Home > All Issues > Sprawl > The Gaviota Coast

The Gaviota Coast

May 2008

The Gaviota Coast in Santa Barbara County, California, is considered to lie between Coal Oil Point in Goleta and Point Sal near Lompoc. It includes coastal watersheds from the top of the ridge to the ocean, and Points Conception and Arguello, the southwestern extremes of the North American Continent. It is a unique and imperiled area. Unique because it encompasses the meeting of an East-West mountain chain with the Pacific ocean. The resulting coastal Mediterranean ecosystem is not found anywhere else in the United States and is rare in the world. In large part because of their benign climate they are among the world's most threatened environments. The Southern California Coastal Province (Pt. Conception to Mexico) contains the highest density of imperiled species of anywhere in the U.S.

While the Gaviota Coast represents only 15% of the 300-mile Southern California coastline, it contains about 50% of its remaining rural coastline. Though most Southern California coastal areas have been dramatically altered and biologically degraded by expanding human occupation, the Gaviota Coast retains a high degree of biodiversity. This is true because of three key factors: natural and agricultural landscapes still prevail, the area is a transition zone between two distinct ecoregions, and the Santa Ynez Mountains serve as an effective wildlife migration corridor from the large interior wildlands of California.

  The marine ecosystem of the Santa Barbara Channel is also a mixing zone between northern and southern marine biota, due to dominant current patterns. The circular pattern in the Channel connects mainland watersheds with the offshore marine ecosystem, including the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary.

  Historically, the Gaviota Coast supported the highest density of coastal Native Americans in California. Important archeological resources remain relatively undisturbed on the Gaviota Coast.

  Agriculture on the Gaviota Coast dates back to the beginning of western settlement in the area in the 18^th Century. Several families have been in agriculture here for generations.

The Gaviota Coast is currently imperiled by changes in land use from wildlands and agriculture to a variety of inappropriate uses, primarily urban sprawl related.  A large number of development proposals are in various stages of consideration by the County, from large single family residences to high end multiple unit developments. 

Existing oil developments are phasing out and it is hoped this may foster additions to the State Park and several State Beaches.   The Los Padres National Forest largely protects the steep slopes of the Mountains, but the economics of high end residential development are increasingly fostering agriculturally zoned land to be converted to vacation and year round residential use. 

Vandenberg Air Force Base occupies the extreme western portion of the Gaviota Coast and while this has resulted in significant development of rocket launching facilities, both security and the need for dispersion of launch sites has left much of its area relatively undisturbed.