First Piece of Santa Barbara’s More Mesa Permanently Preserved

One portion of the heavily trafficked and beloved coastal bluffs of More Mesa is now permanently protected under a new conservation easement, Santa Barbara County officials announced on Saturday. 

Just west of Hope Ranch, More Mesa is a de facto nature preserve, encompassing 325 acres of oak woodlands, riparian habitat, and informally public trails used by birdwatchers, bikers, dog walkers, and horseback riders alike. The easement will protect the space from development, while still allowing current recreational uses and park management. 

Only the county-owned portion of More Mesa — encompassing 36 acres on the northwestern edge — is included, however. Much of the rest of the land is privately owned and has been repeatedly taken on and off the market by its Saudi Arabian landlords, who bought the property back in 2012 for an estimated $25 million.

The most recent market appearance of the 265 private acres was listed at $65 million.

Despite the high price, community members in the More Mesa Preservation Coalition are nurturing an ambitious dream to purchase and protect the rest of the land within the next two years. To support their goal, the group launched a recreational user survey to document the use and values of the space, visited by tens of thousands of people every year. It found that more than 90 percent of respondents “were very concerned over possible development threats.”

For now, though, neighbors are celebrating the portion of land that the county vowed to guard from development in perpetuity. On Saturday, they gathered atop a scenic peak of one of More Mesa’s hiking trails for a community picnic. Banjo and guitar duo Vince & Greg played laidback jams as people relaxed on blankets amid the tall grass. An artist took up painting a portrait of the space, too: capturing the blue hues of the sky kissing the mountains and overlooking the sea. 

The effort — championed in part by Santa Barbara County Supervisor Laura Capps — was regarded by Saturday’s speakers as a first step in preserving More Mesa against mounting housing development pressures. Capps said she often walks her dog, Jasmin, through the park.

“So, it’s just a privilege for me to come along and be the ambassador, be the cheerleader, and to get this across the finish line. And I have to say, this sailed through the Board of Supervisors,” she said.

The piece of More Mesa being protected was purchased in 1991 by the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County and later transferred to the county itself, with the entire county-owned piece designated as Environmentally Sensitive Habitat. The county has been caring for the area since — including recent plantings of native species along Atascadero Creek. 

With the easement in place, the Land Trust will serve as the land’s stewards and coordinate with the county to create a comprehensive land-management plan, and all future development will be limited to trails and minimal public access and park improvements. Santa Barbara County will retain ownership of the land, and its Parks Department will oversee daily operations. 

Land Trust Executive Director Meredith Hendricks noted that the 36-acre parcel also serves to strengthen connection, protection, and recreation between it and the Modoc Preserve. 

However, she warned that “we can’t take conservation for granted” and protecting open, natural spaces is a continuous effort. She called the easement a “belt and suspenders.” They are seeking to ensure and maintain higher levels of protection that can lead to greater conservation of the space over time.  

“It’s not that we just conserve something once and walk away from it,” she said. “It’s a renewable contract we have with each other that these places matter and that we’re going to protect them with the best possible mechanisms.”

“We’re never done as a society,” she added. “We need to remind each other and hope that our kids believe that these are valuable places to protect and that nothing will happen that challenges that conservation.”