Santa Barbara conservationists are revamping part of Gaviota State Park after settling a two-year-old lawsuit against the California State Parks department.
Gaviota spans 2,000 acres and is known for its coastal bluffs, grasslands, estuaries, watersheds, and sandy beaches. For humans, it's a beautiful camping destination. For mountain lions, black bears, and endangered steelhead trout and red-legged frogs, it’s home.
In 2022, the local Coastal Ranches Conservancy sued State Parks over its alleged abuse of the spring water near Gaviota State Beach and the department’s failure to restore the Gaviota Creek estuary, violating agreements outlined in environmental documents from the 1990s.