48-acre Gaviota Overlook preserved by Land Trust for Santa Barbara County

GOLETA, Calif.-  A piece of the iconic Gaviota coastline west of Goleta has been preserved by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County.
The $3-million purchase was made possible with a fundraising campaign and support from Santa Barbara County through the Coastal Resources Enhancement Fund (CREF) that comes from oil industry fees.

Santa Barbara County Supervisor Joan Hartmann says the site has deep history. "I think this is California as it was when the Chumash were here," she said.   Hartmann has been on horseback riding trips on a trail along the mountain cielo and has seen views she said were among the best in the world.
The 48-acre site is one piece of a plan to preserve parcels of land unlike anything you can find along the Southern California coast.

Land Trust for Santa Barbara County Executive Director Meredith Hendricks said,  "we know the Gaviota Coast is one of the most spectacular landscapes intact left in  California."  With this, the Land Trust sees a trail to protect the land on this section of the coast in the future. "That plays into wildlife corridors and public access and keeping coastal ag and it is really about a large vision that you implement one piece at a time."

Santa Barbara County viewed it as a priority and holds its ground against overdevelopment.  "We want to be Santa Barbara County and that means maintaining agriculture and open space."
The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Chairman Das Williams said, to preserves the area, it is "not just by non profit acquisitions but also preservation of agriculture  but this is just too good of an opportunity to pass up."

It takes a willing land owner "and  money and it takes someone like the Land Trust that knows how to negotiate deals," said Hartmann.
The Land Trust says eventually there will be a Gaviota trail network here and future generations will experience it in its historic natural condition.

Hendricks said, "we want kids to grow up feeling like this is just the way it is  and it's all for them."

Santa Ynez Valley resident Chloe Graber, "it is nice that it is not going to be developed and we have this  we will have this open land to hike and be on."
The area is just to the west of the Arroyo Hondo preserve  and the Land Trust says depending on the winter ahead they hope to have this open by next summer. 

For more information go to:  The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County.