Volunteers plant native vegetation above Refugio Creek in Santa Barbara County March 29, 2008. (Photo by Chad Mitcham)

From left: Ashleigh Blackford, Chad Mitcham, and Jennifer Lechuga from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service help restore native plants above Refugio Creek. (USFWS Photo)

Lois Grunwald, Ventura FWO
Biologists from the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office got into the dirt on their hands and knees on March 29 to remove invasive plants and help with the revegetation of native riparian plants along Refugio Creek on the Gaviota Coast of Santa Barbara County.

The biologists—Jen Lechuga, Chad Mitcham, and Ashleigh Blackford—were joined by employees from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California State University, Channel Islands students, children, and other volunteers to begin planting 3,000 plants on the creek banks of lower Refugio Creek.

Some of the native vegetation that the volunteers planted included California blackberry (Rubus ursinus), bitter gooseberry (Ribes amarum), California live oak (Quercus agrifolia), white alder (Alnus rhombifolia), California sunflower (Helianthus californicus), black sage (Salvia mellifera), and giant rye grass (Leymus condensatus). A swath of invasive giant reed or arundo (Arundo donax) had been removed to prepare for the revegetation. Volunteers also removed other invasive weeds at the site including poison hemlock.

The Lower Refugio Creek Riparian Restoration Project will directly and indirectly benefit five federally-listed species, including the threatened California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii), the endangered least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus), southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax trallii extimus), tidewater goby (Eucyclogobius newberryi), and southern California steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Refugio Creek, which runs through a mosaic of commercial orchards, ranches, and rural residential developments before crossing under Highway 101, is one of the larger coastal streams along the Gaviota Coast and falls within a high priority area on the central California coast, where native habitat restoration and protection are vital for conserving over 85 federally-listed species and numerous migratory birds.

In 2004 and 2007, the Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program provided funding to the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County to stabilize creek banks, remove invasive arundo, and plant the native species at the important coastal riparian habitat site. The Lower Refugio Creek Restoration Project spans three private properties whose landowners and lessees have provided in-kind contributions and access to implement the restoration project.  Numerous other partners have also provided assistance to the project including California State Coastal Conservancy, Cachuma Resource Conservation District, Channel Island Restoration, and the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District.

The project highlights a unique partnership between private landowners, agricultural producers, specifically ranchers and orchard growers, and a diverse mix of federal, state, and local agencies and organizations.