For the past two years, NatureTrack has given wheelchair users the opportunity to explore new terrain. With their wheelchair accessory Freedom Trax, people can stay in their chairs and safely venture onto Santa Barbara County’s popular beaches and trails.

The nonprofit received funding for four more of the devices last week, so even more people can roam where they previously couldn’t.

The county Board of Supervisors approved $275,337 in Coastal Resources Mitigation Fund grant funding for nine projects last week, including $23,000 for NatureTrack.

The organizations granted funding include the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network, NatureTrack, the Santa Cruz Island Foundation, County Community Services, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Fish Reef Project, the Land Trust of Santa Barbara County, City of Lompoc, and the Cabrillo High School Aquarium.

NatureTrack was founded in 2011 to provide field trips for students to learn about nature and wildlife. Thousands of kids have participated in the program, however, until recently, some children with disabilities were unable to join because of accessibility barriers.

Wanting to include wheelchair users, the organization purchased a device that turns a manual wheelchair into a battery-powered vehicle that can ride on sand and trails. 

While NatureTrack has typically served K-12 students, the Wheelchair Freedom Trax program is open to all ages.

“We had a 101-year-old lady on the beach,” Sue Eisaguirre, told the supervisors last week. “It was amazing.”

NatureTrack has 11 Freedom Trax devices and the organization will buy four more with the grant funding.

“It will make it much easier for us to always have Trax available for our monthly programs which include a beach trip and a trip for a senior living facility,” Eisaguirre told the board.

Eisaguirre also said that for the first time, two students using wheelchairs were able to attend the year end beach party instead of just sitting in the parking lot. 

“Just something simple like that can really change a person’s outlook on life,” Supervisor Steve Lavagnino said on Tuesday. “I really appreciate my colleagues all talking about how we want to continue to fund this.”

The supervisors also approved funding for the Channel Islands Education Center Exhibits by the Santa Cruz Island Foundation. Organizers will use the $30,000 in funding to finish exhibits at the new Chrisman California Islands Center in Carpinteria.

The center will include information about the Channel Islands and the rest of the state’s 20 islands.

The center has six screens that broadcast live footage from the various islands as well as stacks of documents, books, photos, and journals about the history of the islands.

One of the main attractions will be about Juana Maria, a Nicoleño woman known as the lone woman of San Nicolas Island.

Supervisors approved $100,000 for the Cabrillo High School Aquarium Coastal Gallery Project by the Lompoc Unified School District.

The aquarium’s 6,000-square-foot facility opened in 2002 and it’s now operated by six classrooms and about 200 students.  

In one of the classes students host tours at the aquarium and last year, they reported about 7,000 visitors.  

One of the exhibits students got funding for was the Cal Coast Wetlands exhibit, which will educate visitors on the vital natural resources of the wetlands.

The wetlands exhibit is phase one of the Coastal Gallery Expansion Project. The exhibit will be the aquarium’s largest exhibit ever with a simulated coastal boardwalk experience and safe interactions between guests and animals, district officials said.  

“It is probably one of the neatest aquariums between Long Beach and Monterey,” Supervisor Bob Nelson said after the project presentation last week. “The leadership opportunities are really impressive.”

Additionally the board funded:

• $5,000 to Wild Welcome Packet Project by the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network
•  $30,000 to Lookout Park Pedestrian Access Improvements by the County Community Services Department
•  $25,000 to Shalawa/Hammond’s Meadow Restoration by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
•  $50,000 to Goleta Kelp Restoration Project- Sea Caves by Fish Reef Project
• $500,000 to Gaviota Overlook Property by The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County
• $42,263 to the Stormwater System Full Trash Capture Project by the City of Lompoc