PLEASE SAVE US!
These 29 iconic Canary Island Date palms are threatened!

After an unprecedented public outcry, and this petition with your support, implementation of Alignment A would now result in the removal of 48 trees, including these 29 mature Canary Island Date palms. Originally, the kill zone was 63 trees in total! 

This is still 48 trees too many!

29 Palms Video

The so-called Plan B is on the protected Modoc Preserve property, which has restrictions on building roads or structures...altering drainage...degrading the soil...altering the topography...etc...and, the ONLY allowed uses as set forth in the Deed of Conservation Easement Agreement signed in 1999, are open space, equestrian, pedestrian, and education...because, it does not conform to the provisions in this legal document, in our opinion...ALIGNMENT B IS NOT VIABLE!

It would also put equestrians, and their horses, right next to 25mph e-bikes whizzing by! Huge liability issues that are not addressed...etc...SB County should stop marketing this option...

We have forced the County planners to put the western section of the new bike path on Modoc Road north of the tree line...no trees impacted...they should also put the eastern section of the new bike path on Modoc Road north of the tree line as well...

It's quite unfortunate that the County didn't try to acquire the necessary easement before getting this far along in the process...the $5.35MM ATP grant was written in May, 2018...at that time, it had the Class I MUP project all being up on Modoc Road...which is what we are asking for...

*PLEASE READ THE LATEST MODOC PRESERVE BLOG UPDATES FOR MOST CURRENT DETAILED INFO*

URGENT!
We need your help to quickly gather funding for professional legal help to navigate the CEQA process in our battle with Santa Barbara County to SAVE THE MODOC ROAD TREES! October 14, 2022 at 5PM was the end of public comment period for the FAULTY MND which was approved November 1, 2022 without a single question from the SB County Board of Supervisors!

Here is a synopsis of the BOS MEETING.

Our goal is to keep this ecologically valuable open space from encroaching urban development. Please contribute to our legal fund to help save these 100+ year old iconic, and historic, heritage trees before it's too late. Everything helps!

*PLEASE NOTE FUNDS DONATED TO THE LINK BELOW GO DIRECTLY INTO THE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND TO HELP PROTECT THE MODOC TREES AND THE PRESERVE LAND.*

Modoc Preserve GoFundMe page

*PLEASE USE LINK ABOVE FOR THE LEGAL DEFENSE FUND. CONTRIBUTIONS THRU CHANGE.ORG WHEN YOU SIGN UP, ARE ONLY USED TO INCREASE PETITION SIGNATURES. WE DON'T CONTROL THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS.*  

The current plan to spend a $5.35MM grant ($8MM TOTAL) to construct the Modoc Road multi-use bike path, a new 1317 yard (.74 mile) long, 14' wide ROAD, which is in addition to the current existing bike lanes along Modoc Road in Santa Barbara, will result in the REMOVAL of a number of beautiful, mature, and distinctive Canary Island palm and Eucalyptus trees...as well as a number of native California Coast live oak. 

We understand that Canary Island palms and Eucalyptus trees are non-native to California...however, they do provide very important habitat and shade canopy to many species of birds, mammals, and other organisms that dwell in the Modoc Preserve.
Embracing biodiversity is a more sensible approach.
Leaving well established, drought tolerant, non-natives to co-exist with natives...especially, in semi-rural to urban areas makes much more sense...
I would think that all of the organisms in this mixed ecosystem would agree...

To name a few...Ellwood Butterfly Grove and Carpinteria Bluffs supporters agree and cherish their non-native trees...

We feel that the removal of the trees, and their 20,000ft2 of wildlife habitat and shade canopy, will cause adverse environmental changes in this area, as well as negate the "distinctive visual character and park-like setting" to the Modoc Road area adjacent to the Modoc Preserve, as noted in the Revised Mitigated Negative Declaration. More documents can be found here.

The aesthetic provided by the trees is a distinct characteristic of the area and contributes 24/7 to our quality of life...and to the wildlife that reside here. We are very grateful that the Modoc Preserve has helped to protect it for the last 23 years.

Keep this valuable natural open space undeveloped. Preserved in it's natural state "forever" and "in perpetuity" as signed by Deed of Conservation Easement in 1999, a battle that we fought long and hard to win.

It's not OK to cut down 48 trees and put in a 14' wide redundant bike path (ROAD) using over 2300 tons of road building material along with 2000' of concrete retaining walls in a protected nature preserve...that is equivalent to losing 1.3 acres to development!

Protected "Forever" and "In Perpetuity"?!?!
Our community thought that Modoc Preserve protected status was "settled law"...

These heritage trees are iconic and historic. Many have survived a number of Santa Barbara's fires and wind storms over the last century. Including the 1990 Painted Cave Fire. We have aerial images from 1928 showing many of these trees.

We would like to see them preserved as-is to live out their natural lives.
The CI Date palms life span is 200-300 years.
Blue gum eucalyptus can live 200-400 years in Australia...possibly, longer here in SB. They are healthy and not close to the end of their life cycle.

We need to be a voice for them before they are forever silenced.

TREES MATTER!!!

We ask you to support our efforts to save the Modoc Preserve and other open spaces...and, urban tree belts and greenbelts...BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

Please sign this petition as a tool for saving these beautiful trees in perpetuity...for this, and future generations to enjoy.

Save Modoc Road Trees (SMRT)

Please give whatever you can afford to the GoFundMe for the Modoc Preserve Legal Fund to fight this. If we ALL give only $5-10 each, we can hire biological experts to refute their false statements...like no Monarch butterflies in the Preserve when we see them everyday...even in August!  They are now over-wintering here!

facebook.com/ModocPreserve

instagram.com/modocpreserve

twitter.com/ModocPreserve

We also have a link to the petition flyer that can be used to download the petition outline and posted at your local coffee shop...gym...or wherevers...it has a QR code that takes you right to the petition...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/vdsxso34mdj5ldm/SAVE%20THE%20MODOC%20ROAD%20TREES_1B.pdf?dl=0