$1 Million Foothills Stewardship Fund Campaign

An endowment to care for our beloved San Marcos Foothills PreserveIt

Thanks to over 5,500 contributors, the 2021 Foothills Forever Campaign was successful in preserving the 101 acres of the West Mesa at the San Marcos Foothills by purchasing the land, recording a deed restriction, and transferring the property to the County of Santa Barbara.

This effort successfully combined the West Mesa with the existing 200 acres San Marcos Foothills Preserve and created 301 contiguous acres as a public nature preserve.

We also established a $1 Million Restoration Endowment Fund and grants program to support restoration projects on the land. In June 2025, we held our inaugural grant cycle and made grants to Channel Islands Restoration for a Chumash Ethnobotanical Garden, long-term research and monitoring on the prescribed sheep grazing project, and installation of burrows for burrowing owls, a California Species of Special Concern.

Ongoing Stewardship of our Community’s Beloved Preserve

Every nature preserve needs  a circle of “friends” to ensure ongoing care and protection. 

In 2024, Foothills Forever, Inc. became a 501c3 non-profit and turned our attention to long term stewardship of the Preserve in partnership with the County (owner) and Channel Islands Restoration (restoration contractor). 

Now that the Preserve has grown to 301 acres combined, it has become clear we need to secure additional, consistent funding for the regular upkeep of the entire Preserve and shore up legal protections for the full acreage. We have a formal agreement with the County to work together on these goals.

Please join us in caring for this entire unique and beautiful nature preserve by donating to the new $1 Million San Marcos Foothills Preserve Stewardship Endowment.

One-time contributions to the San Marcos Foothills Preserve Stewardship Endowment will create a permanent, annual funding source to:

  • Provide ~$40,000 to the County Parks Department for ranger services at the Preserve, including annual trail maintenance, regular waste and recycling collection, seasonal mowing of non-native grasses for fire prevention, and enforcement of the Preserve’s rules.

  • Ensure regular care for the Preserve not subject to the ups-and-downs of the County’s annual budget cycles. 

  • Enhance the permanent conservation restrictions on the 200 acres to match the restrictions on the West Mesa.

  • Leverage other funding dedicated to the Preserve.

Like the Restoration Endowment, this separate Stewardship Endowment will be held in an account managed by the Santa Barbara Foundation, with oversight by Foothills Forever, Inc. 

Thank you in advance for joining our stewardship efforts. Together, we can ensure the Preserve will remain protected and well-cared for as public open space and vital wildlife habitat and as an inspiration for the next generation of conservationists.

**For more information, please contact Nancy Weiss | 805.895.9211 or info@foothillsforever.org