Drought, heat, wildfire; how do we preserve the wild biodiversity of the Gaviota Coast in the face of climate change? And can the Gaviota Coast be part of the solution? Here are some suggestions:
Begin the managed retreat of our State Parks, like Gaviota and Refugio, that will otherwise be lost to sea level rise over the next 20-30 years.
Restore the estuaries at Gaviota, Refugio, Dos Pueblos, and the Santa Ynez River to sequester "blue carbon" and improve ocean productivity.
Incentivize local ranchers to add more carbon to their soil by managing grazing better and planting oak trees.
Protect our creeks and headwater springs from water diversions, as they provide a refuge for many rare and endangered species.
Provide ample wildlife corridors and highway crossings so wildlife can escape fires and flooding and adapt to a hotter climate.
The famous palm trees at Refugio Beach are slowly eroding away due to sea level rise.
BEARS ON THE BEACH AT GAVIOTA
These black bear pawprints were photographed recently on a Gaviota beach. It is not uncommon to also find footprints of bobcats, coyotes, skunks, deer, and even mountain lions on these beaches. It is not widely appreciated how important the rich marine resources of the shoreline are to terrestrial wildlife. You can learn more about this by reading "Marine to Terrestrial Subsidies on the Gaviota Coast", a white paper prepared with financial support from Coastal Ranches Conservancy.
OLD TIMERS REPORT STEELHEAD IN HOT SPRINGS CREEK
We recently located an old letter from a Mr. Ed Henke reporting that steelhead trout were once found in Hot Springs Creek, a tributary to Las Canovas Creek which eventually joins Gaviota Creek. Ed was born in 1928 and grew up fishing for steelhead in the Ventura River. He made it his life's work to document where steelhead were originally found in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties by talking to old timers of his generation and before.
Hot Springs Creek is formed by water emerging from the Gaviota Hot Springs, on the hillside below Gaviota Peak. The water emerges from the ground at 97 degrees F but the water temperature quickly drops down as the creek accumulates water flow from the nearby Las Cruces Spring, which is cold. By the time Hot Springs Creek reaches Las Canovas Creek, about 1/3rd mile away, the water temperature is down to 59 degrees F, even on a day when the air temperature is over 100! That is the perfect water temperature for trout so it is not surprising that they would have been found here.
But there haven't been any trout here since their way up Las Canovas Creek was blocked by a 200 foot long box culvert under Highway 101, built more than 50 years ago. That culvert needs to be fixed so the fish can, once again, reach this good habitat. We're working on it.
Hot Springs Creek joins Las Canovas Creek at a cool 59 degrees; perfect for steelhead trout.
OUR 2021 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
This was a busy year for Coastal Ranches Conservancy, as you can see by our list of accomplishments. Please consider supporting us with your gift this year so we can carry on this important work. Mail us a check or go to our website and use PayPal to donate. Thank you to all who have supported us in 2021, and in the past.
WILDLIFE UNDERCROSSING OF HIGHWAY 101- We successfully argued for Caltrans to accommodate wildlife crossing needs in a culvert at Gaviota.
WILDLIFE CROSSING STUDY- Bending to pressure brought by CRC, Caltrans agrees to create a master plan for wildlife crossings in the Gaviota Pass.
GAVIOTA CREEK FISH PASSAGE- Caltrans finally begins engineering for a $12 million steelhead passage project on Gaviota Creek, a project we helped kickstart 8 years ago.
WATER RIGHTS FOR FISH AND FROGS- We presented evidence to the State Water Board of an illegal diversion of water from Gaviota Spring and its impact on wildlife that depend on the creek.
SHORELINE SUBSIDIES FOR WILDLIFE- We provided financial support for a white paper on the importance of shoreline and marine resources to terrestrial wildlife.
NATURE EDUCATION- We donated $15,000 to several local nature education programs like NatureTrack and Kids in Nature.
GAVIOTA CREEK BLOCKAGE REMOVED- We worked with State Parks and CDFW to remove a long-standing creek blockage at the Gaviota State Park bridge that prevented steelhead from swimming up Gaviota Creek
