White Buffalo Land Trust Expands Watershed Restoration at Jalama Canyon Ranch Across 80 Acre Project Site

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Oct. 16, 2025 — White Buffalo Land Trust, with support from The Roots Program — a partnership between Point Blue Conservation Science and the California Wildlife Conservation Board that funds habitat restoration on working lands — has launched a multi-faceted watershed restoration initiative across 80 acres of Jalama Canyon Ranch in northern Santa Barbara County. The innovative and ambitious project aims to demonstrate how low-tech, nature-based land stewardship practices like habitat ponds, erosion mitigation structures and native tree plantings can enhance the land’s capacity to hold water and support life across pastures and waterways. Through on-the-ground interventions, ecological monitoring, and community education, the effort will serve as a living model for watershed resilience on California’s Central Coast.

Across the region, the land is shaped by a Mediterranean climate defined by highly variable rainfall—wet winters and long, dry summers. These boom-and-bust cycles make water management one of the greatest challenges for land stewards seeking to enhance both productivity and habitat. By working with natural systems, this project demonstrates how practical, low-tech strategies can build lasting resilience across the region’s farms, ranches, and waterways.

Implementations includes constructing a 0.25-acre keyline pond to capture rainwater and create new wetland habitat; seeding four acres of pasture with native perennial grasses and forbs to improve infiltration and soil structure; and establishing savannah-style tree and shrub plantings that create layered habitat and food sources for pollinators and birds. Across 750 linear feet of eroding creek corridors, the team is installing stone structures, such as one-rock dams, that slow water, reduce erosion, and help the land hold moisture longer, supporting healthier soils, plants, and wildlife.

Each project element will be paired with ongoing ecological monitoring—including wildlife cameras, acoustic sensors, and water-quality instrumentation—to track changes in vegetation, biodiversity, and hydrology over time. These measurements provide the foundation needed to evaluate impact, adapt management, and inform broader regional restoration strategies.

“With simple tools and a different way of seeing our relationship to the land, we can restore function, build resilience, and strengthen the ecosystems our agricultural operations depend on,” said Jesse Smith, Director of Land Stewardship at White Buffalo Land Trust.

Beyond implementation, the project serves as a living classroom for farmers, ranchers, land stewards, and conservation professionals, advancing regenerative agriculture through hands-on watershed restoration. A robust education program will include volunteer days, school tours, and workshops that share every step of the process—from design and permitting to construction and monitoring. Educational materials and select workshops will also be available in Spanish to ensure accessibility for Santa Barbara County’s diverse communities.

The first of these educational events, Working with Water: Applied Watershed Restoration for Resilient Landscapes, will take place November 1–2, 2025, at The Center for Regenerative Agriculture at Jalama Canyon Ranch. This two-day immersive experience combines classroom learning with hands-on field practice, guiding participants in how to “read the landscape” and apply low-tech restoration techniques—ranging from revegetation strategies to beaver dam analogues, post-assisted log structures, and earthworks for water harvesting.

“By opening our process to the public, we hope to inspire a broader movement of land and water stewards dedicated to restoring the health of our shared ecosystem,” added Smith.

For more information or to register for the November workshop, visit whitebuffalolandtrust.org.