Trail Talks: Protecting California’s Rare Native Grasslands with Ken Owen

Native grassland habitat across the Coastal Range foothills are under threat, following a continuous feedback between decades of uncontrolled grazing, historic and current fire occurrence, and the threats of invasive grasses. Despite this, the San Marcos Foothills Preserve , just 6 miles inland from Santa Barbara, remains a rare enclave of this ecologically important habitat, dominated by Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) and tall bunch grasses that house diverse and threatened bird species such as the Burrowing Owl.

In this talk, Ken Owen, co-founder and executive director of Channel Islands Restoration, will discuss ongoing efforts of CIR to preserve the San Marcos Foothills from diverse pressures of our current era of global environmental change that threaten California’s native grasslands. Specifically, we will hear how carefully planned and timed grazing of sheep help foster simultaneous native plant biodiversity and resilience in the face of wildlife occurrence in this ecologically sensitive and important habitat.

Disclaimer(s)

Participants in this event may be photographed by Library staff. These photos may be used in promotional or educational publications, including in print, social media, and presentations. Please see staff if you do not consent to having your photo taken. Staff will obtain individual, signed photo releases of photographs that contain only an individual as opposed to a group.