Anonymous
Source: Foothills Forever
Foothills Forever, the campaign to purchase the West Mesa of the San Marcos Foothills, has announced that they have met all interim milestones and are in the home stretch to finish the campaign on June 1. Foothills Forever has been joined in their efforts by a national conservation organization.
“We are delighted to have been joined by the Allemall Foundation in our efforts to obtain the property,” stated Peter Schuyler, Co-Chair of the fundraising campaign. The Allemall Foundation recently helped the Redwood Coast Land Conservancy complete the purchase of the Mill Bend Conservation Project in Mendocino County.
“The moment that we learned of the community efforts to save this important grassland open space, we knew we wanted to help,” said Ed Scott, Executive Director of the Allemall Foundation. “We can’t do it alone, but we can help the Santa Barbara community with additional resources, to help meet your incredibly tight timeline.”
Supervisor Gregg Hart praised the efforts of Allemall Foundation stating, “this gives us an increased opportunity to meet the challenge for local residents to save this precious land.”
“Saving the San Marcos Foothills continues our community’s legacy of permanently saving threatened open space lands for the community’s use. The Douglas Family Preserve, Carpinteria Bluffs, Sperling Preserve at Ellwood, and many of the open spaces important to our community, all faced these fundraising challenges,” said Marc Chytilo, an attorney for the campaign.
“We now need angel donors to step up, as well as the wider community to continue to support the campaign. Over 3,500 individuals, businesses, and foundations have contributed more than $7.6 million in cash and pledges to date, plus a short-term loan from Montecito Bank & Trust, to meet the terms of the purchase agreement. An additional $12.4 million is needed before the June 1 deadline, to secure the legacy,” Schuyler explained.
“Our task as we navigate this last and largest fundraising goal to buy and protect the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa is to remember that every one of us can benefit from this land as public open space, and every donation large and small helps us achieve that goal,” said Marianne Parra, a member of the campaign leadership team.
Parra noted that during the week of Earth Day, “It is important that we protect the land in perpetuity for every one of us, toddler to elder, winged, two legs, four legs, eight legs and those who slither. These 101 acres feel like 20,000, with wide expansive views and incredible beauty for all to enjoy.”
Campaign volunteers are providing docent-led tours from 10 -11:30 am every Saturday and Sunday through the Month of May. Tours may also be scheduled through FoothillsForever.org.
To find out more about this once in a lifetime effort, including information on how to donate through the Santa Barbara Foundation, sign up for tours of the property, or register for an informational zoom meeting, go to FoothillsForever.org.
It’s a humorous bit of fundraising PR. They didn’t actually meet their milestone/deadline of 10 million by mid April… they just removed that milestone from the website. So yes… with the milestones gone… they reached all milestones! I truly hope they make it to the full 20, but they are going to need a lot of help… (a little more than 12 million of it!)
Its a great space but honestly people in Santa barbara have to much free time on their hands. Do people work anymore or is everyone trust fund babies?
And you won’t get a penny from Oprah or jakkkassss Ellen so keep trying. Long way from $12 million but you can do it!
but she is able to give the commencement address
Mr. Munson, how does your quote from the Independent prove your point? We made that milestone, and are moving forward. That spark from the larger community that Mr. Chytilo referenced happened to come in the form of the Allemall Foundation. We DO need more money to get to the developer’s requested 18,000,000 dollar price tag. We are continuing to work toward that goal with transparency and vigor. This is something to be commended instead of dismissed. We do need angel donors AND continued support from the thousands of people who share our commitment to public open space. If you really want the remaining 101 acres of the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa to be accessible to the public, as you mentioned in a previous comment, work to make it happen. Take a Geology tour on Saturdays a 10 am, or an informal walk and talk on Sundays at 10 am, take a walk on your own at sunset or sunrise, DONATE, or donate twice, tell your friends about the foothills, take your friends on walks at the foothills, AND at the same time talk to people about the Ortega Pool situation because, as you pointed out, that is a worthy cause as well.