Devereux Slough Coastal Wetland Project

The California Coastal Conservancy was awarded $1 million to help acquire and permanently protect a 63-acre property in Santa Barbara County, California. This project will also result in the restoration of approximately 13 acres of coastal wetlands and 6 acres of coastal uplands. The total project cost is $9,039,704. Additional restoration of the property is planned for future projects. Devereux Slough comprises the easternmost watershed of the Gaviota Coast, which is a significant biological area because it connects the coastal watersheds running from the Santa Ynez Mountains down to the Santa Barbara Channel. This project has the potential to be one of the most important actions to restore coastal wetland habitat on the south central California coast. Historically, this site supported more than half the coastal wetlands in the slough system. This project will effectively double the coastal wetland area found in the system. The property abuts existing coastal wetland and upland habitats that are adjacent to University of California at Santa Barbara's Coal Oil Point Reserve.