Ellwood 2.0 Ready for Launch
A Major Restoration Plan Is Meant to
Revive Monarch Numbers, Reduce Fire Risks
By Tyler Hayden | April 20, 2023
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George Thomson stood in the heart of the monarch butterfly grove at Ellwood Mesa and motioned upward with his arm. A patch of empty sky loomed overhead where a healthy canopy of habitat once stood. All around him lay fallen eucalyptus trees crisscrossed over one another like a giant, hellish game of pick-up sticks.
“Something needs to be done,” said Goleta’s parks and open space manager of the 90-acre preserve, once one of the richest sites in the world for overwintering monarchs and an ever-popular destination for nature lovers. “People want action.” And action is what Thomson and a team of planners and scientists are about to deliver with a massive restoration effort nearly a decade in the making.
The new $5.6 million management plan — funded with state grants and pending likely final approvals from the Goleta City Council and the California Coastal Commission — will mean enhanced habitat not only for the butterflies but for an entire ecosystem of plants and animals. It will also mean far better fire protection for the 2,500 homes nearby and much-improved public access for all levels of mobility. “There’s a lot to celebrate,” said Thomson.
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