On May 17, the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County held its annual spring picnic fundraiser at one of its most visited and beloved properties, the Arroyo Hondo Preserve on the Gaviota Coast. The event was in part a 25th anniversary celebration of the Land Trust’s stewardship of this awe-inspiring, 910-acre canyon preserve.
Upon arrival at the midday event, guests socialized and perused experience stations set up by the Land Trust and partner nonprofits. Then guests were seated under an enormous open-air tent for a tasty lunch, remarks by Executive Director Meredith Hendricks and Board President Laurel Fisher Perez, and a spirited auction and paddle raise led by Geoff Green.
Hendricks reflected on the importance of Arroyo Hondo — “a gem of biodiversity” that has been enjoyed by more than 50,000 visitors, and also on the magnitude of the responsibility of caring for it. She related the complicated nature of the Land Trust’s work of finding willing landowners and securing funding to conserve property where there is a public benefit. That our county is one of the most high-profile, in-demand places on planet Earth, according to Hendricks, makes the Land Trust’s work especially challenging…