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Nature's Resilience THE LAND Newsletter of The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County • Spring 2018 Nature’s Resilience Burrowing Owl in the 2016 Sherpa Fire area, Gaviota Coast. WHO WE ARE MISSION STATEMENT The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County protects natural resources, agricultural land BUILDING THE TRUST and open spaces for the benefit of current and A MESSAGE FROM OUR DIRECTOR future generations. You might not think that conserving special places is a “seasonal activity” but the end of the BOARD OF TRUSTEES Greg Parker, President calendar year is typically pretty crazy for our staff and board. Couple our usual year-end surge Kenneth Marshall, Vice President of fundraising and conservation projects with 2017’s massive wildfire and devastating debris Richard Nagler, Vice President flows, and you get a bunch of exhausted Land Trust employees. Warren P. Miller, Secretary Scott Van Der Kar, Treasurer The tragedies of the past winter are still fresh in my mind, but alongside Carolyn Chandler them is excitement about new conservation opportunities across the Henry Glasheen Erik Gregersen county, a genuine intrigue about the scope and scale of the rare disasters James Hammock we witnessed, and a strong sense of pride for how our staff members Bradley Lundgren and trustees have rallied around each other in a time of need. Maurie McGuire Sheri Overall It is now more apparent to me than ever that we live in a unique place. James Phillippi Christine Riesenfeld A place not only of exceptional beauty and mild climate, but also one Sandy Seale built on extremes of monsoonal rains, prolonged droughts, recurring fires, and, very rarely, debris flows. As you will read in this newsletter HONORARY TRUSTEE David H. Anderson the Land Trust and our landowners were not spared by the fires and flows, but as we always do, we are working together to bring these special lands back. ADVISORY COUNCIL Duncan Abbott Peter Adams We have been hard at work on a trail project for Orcutt, a trio of projects that will go a long Joseph Audelo way toward getting the California Tiger Salamander off the endangered species list, a pair of Vera Bensen acquisitions on the Gaviota Coast, and of course, we have been embracing our leadership role Andrew Brown in the restoration and recovery of the preserves and easements that were damaged by the fires Chris Chapman Anne Dewey and flows. Priscilla Higgins J. J. Hollister (1932~2016) As you have come to expect, the Land Trust conservation team has been active on the Eric Hvolboll ground, volunteering with the Bucket Brigade and helping our landowners and neighbors Nancy Johnson assess damage. We have also been active in the office and have been integrating new sources Oralee Kiewit of conservation funding to bring to the community. We have been focused on the narrow Barbara Margerum Kerry Mormann future of properties like our Ennisbrook Preserve and how it will fare in the next few Mike Noling weeks and months and simultaneously have been developing a five-year strategic plan for Jack Overall the organization and a 20-year conservation vision from our newly released Conservation Laurel Fisher Perez Blueprint. Jim Poett Robert Renaud Ted Rhodes What I hope you take away from this newsletter is that the Land Trust has matured into a Orrin Sage critical community asset. With the careful thought of our volunteer trustees and our talented Richard and Thekla Sanford staff, we are forging new partnerships and conservation techniques that will shape the future Vince Semonsen of our county to the benefit of both our community and private landowners. Your support Seth Streeter has been critical in enabling us to come this far, but we need your help to meet a fiscal year Arturo Tello Susan Van Atta shortfall that threatens to slow our progress. We recognize the urgent appeals of so many Joe Weiland organizations at this time of need in our community, but we hope you recognize that this STAFF & CONSULTANTS is an extremely urgent time for us all to invest in the future and quality of the lands that Chet Work, Executive Director support and surround our communities. Bruce Reitherman, Conservation Director Carrie Mullen, Development Director Thank you in advance, Courtney Dietz, Online Outreach Carla Frisk, Grants Management Sally Isaacson, Education Coordinator Judy Jennings, Accounting Manager Nancy Martin, Administrative Coordinator Jennifer Stroh, Membership Coordinator Chet Work, Executive Director John Warner & Jennifer Dunn Arroyo Hondo Co-Managers Graham Wesolowski, Conservation Manager (805) 966-4520 www.sblandtrust.org 2 SPRING 2018 ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR! EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LUNCH, OCTOBER 2017 WITH CONSERVATION EASEMENTS COMPLETED by the Land Trust in the last days of December, we pushed our 2017 annual land conservation total to 1,664 The Land