NEW! Wildfire Risk Reduction and Restoration Planning - Goleta and other South Coast Riparian Corridors

Written By LegacyWorks

With funding from the California State Coastal Conservancy’s Wildfire Resilience Program, the Wildfire Resilience Collaborative is in the process of advancing 10 habitat restoration projects toward implementation or “shovel readiness” that provide ecological enhancement while also reducing wildfire risk in the wildland urban interface and other open space areas. The geographic area focuses primarily on Goleta creeks and open spaces (both incorporated and unincorporated areas) in the Wildland/Urban Interface zone or WUI and other nearby south coast areas.  The project is is building off the Santa Barbara County Regional Priority Plan for Fire Resilience (RPP) also funded by the California Coastal Conservancy.

Restoration plans are currently being developed by the University of California Santa Barbara Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration. The team is led by Lisa Stratton, the Center’s Director of Ecosystem Management. They will be completing restoration plans for the following sites during the summer of 2024:

  • San Pedro Creek at Stonebridge Open Space

  • El Encanto Creek across from Northgate Apartments

  • Las Vegas Creek at La Goleta Open Space

  • Devereux Tributary at Santa Barbara Shores Open Space-

  • Contiguous 2nd project at Devereux Tributary at Santa Barbara Shores Open Space

  • El Encanto Creek at Evergreen Open Space

  • San Jose Creek north of Cathedral Oaks

  • San Jose Creek south of Cathedral Oaks near Kellogg at 2 residential properties

  • San Jose Creek at a private residential development near Kellogg Tennis Courts

  • Cold Springs Tributary at Westmont College

Over the coming months the Wildfire Resilience Collaborative and  partners will be engaging community members via a series of summer outreach events. Our goal is to share the draft restoration plans for community feedback and incorporate it into the final plans.. The outreach will culminate in a community event to share out the final restoration plans and next steps for the projects. Project deliverables also include recommendations on permitting needs, cost estimates and identification of potential funding sources for each project.

LegacyWorks