Mike Lunsford, president of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy, will speak at the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society monthly meeting from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 20 at First Presbyterian Church, 21 E. Constance St. in Santa Barbara.

Lunsford will present an illustrated lecture on the historical significance of the Gaviota Coast, spanning the Chumash habitation, the Mission era, the Mexican land grant period and, in later years, oil reserves and minerals exploration and production. Post World War II, the land was considered ideal for Army training and was later turned over to the Navy and Air Force whose presence there remains.

He was born and raised in San Diego. After five years in the Army as a commissioned officer and helicopter pilot, he earned a bachelor’s degree in geography with minors in history and anthropology at San Diego State University in 1974.

Lunsford is a retired state park ranger with 25 years of service, 22 of which were on the Gaviota Coast, where he was recognized for his achievements in resource management. During his career as a ranger, he attended the Santa Barbara College of Law, and was admitted to the state bar in 1992. With a growing awareness of the significance of the Gaviota Coast, he became a charter member of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy Board of Directors, where he has served as its president since 1999.

Special interest groups will meet at 9 a.m. for JewishGen and 9:30 a.m. for Beginning Genealogy, German Ancestry, Italian Genealogy and Computer Genealogy. The featured program will start at 10:30 a.m.

Come join us. You do not need to be a member to enjoy this wonderful presentation.

Click here for a calendar of genealogical events, or click here for more information about the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society.

— Glenn Avolio is publicity chairman for the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society.