Agricultural Land Use Conversion

Transcription

1 Agricultural Land Use Conversion Conservation Steering Committee Regional Conservation Strategy Meeting of November 28, 2007 Office of Long Range Planning Santa Barbara County

2 OVERVIEW OF LAND USE REGULATIONS LAND USE Residential Commercial Industrial Agricultural Rec/Open Space Other TOTAL ACRES 5,536 1,244 2, , ,024 PERCENT 2.8 % 0.6 % 1.1 % 93.4 % 2.0 % 0.1 % %

3 Santa Barbara County Land Statistics million acres in County or 2,550 square miles: 748,000 acres or 46% is controlled by Fed. Gov. (Los Padres =650,000 acres; VAFB =98,000 acres) 886,000 acres of non-federal lands (County =844,000 acres; cities =42,000 acres) 75,000 acres of urban area (County urban =33,000 acres; city urban =42,000 acres, urban =4.5% of total land in County) 761,000 acres of agriculturally zoned land (86% of land under County jurisdiction) 555,000 acres in Agricultural Preserve program (73% of Ag land) 6% of the State s prime soil is in the central coast: Monterey, San Benito, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara Counties (CDC) From 1984 to 2004, 8,562 acres of land (mostly grazing) was developed: 1% of land under the County s jurisdiction.

4 LAND USE CATEGORY SANTA BARBARA COUNTY Land Use Summary Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION ACREAGE BY CATEGORY (1) NET ACREAGE CHANGE AVERAGE ANNUAL ACREAGE CHANGE (2) 2004 D Prime Farmland 67,703 68,405 69,299 68,406 69,295 69,180 69,532 72,115 74,106 66,460 67, Farmland of Statewide Importan 4,985 4,940 5,170 5,615 5,775 5,781 5,787 6,761 8,008 11,862 12,380 7, Unique Farmland 21,763 22,376 22,953 23,231 24,682 25,102 25,169 29,331 32,297 33,936 35,136 13, Farmland of Local Importance 33,392 33,870 34,115 33,607 30,755 29,995 28,160 26,199 25,399 23,088 20,836-12, Important Farmland Subtotal 127, , , , , , , , , , ,126 8, Grazing Land 601, , , , , , , , , , ,310-18, Agricultural Land Subtotal 729, , , , , , , , , , ,436-10, Urban and Built-Up Land 53,466 54,535 55,485 56,609 57,853 58,178 59,265 59,532 61,027 61,076 62,028 8, Other Land 252, , , , , , , , , , ,087 1, Water Area 4,218 4,218 4,218 4,291 4,291 4,216 4,216 4,264 4,264 4,264 4, Total Area Inventoried 1,039,815 1,039,815 1,039,814 1,039,815 1,039,815 1,039,815 1,039,815 1,039,816 1,039,816 1,039,815 1,039, (1) Figures are generated from the most current version of the GIS data. Files dating from 1984 through 1992 were reprocessed with a standardized county line in the Albers Equal Area projection, and other boundary improvements. (2) Due to the incorporation of digital soil survey data (SSURGO) in 2002, acreages for farmland, grazing and other land categories may differ from those published in the Farmland Conversion Report. PERCENTAGE OF COUNTY INVENTORIED: 64% Total Land 1,624,711

5 California Department of Conservation Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program FIELD MAPPER(S): Patrick Hennessy 2006 FIELD REPORT COUNTY: Santa Barbara IMAGERY: source : National Agriculture Imagery Program date: 2005 resolution: 2 meter color type: true color coverage gaps: none WRITTEN, DIGITAL & ORAL INFORMATION SOURCES: Please list which local governments, interest groups, or individuals submitted comments on the 2004 maps. Also list all phone and in-person contacts made or related GIS data referenced while conducting the 2006 update. local review comments cities: county : others: personal contacts: none websites: City of Santa Maria GIS data referenced: none CHANGES*: Please summarize the most common changes to the maps. List representative locations (quads) of each type of change encountered. Make sure to list and describe particularly large, unusual or notable changes and give estimates of the acreage involved. Irrigated Farmland to Urban Land The conversion of irrigated farmland to urban land was not very common. There were only nine total changes, and seven of them were less than 10 acres. The other two were 10 and 23 acres of new homes in the Santa Maria area. The 10 acres was converted next to US highway 101 just south of the Betteravia Exit. The larger 23 acres was

