Carpinteria history museum plans reopening
New principal at Adelante Charter School
June 26 is the big date for museum and its monthly marketplace - B1
Javier Bolîvar named leader at Santa Barbara school - A3
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Foothills Forever meets fundraising goal Organization raises enough money to buy San Marcos Foothills Preserve
By MADISON HIRNEISEN NEWS-PRESS CORRESPONDENT
The Foothills Forever campaign has completed its $18.6 million fundraising goal, clinching a 90-day effort that will prevent the San Marcos Foothill Preserve from undergoing development. With the help of more than 5,500 donors, Save the San Marcos Foothills is now able to purchase the West Mesa of the San Marcos Foothills from the Chadmar
Group, a firm of developers who were planning to build multiple multi-million dollar homes on the property. The fundraising goal was reached late Tuesday. Activists negotiated with the Chadmar Group back in March, and the developers agreed to give the Save San Marcos Foothills group 90 days to come up with the funds. The Foothills Forever campaign was born from this agreement.
The group’s initial fundraising deadline was June 2, but activists received an extension through Wednesday to complete their efforts. Finishing the goal a day ahead of deadline, the land purchase will create 300 acres of contiguous space for wildlife habitat while honoring the Chumash natives who once inhabited the area, according to the campaign website. Upon completing the goal,
Mary Rose, the Foothills Forever campaign organizer reflected on the past 90 days, calling it a “whirlwind.” With enough funds raised to purchase the property, Ms. Rose said she is grateful for the support of the community to preserve the foothills. “I’m in awe of this community being able to come together so quickly to make this happen, and just (thankful) knowing that the strong support is out there for preserving our open spaces out
here,” Ms. Rose told the NewsPress Wednesday. Ken Owen, the executive director for Channel Islands Restoration, said he experienced many emotions when the campaign reached its fundraising goal. Back in 2019, Mr. Owen and Channel Islands Restoration began negotiations with the developer in the interest of saving the preserve. Now, seeing the funds raised to purchase the land
gives him a sense of “great joy” and even greater responsibility. With the land purchased, Channel Islands Restoration plans to bring in sheep to graze during the rainy season to heal the ecology of the grassland, with the secondary benefit of reducing the amount of fire fuel in the area, Mr. Owen told the News-Press. Activists are also turning their attention to the formation Please see PRESERVE on A4
Sea lion born at harbor Mother and pup receive protection from marine institute
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS
The Santa Barbara City Council this week discussed the Ortega Park murals and a Saturday deadline for environmental approval for an $8 million state grant.
Race against the clock
SB City Council attempts last-ditch effort at Ortega Park renovation grant By GRAYCE MCCORMICK NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The murals at Ortega Park were debated again at a Santa Barbara City Council meeting, but solutions and the project’s future remain unclear under a tight schedule. Saturday is looming as the deadline to receive the state’s environmental approval for the project, and city staff said communication has been scarce from the state in that regard. At Tuesday’s meeting, the council discussed whether to keep pursuing an $8 million state grant or reopen the project design. Ultimately, the council voted unanimously to keep seeking the grant. Council members directed
RAFAEL MALDONADO/NEWS-PRESS
A sea lion pup and its mother bond on the boat launch ramp at the Santa Barbara Harbor.
By ANNELISE HANSHAW NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
The Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute is protecting a sea lion pup and its mother at the Santa Barbara Harbor. The pup was born around midnight Sunday on the boat launch ramp, and the pair have stayed on the ramp as they bond. The ramp is an unusual choice of birthplace, as sea lions usually give
birth in rookeries on the Channel Islands. The marine institute taped off a perimeter around the boat launch with the permission of the Santa Barbara Waterfront Department and Harbor Patrol. The busy location could prove dangerous for the pup, so the institute is warning passersby to keep their distance and lower voices to avoid stressing the sea lions.
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Eventually, the mother will leave to look for food for a few days, and the pup will look abandoned. But the female will return, calling for her pup and also searching for the pup’s scent. If anyone disturbs the pup, the mom could reject her child. The pair may exhibit behavior humans seem odd, like vocalizing for long periods of time. The marine institute is monitoring the pair and reports
healthy signs thus far. The institute encourages people to call its hotline at 805-567-1505 if they observe a threat to the sea lions. Additionally, community members can call the hotline if they find a distressed marine animal. For more about the institute, go to cimwi.org. email: ahanshaw@newspress.com Please see PHOTOS on A2
Parks and Recreation director Jill Zachary asked the City Council and the public to consider that the facilities on which the murals are painted have a limited life span.
L O T T E RY RESULTS
INSIDE Classified.............. B4 Life.................... B 1-2 Obituaries............. A4
city staff to meet again quickly to create a mural advisory committee including the original muralists, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, the Arts Advisory Committee and the Historic Landmarks Commission. The goal of the meeting is to determine which muralists are willing to recreate their murals and which murals must be preserved. Furthermore, the council directed staff to look into designating Ortega Park as a historic Chicano and Chumash landmark. That being said, council members and members of the community voiced concern that a consensus may not be reached before Saturday’s deadline. Please see MURALS on A4
Sudoku................. B3 Sports Roundup . A4 Weather................ A4
Wednesday’s SUPER LOTTO: 1-14-23-42-44 Meganumber: 9
Wednesday’s DAILY 4: 8-5-6-0
Tuesday’s MEGA MILLIONS: 9-22-39-41-54 Meganumber: 26
Wednesday’s FANTASY 5: 10-16-26-28-29
Wednesday’s DAILY DERBY: 08-05-11 Time: 1:47.83
Wednesday’s POWERBALL: 19-28-46-50-54 Meganumber: 9
Wednesday’s DAILY 3: 7-1-6 / Wednesday’s Midday 8-7-2