Arroyo Hondo
Watershed
Gaviota Coast, Santa Barbara County, California
Eliot Fisher
200+ fire refugees
Endangered steelhead rescued from Topanga Creek after the January 2025 Palisades Fire, moved here.
Our coast.
Our fires.
Our droughts.
From ridge to sea
- Scope
- Vision
- Targets
- Threats
Arroyo Hondo, California
Gaviota Coast, Santa Barbara County
Santa Ynez Mountains
Arroyo Hondo Canyon
Hwy 101 & railroad
Pacific Ocean
900+ acres protected preserve
Whole creek protected since 2025
Land Trust for Santa Barbara County
Vision
A thriving Arroyo Hondo watershed sustains native wildlife, connected streams, and resilient woodlands and chaparral, while offering equitable opportunities for people to experience, learn from, and care for nature for generations to come.
Four species, one watershed
Four ecosystems
What the watershed gives people
Eight threats, eight targets
Where the pressure is highest
| Red-legged frog | Stream & lagoon | Chaparral | Oak woodland | Riparian | Steelhead | Pond turtle | Goby | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Low | High | Low | Low | Medium | Very High | Low | High | |
| Pipeline spill risk | High | High | High | High | High | High | |||
| Drought & low flow | Low | High | Low | High | Low | Low | High | ||
| Fish passage barrier | Medium | High | Medium | ||||||
| Aquatic predators | Medium | Medium | Medium | ||||||
| Severe storms | Low | Medium | Low | Low | Low | ||||
| Water contamination | Medium | Low | Low | Low | Low | ||||
| Post-fire invasives | Low | Low | Low | Low | |||||
| Overall | Medium | High | Low | Low | Low | High | Medium | Medium | High |
Protected isn’t the same as safe.
“…allows us to better manage the watershed for habitat.”Meredith Hendricks, Executive Director, Land Trust for Santa Barbara County
What questions do you have?