Montecito "Triangle" Junction

The Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County in the winter of 2018 was, at that time, the most destructive fire on record in California. Fed by years of drought, the fire consumed 281,893 acres and left the mountains deforested with unstable topsoil. The community of Montecito at the base of the mountains and below the Las Padres National Forest was completely evacuated for two weeks. The fire was contained right before Christmas, but not without significant damage to homes, businesses, and infrastructure.

On January 8, a serious weather event threatened to cause mud slides due to the steep, rocky terrain, and the burn scarred hills. Another evacuation was ordered for the portions of the community near the burn scar. Many people, evacuation weary, decided not to leave.

Already raining, the storm intensified in the early morning of January 9 with an estimated 0.5 inches of rain falling in a 5-minute period causing mud, boulders, and debris from the Santa Ynez Mountains to flow down the creeks and valleys into Montecito. These flows were up to 15 feet high and moving at a speed of 20 miles per hour. The flow caused 23 deaths, 150 people were hospitalized, 100 homes were destroyed and an additional 300 were damaged. Major roads including the main North South artery from Los Angeles to San Francisco were closed. The entire community was subsequently evacuated due to loss of power, gas and drinking water contamination.

Three weeks later residents were allowed to return to a vastly changed landscape. Familiar roads, sights and natural markers were obliterated. Although it has been 5 years, many of these painful landscape scars exist. 

This junction of three roads with a planted area in the center is the hub of goings and comings in the community. It was also the sight of one of the most destructive and deadly debris flows. Homes nearby were buried in mud, lives lost. This section of road and planting is owned by the County of Santa Barbara. With the immense amount of damage in 2018 the county had many priorities taking precedence over this space. It took 2 years to rebuild roads, clear tons of boulders and install a debris basin against future events. Once the pandemic struck, all community and county work basically ceased. We are again in a dangerous cycle of weather and this winter has already produced devastating floods and property destruction.

One of the most significant and damaging of this current round of rain occurred on exactly the 5 year anniversary of the 2018 flow, January 9. Each one of these events reopens the wounds from the past. It has taken 5 years to get the county to repave, establish barriers and give approval for some future development. The county has no plans for any further planting or rehabilitation.

The Garden Club of Santa Barbara in partnership with the Montecito Community Foundation and the neighboring retirement community of Casa Dorinda is fundraising for the completion of this planting project. A member of our club as a partner in a local landscape architecture business has worked pro bono to develop a viable landscape plan. The plan includes native plantings representative of the flora of our area, seaside, chaparral, and woodland Our club will assist with planting and ongoing maintenance. Casa Dorinda is supplying the irrigation needed and Montecito Community Foundation is managing the finances.

We realize that this project does not represent the more classic restoration projects. This is not a public garden or historical property. Due to traffic, it will not be available for walking or picnicking. What it does have is the attention of the entire community who see it on an almost daily basis, still bearing the scars of 2018. We believe by finally completing this project it represents a resilience of our community and a final moving forward, as well as an opportunity to plan differently to preserve our landscapes against future climate events. We have already raised a large amount of the necessary funds and will continue to do so. 

We plan to spend the funds in installing the developed landscape plan. The county has relinquished the property to us and we are ready to start work. We have hired a landscape contractor and have a contractor work committee meeting with them. We want to take advantage of the winter and rain, and hope to complete by late spring.