Santa Barbara WMA

 

General contact: Stephanie Stark at (805) 681-5600

Meetings: contact WMA for more information

Formed: 2001

Re-established: 2019

Invasive Species Information:

Weed Management

The Santa Barbara County Weed Management Area is an association of state and local public agencies, non-governmental organizations, non-profit groups, and private citizens who are concerned about the problem of invasive and noxious weeds in Santa Barbara County and California. Invasive and noxious weeds are plants that are non-native and lower the value of agriculture, threaten natural habitats, and create flood and fire risks for infrastructure. For more information please contact Stephanie Stark at (805) 681-5600 or sstark@countyofsb.org.  Visit our website at Santa Barbara County Weed Management Area.

Current Projects

  • We are assisting with mapping Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) a preferred host of the Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), an invasive pest native to China that can be spread long distances by people who move infested material or items containing egg masses. Juvenile spotted lanternflies, known as nymphs, and adults prefer to feed on the invasive tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) but also feed on a wide range of crops and plants, including grapes, apples, hops, walnuts and hardwood trees.

 

Past Project Highlights

  • Artichoke Thistle & Purple Star Thistle in Santa Barbara County- In Santa Barbara County, artichoke thistle (Cynara cardunculus) and purple star thistle (Centaurea calcitrapa) threaten agricultural livestock pastures and grasslands. The California Department of Food and Agriculture 2021 Noxious Weed Grant Program awarded the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office a grant to map the locations of artichoke thistle and purple star thistle as seen from public roads and to prepare a treatment plan. Map of artichoke thistle and purple star thistle in Santa Barbara County
  • Wildlife Conservation Board-South Central Coast Invasive Weed Eradication Project– In a collaboration between the Upper Salinas-Las Tablas Resource Conservation District, Cachuma Resource Conservation District, the Santa Barbara Agriculture Weights and Measures Department, The US Forest Service, UC-Santa Barbara, and Channel Islands Restoration four species of concern are actively being treated in Santa Barbara County. Limonium duriusculum (European Sea Lavender), Cirsium arvense (Canada Thistle), Linaria dalmatica (Dalmatian Toadflax), and Cuscuta japonica (Japanese Dodder) are the species of focus within the scope of this grant funded effort in Santa Barbara County. This is a five-year grant which will end in December of 2021. The Wildlife Conservation Board has provided the grant funding for this project.

 

Santa Barbara County WMA Virtual Weed Webinar

View our May 18, 2022 Virtual Webinar here

Organizations on WMA’s MOU

  • Audubon Society Inc., Santa Barbara
  • Agri-Turf Supplies
  • Cachuma Resource Conservation District
  • California Conservation Corps
  • California Department of Transportation (CalTrans)
  • California Native Plant Society – SLO & N SBarbara Subchapter
  • Carpinteria Salt Marsh Friends
  • Mary Carroll
  • Channel Islands Restoration
  • Coastal Ranches Conservancy
  • Elings Park Foundation
  • Growing Solutions
  • Kinnikinnick
  • Land Trust for Santa Barbara County, The
  • Montecito Fire Protection District
  • Native Landscapes
  • Pacific Vineyard Company
  • Sanford Winery and Vineyards
  • Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
  • Santa Barbara, County of
  • Sierra Consulting and IPM
  • South Coast Habitat Restoration
  • University of California Cooperative Extension – Santa Barbara County
  • USDA
    • Los Padres National Forest
    • Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • Daniel Wilson

San Luis Obispo Weed Management Area – San Luis Obispo is the neighboring county to the north. Currently there are several projects that cross county lines. Collaboration makes us stronger and amplifies our efforts.

 

 

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