Trust’s Conservation Circle, our acres (five properties), an achievement not seen since 2008. Over our 32+ years, major donor society, gathered with staff and the Land Trust has had a hand in conserving 51 Santa Barbara County properties; Board of Trustees on October 18, 2017 for our more than 27,000 acres of family farm and ranch land, recreation and scenic annual Executive Director Lunch at the Santa spaces, and wildlife habitat have been permanently conserved. Barbara Club. 2017’s successes began with the purchase and protection of Carpinteria Bluffs This year we featured the Santa Barbara III—now known as Rincon Bluffs. In partnership with the Citizens for the County Conservation Blueprint, developed in Carpinteria Bluffs, City of Carpinteria, and more than 1,500 of YOU—local conjunction with the Santa Barbara Foundation residents—in excess of $7.9M was raised for the purchase and permanent and the Cachuma Resource Conservation protection of this public space. The year continued with additional conservation District. Executive Director, Chet Work, spoke in Lompoc, Toro Canyon, and two properties in Los Alamos. to the group about the importance of the Blueprint process and results. Dustin Pearce, Las Cumbres Ranch, owned by Conservation Biology Institute, and our very James and Patricia Selbert, was own Graham Wesolowski were also on hand to the largest conservation easement demonstrate the Blueprint’s interactive, online of 2017: 950 acres in the atlas for guests. Purisima hills near Los Alamos. About the experience, Patricia Selbert said, “Working with the Land Trust was very rewarding. We have no interest in developing our property and the Land Trust helped us ensure the property would forever remain open while still allowing us to ranch the way we want to and to receive financial benefits for the development we gave up.” The conservation of this land safeguards a large, contiguous block of open rangeland that supports wildlife migration between Los Padres National Forest to the east, and La Purisima State Park and Burton Mesa Ecological Reserve to the west. Its grassland, scrub, maritime chaparral, and oak woodland communities provide a mosaic of diverse habitat that is home to a diversity of special plants and animals. The Selberts, though they have only owned the property for a year, have already enjoyed sightings of eagles, hawks, bobcats, mountain lions, and many deer. Don’t expect us to slow down the pace! With input provided by the Santa Barbara County Conservation Blueprint, the Land Trust has a dozen opportunities to pursue this year on behalf of the community. The only thing holding us back is money to hire more staff and compensate landowners for giving up development rights. THE LAND TRUST FOR SANTA BARBARA COUNTY 3 PREPARING FOR SUMMER AT ARROYO HONDO PRESERVE DESPITE RECENT STORMS, rainfall throughout Santa Barbara County remains much lower than normal this water year. At Arroyo Hondo, we’re preparing for a dry summer and fall. Last spring we celebrated the profusion of flowers, mushrooms, steelhead, etc., that followed a wet winter at Arroyo NEW TRAIL SIGNAGE Hondo. This year it looks like AND PICNIC TABLES Arroyo Hondo wildlife—especially Southern steelhead— are facing a very different reality. Arroyo Hondo Creek is Thank you to Jase Meyer and Boy Scout Troop 4 for flowing, but pools are shallow and generally the waters are beautiful new trail signage and two new picnic tables at more challenging for fish. For these reasons, precious juvenile Arroyo Hondo Preserve! trout are getting a boost from the California Department of Jase is a freshman at Dos Pueblos High School and now a Fish and Wildlife and have been relocated to deeper upstream Troop 4 Eagle Scout. He fell in love with Arroyo Hondo pools of Arroyo Hondo Creek. during his first visit and chose the preserve for his Eagle Again this Scout Service Project. spring, cows and El Capitan Canyon Resort staff tutored Jase in making both calves from the the signs and picnic tables and donated supplies, while Jase Brinkman and fundraised for final costs. Jase and his father experimented Brown Ranches with many designs and materials before Jase did the final are visiting construction and engraving. Troop 4 held two work parties Arroyo Hondo to paint and finish the signs and then assisted with the to help control installation earlier this year. While working on this project, weeds. When Jase enjoyed hiking all the AHP trails—Upper Outlaw is timed correctly, his favorite. the cows will eat a lot of the non-native mustard and thistle that are coming up fast, while native grasses, slower to Now that he has achieved Eagle Scout rank, Jase’s goals for emerge, are nibbled on but not killed. The cows also trample the coming year are to be active in the leadership of his old mustard stalks, thereby enriching the soil and reducing troop. He is on the Lodge Executive Committee for the fuel for wildfire.
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