The Arroyo Hondo Preserve, west of Santa Barbara between Refugio State Beach and Gaviota State Park, spans approximately 1,000 acres and offers spectacular views.
However, the preserve is currently closed, having sustained extensive damage from recent winter storms.
"Normally, Arroyo Hondo is a place where we host school groups, and people can sign up for free to come out and enjoy the preserve," said Meredith Hendricks, Executive Director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. "We're at over 300 percent of normal rainfall this year. We had over four inches of rain in the preserve in three hours, so it was like a deluge that overwhelmed the system. The creek overtopped roads, and bridges, and a number of areas of the preserve experienced landslides, rockslides, and debris flows."
The Land Trust’s stewardship team is actively assessing damage and planning recovery efforts, which will require significant resources to support cleanup, stabilization, and long-term care of the preserve.
Arroyo Hondo will be closed until the end of January, and then is expected to remain closed for at least several more months while the work continues.
Land Trust officials will share updates and photos as assessments progress and recovery work advances on their website.
