The City of Goleta recently closed escrow on a parcel of land at Ellwood Beach Drive to be preserved as permanent open space for public use. This is the fifth of 17 parcels Goleta is working to acquire. Composed of existing and potential monarch butterfly habitat, eucalyptus groves, willow woodlands, riparian habitat and Devereux Creek, the City is committed to preserving environmentally sensitive habitats such as this one. Located at the south ends of Mathilda and Ellwood Beach Drives, the land serve as a gateway into the adjoining Sperling Preserve on Ellwood Mesa.

The City acquired the 0.33 acre Ellwood Beach Drive parcel with the help of funding from two grants. A $48,000 grant was received from the County of Santa Barbara’s Coastal Resource Enhancement Fund (CREF).  These funds are a partial mitigation of impacts from the following offshore oil and gas projects: Point Arguello, Point Pedernales, and Santa Ynez Unit. The balance of the parcel, another $48,000, was covered by a State Park Habitat Conservation Fund grant.