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GOLETA, CA, June 26, 2025 – Join City of Goleta’s Parks and Open Space Division staff to review and discuss the draft signage plan for Ellwood Mesa before we begin the next phase of illustration and design.
When: Tuesday, July 1, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Where: Main parking lot, Sperling Preserve at Ellwood Mesa, 7729 Hollister Ave, Goleta
What: Tour of Ellwood Mesa new signage locations and review of signage types and content. Bring sturdy shoes and water. Tour will be approximately 1.2 miles.
The City of Goleta is finalizing content and locations for interpretive, navigational, and regulatory signs at Ellwood Mesa. New signage was approved by the City and the Coastal Commission as part of the 2023 Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan Phase 1 Implementation.
Improved signage will enhance the visitor experience by providing in-depth information about the site’s rich history, remarkable natural environment, and the crucial efforts underway to restore the monarch butterfly habitat.
“Ellwood Mesa is a treasure for our community, offering a unique blend of history, biodiversity, and a critical overwintering habitat for monarch butterflies,” said George Thomson, Parks and Open Space Manager. “The new signs will help deepen visitors’ understanding and appreciation of this special place.”
The signage plan includes:
- New placemarking ‘monument’ signs at the parking lot and entrances to the main butterfly grove.
- Illustrated interpretive signs at the parking lot and Phelps Road entrance that include site history, trail map, rules and conduct, and a brief introduction to key plants and wildlife.
- Wayfinding posts to guide visitors to the butterfly grove, coastal access points, and back to the parking lot.
- Illustrated interpretive signs at the main butterfly grove viewing areas with information about the monarch butterfly, their migration, life cycle, why they come to Ellwood, and what the City is doing to protect their habitat.
- Trail map and rules at neighborhood entrances.
Contact: Goleta Parks and Open Space Division, ellwoodmesa@cityofgoleta.org.
Funding for the implementation of the Monarch Butterfly Habitat Management Plan is provided in part by the California State Coastal Conservancy. The Coastal Conservancy is a California state agency, established in 1976, to protect and improve natural lands and waterways, to help people get to and enjoy the outdoors, and to sustain local economies along California’s coast. It acts with others to protect and restore, and increase public access to, California’s coast, ocean, coastal watersheds, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Its vision is of a beautiful, restored, and accessible coast for current and future generations of Californians.
