Mission Statement

The mission of South Coast Habitat Restoration is to protect, conserve, and restore the various habitats and native biodiversity of the Santa Barbara and Ventura areas.

About Us

South Coast Habitat Restoration is a project of Earth Island Institute, a non-profit, public interest, membership organization that supports people who are creating solutions to protect our shared planet. www.earthisland.org

South Coast Habitat Restoration projects have been generously supported by contributions from: 

• California Department of Fish and Game
• National Marine Fisheries Service
• US Fish and Wildlife Service
• California Coastal Conservancy
• National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Los Padres National Forest
• Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project
• Earth Island Institute
• Patagonia
• Coastal Ranchers Conservancy
• Sempra Energy Foundation
• CDFG Office of Spill Prevention and Response
• Wendy P. McCaw Foundation
• Cate School
• As well as Private Donors  

M. Stoecker 

NOAA

Vision Statement

SCHR works towards increasing the amount of habitat available to steelhead trout, decreasing the amount of non-native flora in watersheds and raising public awareness on watershed issues and preserving our natural environment.  We believe that through an increased participation comes a sense of responsibility for the natural environment and its protection, conservation and ultimate restoration. SCHR works with private landowners,

biologists, engineers, consultants and local, state and federal agencies in the region.  This collaboration fosters an environment for success with on the ground results.

Strategies

Habitat restoration projects often need to take place on private property.  SCHR has been able to demonstrate beneficial results for private landowners who are interested in voluntary habitat restoration projects.  Projects are implemented by applying for and receiving grant funding from various agencies/organizations (private foundations and State, Federal, and Local agencies) for the various stages of planning and implementing habitat restoration projects.

Our restoration work has primarily focused on holistic watershed restoration, with an emphasis on steelhead trout recovery, non-native invasive plant eradication and improving water quality. We also work by organizing and convening community based watershed groups. This process allows for an increased community support as well as increases the opportunity for funding from various granting organizations.  SCHR staff works with the following community based watershed groups:

Carpinteria Creek Watershed Coalition – www.carpinteriacreek.org

Santa Barbara Task Force of the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project – www.scwrp.org

Staff

Mauricio Gomez - Director

Mauricio has been working on local habitat restoration projects for the past eight years in the Santa Barbara and Ventura region.  He enjoys managing restoration projects which build partnerships amongst diverse groups and teaching people the value of restoring the environment.  Mauricio is a Southern California native and has been living in the Santa Barbara area for the past 15 years.  He moved to Santa Barbara to study at UCSB and earned a Bachelor of Science in Aquatic Biology.  Prior to being the Director of South Coast Habitat Restoration, Mauricio managed the Watershed Restoration Program of the Community Environmental Council, worked at UCSB as a staff researcher with the restoration ecology group, and the Marine Science Institute.  In his free time, Mauricio enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, running and playing with his wife, son and dog. 

Erin Brown - Project Manager

Erin is a recent graduate of the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UCSB, where her Masters degree specialized in Water Resource Management and Conservation Planning. Erin is a California native originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis in Biology with an emphasis in Evolution and Ecology, and a minor in Landscape restoration. Erin has participated in a variety of biological field work and natural resource monitoring efforts including: life cycle monitoring of salmon populations in the Klamath watershed, monitoring an mapping of populations of threatened and endangered plants outside Sacramento. Most recently she worked at the Point Reyes National Seashore participating in salmonid monitoring, water quality monitoring, wetland restoration and monitoring efforts, as well as report writing and data analysis. In her free time Erin enjoys traveling, hiking, cooking, and working in her garden at home.

Past Staff – Andrew Raaf (currently employed by Santa Barbara County Flood Control District)