill.com ● e-mail: info@santacruzsandhills.com
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