Goleta, CA
Home MenuEllwood Mesa Open Space
This page is accurate but not current. Please see Ellwood Mesa and Monarch Butterfly Habitat.
The Ellwood Mesa Open Space is home to several species of wildlife, including the Monarch Butterfly which makes its winter home in the Eucalyptus groves that span the interior boundaries of the Mesa. Beginning in October each year, Monarch Butterflies migrate from their summer homes and congregate in massive colonies that roost in the canopy of the area known as the Goleta Butterfly Grove.
A history of the Ellwood Mesa Open Space Acquisition by Goleta's first Mayor, Margaret Connell, can be found here.
See below for information on plans, projects, and restoration efforts on the Ellwood Mesa Open Space.
The Ellwood-Devereux Coast Open Space and Habitat Management Plan (2004)
The Draft Plan can be downloaded below:
Ellwood-Devereux Coast Open Space and Habitat Management Plan SECTIONS 1-3
Ellwood-Devereux Coast Open Space and Habitat Management Plan SECTIONS 4-6
The Goleta City Council adopted the Draft Ellwood-Devereux Open Space and Habitat Management Plan as it applies to lands situated within the boundary of the City of Goleta on July 7, 2004 via Resolution 04-37 including 35 revisions to the Plan as provided in Exhibit A of the Resolution and with the changes to trail locations as provided in Exhibit B of the Resolution. Resolution 04-37 is provided below:
Goleta City Council Resolution 04-37
Read the story of a community-wide effort to preserve this natural resource by transferring the location of a proposed development from the environmentally-sensitive coastal bluff to land close to existing development in the Ellwood Mesa Land Swap brochure.
Planning Projects
Ellwood Mesa Monarch Butterfly Project
Ellwood Trails and Habitat Restoration Project
Coronado Butterfly Preserve
For more information, contact George Thomson, Parks and Open Space Manager, (805) 961-7578