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Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: Fire Damage Extensive
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden said it has sustained further damage to structures and the living collection as a result of the Jesusita Fire.
Fire officials accompanied Botanic Garden president Edward Schneider through the garden, allowing him to assess the buildings and grounds.
“The good news is that the Meadow, Discovery Garden, Teahouse, Desert and most of the Redwood Exhibits are untouched,” Schneider said. “Unfortunately, the historic Campbell Bridge, the beloved Pritchett Path, the popular Redwood Tree Ring Exhibit, Oak Woodland and Porter Path Exhibits were either destroyed or heavily damaged.”
The riparian corridor canyon also was damaged as the fire spread down to Mission Creek from Tunnel Road.
“This is, indeed, sad news for the garden and a sad time for the entire community,” said Fife Symington, chairman of the board of trustees. “However, we know how deeply people in this community care about this beautiful garden and how strong their spirit is. Now is the time for all of us to pull together to not only rebuild the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, but rebuild all that has been lost.”
Previously, the Botanic Garden confirmed the loss of structures on its grounds at 1212 Mission Canyon Road. The 1908 Gane House, the proposed centerpiece of the garden’s building project, the Vital Mission Plan, was destroyed. The Botanic Garden had hoped to rehabilitate the large Craftsman-style home and to seek historic landmark status for it. Also lost in the fire was a deck overlooking Mission Canyon Creek, a lathe house, and the director’s residence and garage.
The Botanic Garden is grateful for the valiant efforts made by firefighters to save the remaining structures, which include a herbarium housing the garden’s vast collection of scientifically valuable dried plant specimens; the Blaksley Library and Library Annex, home to the extensive horticultural and botanical book collection and rare book room; the historic Caretaker’s Cottage; and the seed bank, where the germplasm of rare and endangered species is stored. Firefighters credited access to fire hydrants recently installed on the premises by the garden to saving these buildings.
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will remain closed and classes and tours — with the exception of Robert Haller’s field trips — are canceled until further notice. The garden’s communications systems are inoperable for the time being. Click here for updates and more information on the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
— Nancy Johnson Nancy is vice president of marketing and government relations at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
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» on 05.09.09 @ 03:07 PM
So sorry to hear about the Garden’s losses! I know you will rebuild, but some of the old and historic plants will be very much missed, as will the Gane House. Please know the community is behind you!
» on 05.10.09 @ 04:07 AM
What about the SB Zoo - any smoke or inhalation problems with the four adolescent CA condors, for instance? The TEJON RANCH CONSERVANCY (NEAR LEBEC, CA - in Kern County) HAD BEEN CONCERNED; I had been on e-contact with Barry Zoeller, Communications (PR) Director there during fires.
» on 05.10.09 @ 07:20 AM
I recall hearing that the current plan to expand and update the Botanic Garden includes a scheme to “shelter in place” in one of the Garden’s buildings the employees and volunteers (and visitors?) in case a wild fire in Mission Canyon prevented their evacuation in time. I wonder if this recent experience will cause the management and governmental decision-makers to rethink this idiotic scheme.
» on 05.10.09 @ 09:06 AM
The firefighters did a remarkabkle job to save as much as they did. A living example of the native plants ability to regenerate after a wildfire will be a new feature of the Botanic Garden - I do hope a ‘shelter-in-place’ feature of the rebuilt structures will be included. While evacuation is the best option, it is not always possible. I think that a ‘plan B’ is clearly a good idea - and having lived the past 35 years (and thru many fires) in SB areas prone to sundowner-driven fires (San Marcos pass, Gaviota, Noleta)- I can attest to the reality that safe evacuation is not always possible.
» on 05.10.09 @ 12:49 PM
This has been a favorite place for all our daughters as they grew up, so I hope it will come back with the help of our community.
It would be helpful to have a map with areas marked to accompany this article.
» on 05.12.09 @ 05:37 AM
The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden needs your help more than ever. Please consider making a donation at: http://bit.ly/UwwxS
» on 05.12.09 @ 07:45 PM
Indeed sad to lose plants and horticultural supplies, but this would be a good opportunity to rethink the activities of the SBBG the last couple of years, and change course from the recent one where the Board/Director has stuck its proverbial middle finger to Santa Barbara, trashing a generation and more of good will.
It would also be a good time to rehire the plant specialists fired and layoff the at least some of the PR people.
» on 05.13.09 @ 02:35 PM
A darn shame…..
» on 05.14.09 @ 04:58 AM
Perhaps the foundation and current honcho Schneider will rethink their strategy of turning the historic garden into a profitable (not for profit) where by all the high level administrators get fat salaries and a free home while the real workers get laid off!
This greedy and myopic view of the garden has all but destroyed it’s original purposes to provide a bucolic retreat for locals and visitors alike to see the natural state of things a hundred or more years ago and not a fenced in tourist attraction which has no place in the narrow confines of Mission Canyon.
Encouraging hoards of “tourists” into the Canyon to be able to charge them money to vistit the garden is not only far from the original intent (FREE ADMISSION) but using the vague conditional use permit as a license to conduct all manner of commercial activity at the garden for profit and to pump up revenue is no less than an outrage!
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