Santa Barbara Botanic Garden receives $818,000 to transform Cuyama Valley from arid wasteland to a biodiversity hotspot

Cuyama Valley – one of the most overdrawn groundwater areas in the state – is the target of an ecological makeover by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. The Botanical Garden, recently provided with $818,000 from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), aims to convert some of the dry land into native habitats.

The USDA grant will enable the Botanical Garden to provide conservation activities to smallholder farmers in the Cuyama Valley, as part of the three-year “Equity in Conservation Outreach Cooperative Agreement,” which aims to develop climate-smart practices that “ conserve soil and water’ and benefit agricultural productivity by creating diverse native habitats,” says the garden.

The Cuyama Valley’s groundwater levels, which are the front line of so-called “water wars” between landowners, have been steadily declining. Over the years, farmers have pumped out water faster and in greater quantities than can be replenished. The valley receives an average of 12 inches of rain per year; 10 is the definition of a desert. Groundwater wells are the only water supply here, and mega-root companies are draining the Cuyama Valley’s groundwater basin dry.

However, water users in the Cuyama Valley will have to comply with the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 and balance the watershed by 2040 (but based on the ongoing legal battle over water rights and pumping restrictions, that timeline is in doubt).

Regardless of the water conflict, the law requires pumping companies to reduce groundwater use, which the Botanical Garden says will likely lead to fallow land – when agricultural land is left unplanted, in this case to reduce demand on the aquifer so the basin can function. achieve sustainability in accordance with the law.

“If you leave land fallow and do nothing with it, it turns into weeds, which can be very harmful to local biodiversity,” explains Denise Knapp, director of conservation and research at the Botanical Garden.

“If we bring natives in there, that native habitat can support the crops and also avoid the weeds, while conserving water,” she added. “We support biodiversity on that land, and by creating this habitat we can benefit farmers and really engage the community in the power of native plants.”

Their project will establish a network of smallholder farmers focused on conservation practices and programs, establish six demonstration gardens of native plants, offer a paid Cuyama Conservation Internship Program for six 11th grade students, and develop conservation curricula for K-12 students. secondary education. Garden will work with Cuyama-based Quail Springs Permaculture and the Cuyama Valley Family Resource Center to “implement the project with local input and expertise,” it says.

Botanical Garden staff will collect wild seeds around the Cuyama Valley for the demonstration sites, which are intended to demonstrate to landowners the benefits of planting native plants.

“What we’re doing is demonstrating this practice of transforming landscapes with native plants, which, fallow or not, is a very useful practice to do on farms because you’re bringing in beneficial insects – not just the pollinators, but also the insects that are good pest control,” Knapp said. “And so even if you take some land out of production, you can increase production with what you have left. Groundwater reduction or not, this is a good practice for agricultural companies.”

The Botanical Garden grant is one of 139 equity grants announced by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Services, which aims to improve outreach to underserved communities and among urban and small-scale producers, “so there’s a big people element,” Knapp said. It ties in with the garden’s ‘Landscape Transformations’ taking place in other areas, such as Elings Park.

“The idea is to really showcase the power of native plants in the different areas where we live, work and play,” says Knapp. “The themes there are habitat restoration, but also community building, in different ways.”