The San Marcos Foothills Preserve is a 301–acre open space located between Santa Barbara and Goleta, California and owned by the County of Santa Barbara Parks Division. [1] The preserve provides views of the nearby Santa Ynez Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and the Channel Islands. [2] The Preserve provides feeding grounds for many dozens of birds, including American kestrels, kites, hawks, roadrunners, and for other animals including bobcats and coyotes. [2] The preserve is open for low-impact recreation to the public, which includes hiking/running on trails, and bird watching. The Preserve is considered a bird watching “hotspot” by the birding community [3] [4] Since it is a nature preserve, high-impact uses such as bicycling, horseback riding and off-leash dogs are not allowed. [5]
The first inhabitants of the land were the Native Chumash people. [6] After settlers emigrated to California, the grasslands of the San Marcos Foothills were mostly converted into fruit orchards and a dairy. By 1915, the Flying A Studios of Santa Barbara purportedly used the rolling hills of the Foothills on occasion as a backdrop for films. [7] After World War II, single-family housing was built there and other parts were used for road widening. In 1998, a proposal for an equestrian-themed community was refused and the area became of interest to preservationists. [8]
In 1996, the community tried to protect the land, with Brooke Bulkley and Mark Holmgren forming the San Marcos Foothills Coalition (SMFC) to protect the area’s open space. By 1999, more than a dozen community organizations and people had joined the coalition. Even so, the developer bought 315 acres and donated 90% of it to what is now called the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. With that transfer, the county approved the developer’s (Chadmar Group) small development of luxury homes. [7] By 2019, concerns were being raised that further development on the San Marcos Foothills was not in the interest of the greater public. [9]
In 2020, several environmental groups led by Channel Islands Restoration [10]and Save San Marcos Foothills [11] began a campaign to save the 101-acre property adjacent to the Preserve (known as the “West Mesa”) from development of luxury homes as part of the earlier Chadmar agreement with the County. [12] [13] By January 2021, a deal to buy the property had not yet been reached with the developer, but Channel Islands Restoration had already raised $1.3 million dollars toward the effort. [14] In early February of that year, legal challenges by conservationists delayed the development [15] [16]and later in the month a group of activists including Native American people started a sit in protest at the gate to the property. [17] On February 25, the developer attempted to grade a road through the property, but protesters blocked the bulldozer, preventing the construction work. Eight of the protesters were arrested and later released without charges. [18] [19] In March, the Chadmar Group agreed to pause the development for 90 days while conservationists attempted to raise as much as $20 million to purchase the property. [20] [21] [22] [23] By April, the campaign was well underway, but only $4 million had been raised [24] By May, more than $10 million was raised. [25] By June, the campaign reached is goal [26] [27] and the property was purchased, and ownership passed to the County of Santa Barbara in 2023. [28]
Since 2010, Channel Islands Restoration has conducted several habitat restoration projects at the Preserve. [29] The grassland restoration project [30] has received attention from various media sources in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, mostly because of the unique use of sheep as a way of reducing growth from non-native grasses. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
Following the successful campaign to purchase the West Mesa property, conservationists established a restoration endowment for the Preserve. The $1,000,000 endowment is meant to support projects that restore habitat for birds and other animals. [36]
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The San Marcos Foothills Preserve is a 301–acre open space located between Santa Barbara and Goleta, California and owned by the County of Santa Barbara Parks Division. [1] The preserve provides views of the nearby Santa Ynez Mountains, the Pacific Ocean, and the Channel Islands. [2] The Preserve provides feeding grounds for many dozens of birds, including American kestrels, kites, hawks, roadrunners, and for other animals including bobcats and coyotes. [2] The preserve is open for low-impact recreation to the public, which includes hiking/running on trails, and bird watching. The Preserve is considered a bird watching “hotspot” by the birding community [3] [4] Since it is a nature preserve, high-impact uses such as bicycling, horseback riding and off-leash dogs are not allowed. [5]
The first inhabitants of the land were the Native Chumash people. [6] After settlers emigrated to California, the grasslands of the San Marcos Foothills were mostly converted into fruit orchards and a dairy. By 1915, the Flying A Studios of Santa Barbara purportedly used the rolling hills of the Foothills on occasion as a backdrop for films. [7] After World War II, single-family housing was built there and other parts were used for road widening. In 1998, a proposal for an equestrian-themed community was refused and the area became of interest to preservationists. [8]
In 1996, the community tried to protect the land, with Brooke Bulkley and Mark Holmgren forming the San Marcos Foothills Coalition (SMFC) to protect the area’s open space. By 1999, more than a dozen community organizations and people had joined the coalition. Even so, the developer bought 315 acres and donated 90% of it to what is now called the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. With that transfer, the county approved the developer’s (Chadmar Group) small development of luxury homes. [7] By 2019, concerns were being raised that further development on the San Marcos Foothills was not in the interest of the greater public. [9]
In 2020, several environmental groups led by Channel Islands Restoration [10]and Save San Marcos Foothills [11] began a campaign to save the 101-acre property adjacent to the Preserve (known as the “West Mesa”) from development of luxury homes as part of the earlier Chadmar agreement with the County. [12] [13] By January 2021, a deal to buy the property had not yet been reached with the developer, but Channel Islands Restoration had already raised $1.3 million dollars toward the effort. [14] In early February of that year, legal challenges by conservationists delayed the development [15] [16]and later in the month a group of activists including Native American people started a sit in protest at the gate to the property. [17] On February 25, the developer attempted to grade a road through the property, but protesters blocked the bulldozer, preventing the construction work. Eight of the protesters were arrested and later released without charges. [18] [19] In March, the Chadmar Group agreed to pause the development for 90 days while conservationists attempted to raise as much as $20 million to purchase the property. [20] [21] [22] [23] By April, the campaign was well underway, but only $4 million had been raised [24] By May, more than $10 million was raised. [25] By June, the campaign reached is goal [26] [27] and the property was purchased, and ownership passed to the County of Santa Barbara in 2023. [28]
Since 2010, Channel Islands Restoration has conducted several habitat restoration projects at the Preserve. [29] The grassland restoration project [30] has received attention from various media sources in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, mostly because of the unique use of sheep as a way of reducing growth from non-native grasses. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35]
Following the successful campaign to purchase the West Mesa property, conservationists established a restoration endowment for the Preserve. The $1,000,000 endowment is meant to support projects that restore habitat for birds and other animals. [36]
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