$1 Million Restoration Endowment Complete!
This brings the $20 Million campaign to purchase and permanently preserve the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa across the finish line.
We want to express our gratitude to the following individuals and foundations for their generosity in establishing the Restoration Endowment!
Anonymous
James S. Bower Foundation
Patricia & Paul Bragg Foundation
Darlene Chirman
Steve & Marian Cohen
Gwen & Rodger Dawson
La Centra-Sumerlin Foundation
Julia & Peter Laraway
John Lewis & Carrie Towbes
Manitou Fund / Nora McNeely Hurley
John & Gloria McManus
Mission Wealth
Muzzy Family Fund
Ted Rhodes & Joni Pascal
Mary Rose & Frank Artusio
Peter Schuyler & Lisa Stratton
Judy & Jack Stapelmann
Steele Family Foundation
Merryl & Chuck Zegar Family Fund
+ Funds remaining from original 2021 land purchase campaign
* As of 12/11/23.
Foothills Forever
haku k-ič’ -ičantik’ - Hello - Hola
WEST MESA PRESERVATION UPDATE & CARING FOR THE LAND
The Foothills Forever campaign has completed the final transactional stages for transferring the property to the County, as planned, including receiving the County's $2 million and the State's $3 million contributions which paid off the loans that helped purchase the property. In June 2023, the West Mesa was transferred to the County to be combined with the existing 200 acres to create a 301-acre San Marcos Foothills Preserve.
Since the purchase of the property, we have:
● Ensured the property has remained open to the public and safeguarded from development;
● Gathered broad input via a community survey on future stewardship activities;
● With help of over 100 volunteers, Channel Islands Restoration conducted a survey of native plants on the West Mesa, beginning the important process of understanding the baseline conditions for future restoration efforts;
● Decided to establish Foothills Forever as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to provide on-going support for the Foothills into the future;
● Installed a new fence and signage for the entrance focused on taking care of the plants and wildlife.
STEWARDSHIP OF THIS COMMUNITY LEGACY – AN ENDOWMENT FOR THE FUTURE
The Foothills Leadership Council believes that in addition to preserving the land, on-going care of the land is vital. Together, we have created the San Marcos Foothills Endowment Fund for habitat restoration projects on the land. With the oversight of the Foothills Forever Board of Directors, the Santa Barbara Foundation will serve as the Endowment investment manager.
Additional contributions are still gratefully welcomed to fund the first two years of restoration grants, to allow time for the Endowment corpus to earn investment income for future grantmaking. Gifts of cash, stock or other assets and future planned gifts are gratefully accepted.
Contribute
To make a tax-deductible contribution to the Foothills Forever Restoration Endowment,
a fiscal sponsorship fund at the Santa Barbara Foundation:
Make checks payable to: Santa Barbara Foundation, with “Foothills Forever Restoration Endowment” in the memo line.
Mail to: Santa Barbara Foundation, 1111 Chapala St #200, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
To donate gifts of stock or other assets, please contact the Santa Barbara Foundation staff for further details:
Andrea Light, Interim Investment Manager, (805) 880-9355, alight@sbfoundation.org
Jessica Sanchez, Director of Donor Relations, (805) 8809366, jsanchez@sbfoundation.org
OUR VISION
Create 301 Acres of Contiguous Wildlife Habitat. Expand the existing San Marcos Foothills Preserve, preserve the native grasslands, and allow restoration to improve its wildlife habitat values.
Honor Chumash Heritage. Enable Chumash stewardship, ritual, and ceremony on the land.
Protect Open Space.
The foothills are a beautiful natural open space and fire buffer visible from throughout Santa Barbara and Goleta.
Provide Environmental Education Opportunities. Public access allows children and adults to explore and learn in nature.
Maintain the Trail Experience
in balance with the natural environment.
Community groups led by Save San Marcos Foothills and Channel Islands Restoration were successful in purchasing the 101 acres of the West Mesa at the San Marcos Preserve in June 2021. Thousands of Foothills Forever trailblazing donors and volunteers banded together in just 90 days to raise $18.6 million in cash and loans to preserve the San Marcos Foothills’ last remaining 101 acres on the West Mesa. At that time, we also initiated an effort to start a $1 million habitat restoration endowment fund.
We are so grateful for everyone’s support with this Herculean effort!
All told, over 5,500 volunteers and donors joined in, believing that together we could preserve the land to honor Chumash heritage, create 301 acres of contiguous wildlife habitat, provide environmental education, and ensure public open space during the pandemic and for future generations. Saving the San Marcos Foothills continues our community’s legacy of saving important open space lands forever, including The Douglas Family Preserve, Carpinteria Bluffs, Sperling Preserve at Ellwood, Veronica Meadows, and Elings Park.
a’ho no’no k-aq inal -iyuw - Thank you - Gracias
About Foothills Forever
Foothills Forever is a coalition between Save San Marcos Foothills, Chumash communities, Channel Islands Restoration, and a Leadership Team with expertise in fundraising and organization including the Law Office of Marc Chytilo, Legacy Works, and Mary Rose & Associates. Together, the group raised $18.6 million in 90 days from over 5,500 donors and loans from individuals and institutions including Montecito Bank & Trust. The Santa Barbara Foundation serves as our fiscal sponsor. We have been working with a well-respected Chumash Elder who serves as the spiritual leader. We have also incorporated others in the Chumash community. Our goal has been to use Chumash Protocol appropriately and we will continue to do so. Foothills Forever is dedicated to respectfully adhering to Chumash Tribal Sovereignty. The property is currently managed by Channel Islands Restoration in cooperation with Foothills Forever and the Allemall Foundation.
Donations are gratefully being accepted for Phase 2 of the overall $20M campaign.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: info@foothillsforever.org
Become A Foothills Forever Volunteer
If you would like to volunteer on the San Marcos Foothills including but not limited to, becoming a sheep docent, site steward, or weed warrior, please join our volunteer email list here.
Includes $18 million for land purchase and $600,000 for preliminary campaign/escrow closing costs
