Gaviota Overlook Expanding Arroyo Hondo Preserve
More Protected Wildlife Habitat, More Protected Public Space
Purchasing Gaviota Overlook allows the Land Trust to expand visitor access for the first time in twenty years. Adding new trails across these 48 acres not only enhances the visitor experience, but it sets up the potential for a more robust future trail network in Gaviota. The addition of new trails at Arroyo Hondo will increase educational opportunities for school children and individual visitors alike.
The rolling grassland of the Gaviota Overlook property adds a new, unique habitat to Arroyo Hondo, benefitting local plants and animals, and, importantly, extending connectivity as a wildlife corridor. Three watershed drainages on this property recharge the water table with winter rains while the grasslands provide carbon and nitrogen capture, both important to climate resilience. With conservation management of the property, the climate benefits are enhanced, and the community will be able to experience firsthand why conserving the Gaviota Coast matters.