The 900-acre parcel of land comprising the hills overlooking Pismo Beach officially became known as the Pismo Preserve Tuesday morning.
The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County says it closed escrow and took ownership of the property at 10:00 a.m.
The organization raised $12.3 million this year to buy the land and make improvements, plus it finalized all the paperwork to switch it over to public use.
Despite the ownership change, outdoor enthusiasts still have some time to wait before hitting the Pismo Preserve trails.
"We are very excited for everyone to get on the property, but we ask that everyone respect that it's not open to the public yet," said Wende David, Director of Development for the Land Conservancy. "There's a series of things we need to do to make sure that it's safe and comfortable for people to use; we need to put in a parking lot, we need to get all the right permits so that we can host people there."
David says they're hoping to get everything finished by this time next year. But, if you'd like to explore the property before then, she says you can do so as a volunteer helping with trail work and design, among other tasks.