Anonymous
Source: Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue (SBCSAR)
SBCSAR trained [Sunday] at the cliffs above More Mesa beach, our focus was litter evacuation of injured subjects with use of rope rescue systems and vehicles. Team members ran multiple evolutions with the rescue basket and overcame obstacles such as the cliff edge transitions with use of a tripod, loose footing and minor rockfall, which included mitigation efforts at the base for the safety of beach goers.
Shortly after 12pm while members were wrapping up the training, reports came in that a subject was stuck on the cliff with his dog near the steps and entrance to the beach only 100 yards from the rope rescue training. The dog had gone over the side and the owner attempted to help the dog and became stuck himself, unable to get back to the top of the cliff due to unstable ground, requested assistance and 911 was called to initiate a response. Team members were also summoned by a bystander and members arrived to the scene within two minutes. Being familiar with the area, team members located nearby anchors and setup rope systems to lower the first rescuer over the side and down to the subject and his dog Ranger clinging to the cliff side and keeping Ranger from dislodging both of them. SAR members were joined by SB County Fire to assist with the rescue operation.
Once the first rescuer was with the subject and Ranger, he proceeded to secure both to the rope to prevent any further slipping and awaited a second SAR team member to arrive to assist in getting the two down the cliff and to the beach below. With the subject in a harness evaluated for injuries with fortunately none and Ranger secured, the subject was lowered down with the first rescuer to the beach below. Once on the beach and out of the way of rockfall in a safe area, the second rescuer was lowered with Ranger to the beach below. The second rescuer sent down was a veterinarian and was able to give Ranger a full evaluation for injuries which thankfully there were none. Ranger was released to the surf and cooled off after his rescue.
SBCSAR would like to thank the bystanders that initiated a quick response and flagging down team members which resulted in a positive outcome. We would like to remind the public that the cliffs are dangerous and have proven deadly in the past. If a dog wanders down the cliff and becomes stuck and unable to be recalled, please do not put yourself in danger. Instead, call 911 to initiate a response by first responders to perform a safe rescue.
Santa Barbara County Search & Rescue is a professional, all volunteer and unpaid 501(c)3 organization that is community supported by generous giving to provide services to the County of Santa Barbara under the direction of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. To learn about supporting SBCSAR, please visit our website or reach out to us.
ZEROHAWK: You’re right. Wilcox/DFP is NOT a “dog park.” It is a mixed use area. There are dog-walkers, joggers, parents with babies and toddlers, bicyclists, birdwatchers, and the occasional paragliders launch from there, too. At certain times of the year there are whale-watchers. (Who have I left out? Feel free to add to that list.) The property may have been renamed The Douglas Family Preserve, but is certainly NOT a “preserve.” It is community land. As one who worked hard, along with a great many other people/groups, to maintain preservation of the property, to preserve it from development, and to preserve the privilege of walking dogs off-leash on the bluff top and the beach down below, I can tell you that the goal of “Save the Wilcox” was never to have it as “a preserve.” The goal was always to PRESERVE the open space for ALL to enjoy. Contrary to your supposition that there are “many other wonderful places to go” where dog-walkers can legally have their dogs off-leash, there is only (within the City of Santa Barbara): The beach below The Wilcox/DFP, Hale Park (“Yeah, where the Hale is that?”) and the tiny space at MacKenzie Park. In the county: There are three small (very small, compared to The Wilcox/ DFP) enclosures in Goleta, one tiny park in Buellton, a pocket-sized space in Waller Park (Santa Maria) and, as far as I know —– that’s it. Girsh Park in Goleta no longer has off-leash as an option. There may be a tiny grass area near Greenwell, in Summerland, but it is relatively unknown and used by neighbors for the most part. ——————————– This info is brought to you not by some “newer” local but by someone who was born and raised here. Cottage Hospital. I am SO HAPPY we have The Wilcox/DFP legally off-leash, where we can recreate with countless other outdoor enthusiasts, all of us enjoying life. With everyone and his dog now owning a dog, we need legally off-leash space now more than ever.
coming from one who does SAR, and someone who has been here since 1982, the Wilcox property/Douglas Preserve is not a dog park. You can put up your own signs, and water dishes around the area and it still is not a designated dog park. It’s a preserve and is nothing more than that. I love going up there and exploring and have been doing that since the early 80s. The cliff side is dangerous. Very dangerous and to have off leashed canines running around and playing is just a bad idea no matter how try to explain it. I’ve had friends fall off the top and die, 3 of them over the years. I’ve watched dogs fall several times and most don’t end up with SAR, they end up deceased. This happens so much that it really baffles me that people continue to take their dogs here off leash. There are so many other wonderful places to go in the city and county to go off leash and on leash at, but this place is not an off leash dog park. I’m sure some “newer” locals will argue and debate this, but it is what it is…or isn’t in this case.