Location: Santa Barbara County
Project Type: Restoration
Status: Completed
Habitat Type: Riparian
Cost: $100,000
Area Affected: 2 acres
Assembly District: 37
Senate District: 19
Congressional District: 24
Project Lead/Grantee:
Summerland Citizen's Association (David Hill, summerlandcitizens@gmail.com)
For more information, visit scwrp.org
This project restored two acres of environmentally sensitive habitat, including wetlands, from usage as a county road yard to a peaceful nature preserve. Officially begun in 1995, the project was a unique grassroots community effort to restore a degraded environment to its natural state as a valuable biological resource. Located in rural Summerland, this site contains a spring fed perennial creek that supports an abundance of wildlife, access to public trails, and two historic farm buildings. Accomplishments to date include: development of a landscape plan by noted architect Isabelle Greene, demolition of large industrial garage, removal of 1000 cubic yards of asphalt, removal unsightly chain link fence, and placement of new protective fencing, extensive regrading to restore natural topography including a pond, and removal of non-native vegetation.
This project had a number of important features: a spring fed creek that doesn’t dry up, historic buildings, trails access, a pond, educational potential for the local schools, and wide community support and interest. About a half mile from the ocean, the site sits at the confluence of three small drainages which are relatively untouched by development.
