Public Policy Activities

Santa Barbara Audubon Society
Public Policy Issues

Great Blue Heron,
Photo courtesy Morgan Ball

Oak Conservation Policies
- Oak Collaborative Workshops
- The Importance of Oak Woodlands, by David Kisner, El Tecolote, April 1998
- Oak Protection Initiatives
- Oak Regeneration Pilot Project
- Oak Protection Policies-proposed
Project Clean Water
(South Coast Watershed Alliance)

Oak Conservation Policies

Oak Collaborative Workshops

Since the fall of 1997, Santa Barbara County residents have been aware of the accelerated loss of oak habitats, especially for the installation of winegrape vineyards. In April, 1998, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors considered but rejected an urgency ordinance to halt the large-scale removal of oaks while long-term protection strategies were developed. The Board did agree to facilitate a Collaborative Workshop Series on oak protection.

The Collaborative Workshop Group, which was a balanced group of ranchers, winegrape growers, environmentalists including Audubon representatives, and concerned citizens met to address the loss of oak resources, trying to balance resource protection with private property rights and agricultural development in the county. The group set five goals; the most contentious was #5, regarding large-scale removal of oak trees. The process broke down when trying to establish thresholds of tree numbers for no permits, ministerial permits, and discretionary permits.

Goal #1 Serious long range planning for the enhancement and preservation of agricultural lands, to include preservation and enhancement of oaks and woodland habitat.
Goal #2 Create a variety of incentives for landowners to conserve and regenerate oak trees.
Goal #3 Implement a project to map and conduct a survey of oak woodlands on public and private lands outside of the urban boundaries, and, using science-based data and other decision-making processes, implement a process of research and assist (technical and financial) in the regeneration of oak trees.
Goal #4 A system for monitoring and evaluating programs, and to make recommendations and revisions if necessary.
Goal #5 Create a clear set of guidelines to avoid/prevent large scale oak removal and to maintain viable oak habitats. Create oak removal thresholds beyond which a site-specific "discretionary review" will be required. In some cases, mitigation will be acceptable.

Oak Protection Initiatives

Two oak protection measures were on the ballot November 2, 1998, for Santa Barbara County residents. Both these measures failed. Santa Barbara Audubon endorsed Measure K, the Native Oak Tree Protection Measure, believing this would limit large-scale removal of oaks, at least requiring environmental review of agricultural intensification projects with significant environmental impacts.

Oak Regeneration Pilot Project

The Las Cruzitas Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley is the site of an oak regeneration project. John Hulburd, who lives on the 1400-acre cattle ranch, designed an oak planting project, to address the poor regeneration of the magnificentValley oaks on the ranch. Funding was approved bye the Board of Supervisors from mitigation funds to pay for exclosures to protect the acorns and seedlings from cattle, deer and ground squirrels, for auguring planting holes, and for supplemental water. Volunteers helped with the initial planting.

Oak Protection Policies-proposed

The County of Santa Barbara has proposed an Oak Protection Program. A working group composed of agriculturalists and environmentalists came up with compromise guidelines, initially for Valley oaks, later extended to Blue oaks. Much more lenient guidelines of Coast live oak threshold of 15% to address large- scale removal, was also agreed upon. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the guidelines December 10, 2002. Presently the Planning staff is reviewing the program to see if all aspects are covered by the 2000 EIR that evaluated numerous oak protection options. An oak specialist would be hired in the Agricultural Commissioner's Office to assist landowners in designing oak mitigation plantings and monitoring.

Abe Leider is the contact in Comprehensive Planning, at 568-3508 for more information, or to be placed on the notification list.