[Updated: Saturday, February 7, 1:00 p.m.]
At the Carpinteria Bluffs, coastal sage and wildflowers blossom in fields, eucalyptus trees line walking paths, and harbor seals gather and raise their pups on the sands just below.
To help preserve this “sacred space,” as 1st District Supervisor Roy Lee described it, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved $800,000 for restoration of the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve and neighboring bluff properties.
Improvements include restoring degraded trails, removing invasive species, planting new native vegetation, and expanding ADA-accessible pathways. It will also fund new restrooms and other public amenities.
It’s uncommon for the county to fund big improvement projects like this in cities, noted Mona Miyasato, the county’s chief executive officer. When they do, it’s often in unincorporated areas. “This is very special,” she said. “This was a commitment made years ago.”
Some may wonder where this money is coming from, considering the county’s projected deficit. But supervisors clarified that it is from funds set aside back in 2021.
To improve and preserve the county’s parks, open spaces, and trails, $2 million was allocated to North County and $1.5 million to South County in 2021, including the chunk earmarked for the Carpinteria bluffs.
“All of us have been impacted by these dollars,” noted Board Chair Bob Nelson. “They’re cannabis dollars.”
At that, Lee’s chief of staff, Wade Cowper, suggested that it’s “grass for grass.”
The $800,000 was originally set aside at former supervisor Das Williams’s request during the 2024 budget process for the Carpinteria bluffs. His purpose was to have the money ready for an acquisition campaign of one of the remaining private parcels if there was a willing seller.
“It went beyond our ability to fundraise that, so our office felt it was a good use of the funds to do our best with the area that’s already preserved,” Cowper said. Instead, on Tuesday, the board appropriated the funds to be used for maintenance of the bluffs. Hundreds of acres of coastal bluff land in the area has already been permanently protected through community efforts.
It’s an open space used not only by Carpinteria residents, but by people throughout the South Coast, Cowper said. The lands provide habitat protection for sensitive species, public recreation, coastal access, and are a key part of the California coastal trail.
The City of Carpinteria will coordinate improvements with the Carpinteria Open Space Management Advisory Board and the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County.
“You don’t see this often,” said Lee, whose district includes the City of Carpinteria. “It’s something very positive to preserve a piece of land we fought so hard for. It means a lot to the Carpinteria community.”
Other funds set aside for South County parks, trails, and open spaces went to the Recreation Master Plan and the Isla Vista Bluffs Fencing Project. With Carpinteria’s allocation, the remaining balance stands at $295K.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to reflect that the $800,000 in funds were originally set aside at the request of former Supervisor Das Williams for acquisition of one of the remaining private parcels on the Carpinteria Bluffs.
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