More Mesa sinkhole is a dangerous hazard on local trail

A good-sized sinkhole is opening up on top of the coastal bluff on More Mesa.

What makes the erosion even more concerning is its location; it is right in the middle of a trail in the popular seaside preserve in the Goleta Valley, closest to the ocean.

The area is favorite among bike riders, joggers and people out walking their dogs and after weeks of winter rains, they’re finding plenty of mud puddles and soggy grasslands. And now, a new hazard.

Local painter and viewer Cyndi Burt first alerted NewsChannel 3 to the gaping hole.

We talked to Christian Anderson during his morning walk Friday. He said he first noticed it as a small hole about a year ago.

“It started out as a gopher hole, I think, and then when the precipitation started to come it sort of expanded,” Anderson said. “And now, it’s almost three feet deep. And it looks a bit dangerous when you walk on the bluff.”

Anderson said erosion along the cliff is noticeable from the beach and is urging people to be extra careful.

The 300 acres of open space are cared for by the More Mesa Preservation Coalition, which is made up of
concerned citizens.

No word yet if anything is being done to warn visitors to the area about the hole.