Goleta orchestrates plan to save the monarch butterflies

GOLETA, Calif. - The city of Goleta is putting their greatest efforts towards saving the monarch butterflies.

Visitors to Goleta love going on hikes to check out the butterflies.

Little Amalia, who is visiting from another monarch hotspot, Pismo Beach, is no exception.

“We see a lot (of butterflies) when we were done walking in the Butterfly Grove. I saw a lot of them,” says Amalia.

The city says monarch butterflies are an important symbol of Goleta’s identity.

“They’re beautiful. They inspire people. We get thousands of visitors every year, so they also generate income for the city and support businesses. But more than anything, you come out here and you feel like a little kid again and it’s really magical when you see thousands of butterflies out here,” says Goleta Parks and Open Space Manager George Tomson.

The city of Goleta will be hosting a free open house for the butterfly monarch grove Saturday morning.

Nature enthusiasts like Amalia can learn more about the area and the endangered butterflies.

George Tomson explained, “(the butterfly) numbers over the last several years have really declined. Last year we had about 15,000 at Ellwood, which historically is really low, but compared to the previous year, we had 16 one six butterflies visit, so that was really a troubling winter.”

The open house will include an overview of a nature project and a walking tour.

It will take place from 9 am to 11 am at the end of Santa Barbara Shores Drive.