There is something about open land—about wild places, miles of coastline,farmland and endless rolling pasture—that brings solace, calm and renewal. Open spaces that nurture our soul, capture our hearts, and provide a learning ground and quiet respite and from our otherwise hectic lives.

Open lands provide places for wildlife to survive, ranchers and farmers to grow our food, school groups to learn, and you to enjoy. In Santa Barbara County, we are fortunate to be surrounded by productive farms and ranches, dramatic coastlines and rolling hills. These places are our heritage. They define our identity—past, present and future.

The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County works to protect important open space, wildlife habitat, farms and ranches. The Land Trust has protected some of the county’s most beautiful areas—the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, Sedgwick Reserve, Carpinteria Bluffs and the Coronado Butterfly Preserve.

On the Gaviota Coast and in the Santa Ynez Valley, the Land Trust is using conservation easements and landowner incentives to protect agricultural and scenic open land from development. Since 1985, the Land Trust has worked with willing landowners, the community and public agencies to protect over 18,500 acres in Santa Barbara County. And with your help, we can protect even more.