Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) has partnered with Cuyama Lamb to begin their annual prescribed sheep grazing program at the San Marcos Foothills Preserve (SMFP), a public grassland in Santa Barbara near Highway 154.

An adorable white Merino lamb, looking at the camera, is among 390 ewes and juveniles keeping vegetation down at the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. (Channel Islands Restoration)
A Merino lamb is among 390 ewes and juveniles keeping vegetation down at the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. (Channel Islands Restoration)

SMFP is temporarily home to 390 Merino sheep ewes (female sheep) and their lambs (juveniles) that are grazing to restore native grasslands.

The Merino sheep are grazing 103 acres at the preserve, which significantly benefits the land and the community.

In addition to its use in controlling the invasion by non-native plant species to return the landscape to a more natural state, grazing has a demonstrable effect on fire safety by reducing the fuel load from the buildup of old plant material.

The sheep and accompanying guard dogs are posted inside a series of fenced pastures that protect them from predators. All grazing happens in these fenced pastures, which are about two acres in size.

The sheep remain in a single pasture for one to three days, then move to the next pasture in a process called rotational grazing.

A grant from Cal Fire, through the Santa Barbara County Fire Safe Council, funds grazing at the San Marcos Foothills.

Channel Islands Restoration offers local volunteers a chance to become sheep docents through the end of July. Prospective volunteers can visit https://cirweb.org/calendar to sign up.

“We have had 61 sheep docents at the preserve since we started the grazing project,” CIR said. “These ‘sheep docents’ are on-site three times a day while the ewes are grazing.

“Docents are present to help inform the public about the benefits of grazing at the Foothills and answer any questions the community might have regarding why sheep are present at the West Mesa.”

To help fund the grazing program, call John Ziegler, 805-448-1501, or email him at john@cirweb.org.

Visitors to the preserve are reminded that dogs must be leashed, and bike riding is prohibited.

Leash laws and other limits on recreational uses at the preserve are in place to protect wildlife, CIR notes. Nature preserves are different than parks, with parks typically offering visitors more recreational opportunities.

Channel Islands Restoration is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit contractor that works to restore habitat on the Channel Islands and adjacent mainland. In 2021, a community coalition that included Channel Islands Restoration helped save the 101-acre San Marcos Foothills ‘West Mesa’ open space from planned development.

Cuyama Lamb LLC is a sheep outfit committed to the regeneration of California grasslands and the sustainable production of ethically raised food & fiber. Founded in 2018, they operate primarily in the coastal foothills of Santa Barbara County.

Encompassing 301 acres, the San Marcos Foothills Preserve offers nesting locations for dozens of native bird species, and provides connecting corridors for wildlife to the Los Padres National Forest and Goleta Slough.

The San Marcos Foothills Preserve is part of the County of Santa Barbara Parks Division.