A South Coast nature preserve with spectacular views of the Gaviota coastline has a major new addition.
"Steelhead Lookout is at the top of Arroyo Hondo Preserve, and this particular piece of property was the last privately held bit of Arroyo Hondo Creek between our preserve and the national forest," said Meredith Hendricks, Executive Director of the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County.
The Trust worked out a deal to buy and preserve the 80 acres of land.
"Steelhead Lookout was privately owned by a local agricultural family, the Cadwell Family. They have Tutti Frutti Farms, where we also have a conservation easement, and they're producers of local fruit and vegetable products."
The property was used as a retreat by the Cadwell family, who, according to Hendricks, wanted to leave a legacy for future generations.
"We had the opportunity to acquire it at the fair market value," said Hendricks. It was a $90,000 acquisition, which is incredibly affordable for the Gaviota Coast. The price was really driven by the fact that the property was up the side of a steep canyon. We had an incredible anonymous donor step forward who covered the cost of the acquisition."
It’s the latest addition to the preserve, which includes creeks, trees, trails, and spectacular views.
"The Arroyo Hando Preserve is over 900 acres of high-quality habitat on the Gaviota Coast. Chaparral, hillsides, down into a riparian or creek corridor, going out to the ocean," said Hendricks. "The preserve is home to all kinds of wildlife. We have mountain lion, bobcat, raccoon, and skunk, and steelhead trout are back. But it's also a place for education. The preserve is open and free for anyone to visit on the first and third weekends of the month. We host thousands of schoolchildren every year."
The deal means the entire length of Arroyo Hondo Creek will be preserved. It’s a key habitat for endangered Southern California Steelhead Trout. Some fish rescued from Topanga Creek, which January’s Palisades Wildfire polluted, thrive in their new Santa Barbara County home.
"We received over 270 fish, and they spawned this year, so the transplantation was a success," said Hendricks.
The preserve will turn 25 next year. It’s grown from around 700 to more than 900 acres in the last three years. Is there an opportunity for the Land Trust to continue to try to increase the size of the preserve?
"We have about 16 active projects countywide, and our top priority right now is creation of a public preserve to serve the Santa Maria Valley," explained Hendricks. "We're deep into that project. But we also look for opportunities to expand where conservation has already occurred."
It means connecting with willing landowners and raising money for additional purchases.
The Land Trust is developing a management plan for the new addition to the preserve, which could include extensions from existing trails.
