Public input wanted for Baron Ranch Master Plan

GOLETA, Calif. - If you love to hike the trails throughout Santa Barbara County and enjoy the pristine Gaviota coast, mark your calendars.

Santa Barbara County is hosting a public workshop Thursday night in Goleta. This is the first step in tackling the Master Plan for Baron Ranch, the 1,038 buffer zone near Tajiguas Landfill.

(Local historians have said it it pronounced "Bear-own Ranch.") Sources show that the primary use of Baron Ranch is currently agricultural, including avocado and cherimoya orchards.

The proposed objectives of this Master Plan are to:

. Maintain the functionality of Baron Ranch as a buffer and mitigation site for the Division;

. Ensure protection of environmental resources required under current and future permits from various regulatory agencies;

. Identify and evaluate options for developing increased public recreational opportunities on Baron Ranch; and

. Ensure that all activities are fiscally sustainable and to consider revenue generating opportunities to offset costs to ratepayers.

Baron Ranch trail was the first new trail to open on the Gaviota Coast in decades; that happened roughly 9-years ago.

Thursday's workshop goes from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Goleta Valley Community Center, 5679 Hollister Avenue. 

For more information about Thursday's meeting, click the following link: http://www.countyofsb.org/pwd/baron.sbc 

And, for some history and more information about Baron Ranch, click the following link: goletahistory.com/the-baron-ranch-at-arroyo-quemada/