? ¿ HERITAGE RANCH TRIVIA ? ¿

When was the Heritage Ranch Owners' Association (HROA) incorporated?
On January 28, 1972

Can you name the first General Manager of Heritage Ranch?
Peggy Caulkin (and she was a woman!)

When was the first HERALD Newsletter published?
June 1975. The HERITAGE RANCH HERALD was started by a Property Owners' Organization.  This group organized to be "an effective, viable group of concerned and determined property owners" to discuss "certain promises made by the former [original] developer (W. Gordon Heath)".  They began producing a newsletter titled the "HERITAGE RANCH HERALD" which was sent out approximately every six (6) weeks to interested property owners.  Volume I, No. I was mailed on June 1975.  The HROA eventually assumed the responsibility of publishing the HERALDs which have been in continuous publication throughout the last 30+ years.

When was the first Tract annexed into the HROA?
On May 25, 1972 Tract #424 was annexed into the HROA.  The Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (CC&Rs) were recorded on that date which became the "Master CC&Rs" for all of Heritage Ranch.  Tract #424 has a total of 133 residential lots.  The first lot sold from Heritage Ranch and Cattle Company to Norman H. Cole/Mary K. Cole on August 17, 1972.

How big is Heritage Ranch?
Heritage Ranch encompasses approximately 9,150 total acres of which 5,100 are to be held in permanent open space.  Open space at Heritage Ranch is tabulated to include the many recreational amenities along with all the undeveloped, natural open areas which can be used for passive recreation and enjoyment exclusively by the members of HROA and their guests.  Heritage Ranch was once a large cattle ranch known as the Godfrey Ranch.

What was the former name of Gateway Drive?
Lakeview Drive.  In 1983 the name was changed to Gateway Drive sometime after the developer at that time, Six Corporation, decided to eliminate the 18 certificate parcels from the Village Reserve Line for planning purposes.   The original plan was for Lakeview Drive to be developed all the way through to the west side of Dip Creek to connect back in with Chimney Rock Road --  a "lake view" would be a benefit of the journey.

How many lots can be built within Heritage Ranch?
In 1972, the number was 6,800.
In 1981, the number was reduced to 4,000.
In 1986, the number was reduced to 2,900.
Under a development agreement between HROA and the Developers, this number cannot be raised over 3,100.

How many lots are there presently within Heritage Ranch?
As of June 30, 2006, 2,104 assessment paying residential lots have been annexed into the HROA.

How many different Tracts are there within Heritage Ranch?
There are a total of 16 separate Tracts presently within Heritage Ranch, described as follows:

Single Family Residential = #424, 446, 452, 474, 475, 693, 721, 1094
Recreation = #447
Residential Suburban = #1063, 1910, 1990
Residential Rural = #CO-71-217 (20 acre parcels)
Rural = #557 (40-200 acre certificate parcels)
Residential Multi-Family = #466, 720

How many different developers have there been at Heritage Ranch?
Heritage Ranch and Cattle Company, W. Gordon Heath = 1971-1975 (bankruptcy)
Reedmark /Six Corporation, Wayne Reeder and Warren Reeder = 1975-1980
Six Corporation, Wayne Reeder = 1980-1993 (bankruptcy)
American Universal Life = 1993-1998 (receivership)
Diamond Benefits Life = 1998-2002 (receivership)
David Weyrich = 2000 to current (purchasing the 14 remaining certificate parcels)
HR Holdings, Bob Schiebelhut and Dan Lloyd = 2002 to current (purchasing several remainder parcels and unsold lots)
King Ventures, John King = 2002 to current (purchasing tentative Tracts #1910 and 1990 and several remainder parcels and unsold lots)
Tract 1990 LLC, Wayne Hughes = 2004 to current (purchasing tentative Tract #1990 from King Ventures, Phase I & II)

When was Nacimiento Lake first open to use by the public?
1957.  Minimum pool was originally at 670 feet elevation and later changed to 687.8 feet elevation which provides only approximately 900 surface acres of water.  This compares with a maximum pool (spillway elevation) of 800 feet elevation, which provides for a maximum pool length of 16 miles, three-quarters of a mile in pool width,  and a surface area of approximately 5,700 acres.

Who owns the shoreline around Nacimiento Lake?
Approximately 65% of Nacimiento Lake is owned as private land (including a small portion owned by the Heritage Ranch Owners' Association).  Approximately 35% of Nacimiento Lake is owned by the Monterey County Flood Control District (Monterey County) even though the entire lake is within San Luis Obispo County.  Monterey County's holdings of approximately 4,700 acres (10,200 acres including the lake) include both large parcels some distance from the lake and many of the most attractive and developable stretches of shoreline around the eastern half of the lake.

Back in 1965 the permanent population of the vicinity was only about 500 with 170 in immediate proximity to Nacimiento Lake.  Population remained relatively stable for many years before a steady growth began to emerge in the 1970s.

How deep does the launch ramp go down?
Historical records indicate that two lanes of the launch ramp go down to a depth of approximately 727'.  Snake Creek's lake bottom from near the launch ramp to the main channel has an elevation of between 720' and 710' feet. 

A single-lane launch ramp was originally installed by the first developer (Heritage Ranch and Cattle Company).  The launch ramp was later expanded and lengthened by the second developer (Six Corporation) to include four lanes total.  In 2001 two more lanes were added to the launch ramp by the Heritage Ranch Owners' Association.  It presently has a total of six lanes going down to depths varying from 760' to 727'.  A SLO County condition of one of the current developers (Tract 1990 LLC) is to expand and lengthen the existing six-lane launch ramp.  Approximately $120,000.00 has been set aside in a bond to accomplish this work.

What is the moss-like plants that cover some of our oak trees?
The plant that we see on our oak trees at Heritage Ranch is not Spanish moss.  It is called Granny-net (Ramalina Reticulata) which is a lichen.  It is pendulous on tree branches where it hangs in a net-like fashion.  Lichen are composed of two completely different organisms, green colored algae and colorless fungus.  Together, the algae and fungus constitute a lichen.  They grow together in harmony.  The role of the fungus is to envelope and protect the algae, hold it high in a favorable spot in the oak trees, and to supply it with water and minerals.  The oak tree is an involuntary member of this team.  Presumably, neither benefits, nor is harmed by the association.  This three-way association has continued for hundreds of thousands of years.

What is the english translation of the spanish word Nacimiento?
Place of birth.

This page was last updated in January 2007.