6 converted near Blosser Road on the southwest area of the city. Local, Grazing or Other Land to Urban Land There wasn t much urban development in Santa Barbara County during this update. The conversion of Farmland of Local Importance, Grazing or Other Land to Urban Land was mild, only responsible for 17 changes. Most of the changes were small additions of new homes adjacent to existing urban land primarily in Santa Maria and Lompoc. The Santa Maria changes also include the change next to US highway 101 south of the Betteravia exit, also mentioned in the section above, changing 22 acres of Other Land to Urban Land. Also next to 101, but on the north side of the city near the county line, the River Oaks Park with lakes was site checked and changed to Urban. In Lompoc, 15 acres of Grazing Land south of Olive Avenue had new homes and was changed to Urban. Lastly, 42 acres of Other Land was identified as the damn and spillway for Lake Cachuma. Irrigated Farmland to Local or Grazing Land This type of reclassification accounted for the majority of the land use changes a total of 106 changes to Local or Grazing Land. The surprising aspect of this number is that 102 of the 106 are less than 40 acres and 80 of the total 106 are less than 20 acres. Virtually every change was due to irrigated farmland going fallow for 3 or more update cycles. So, while the number of changes may seem high, the acreage may not be that shocking. The large number of these changes may also be due to the fact that imagery has been improving over time, leading to more accurate and careful fallow notations in more recent updates. The location of these changes also varies throughout the county. Many changes occurred in the Santa Maria Valley, a few on the periphery of Lompoc Valley and a few more upriver near the Santa Rosa Hills. The Santa Ynez Valley has more irrigated pasture for horse breeding and therefore, pasture generally went fallow in that area. In Foxen Canyon near the intersection of Foxen Canyon Road and Alisos Canyon Road, one change in particular converted almost 70 acres of irrigated farmland to dry grains, and thus to Farmland of Local Importance. This 70 acre change was also the largest. Irrigated Farmland to Other Land Irrigated farmland was changed to Other Land just over 50 times, and 45 of these were less than 25 acres each. Most of the changes went fallow for three or more updates and they were adjacent to Other Land. This occurred in every part of the county, including the orchards on the coastal side of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Many of the changes involved farmsteads, low density housing, or sometimes corrals and pens for horses. Local, Grazing or Other Land to Irrigated Farmland This update had a total of 37 changes from Local, Grazing or Other to irrigated farmland. Most were very small, 33 were less than 25 acres. Many of the changes are additions to existing irrigated farmland. There were four notables, however. In the Cuyama Valley, there were two very large changes. Both changes are near each other and adjacent to Highway 166 on the western edge of the actively farmed part of the valley. One field was growing carrots and the other was growing alfalfa during the site check. The other two notables were changes to sudan grass. Almost 50 acres was site checked in Drum canyon south of the city of Los Alamos and just over 100 acres was site checked

7 in the valley that Figueroa Mountain Road travels north of Los Olivos. UNUSUAL: Category changes, complications with the Farmland of Local Importance definition, or any other special circumstances in There were two types of unusual changes this update. The first is the conversion of Urban Land to something else. Although this is not typical, almost 75 acres of Urban Land was changed. Most of it went to Other Land as a refinement to the urban boundary. The second unusual type of change was the removal of a water polygon that represented a permanent lagoon where the Santa Ynez River meets the Pacific Ocean, near Surf. The course of the river has changed substantially over time and the permanent water changed area and shape. The current lagoon is more appropriately classified in the Other Land category. This is the source of the 73 acres of Water to Other conversion. PROBLEM AREAS: What locations and map categories need careful checking in 2008? Why? Land use in the Santa Ynez Valley is complicated and needs careful attention. The rotation of dry grains with irrigated pasture seems to be a possibility there. It should also be noted that there are a lot of Farmland of Local Importance polygons representing dry beans that are currently marked as fallow three update cycles. The next update may see a large amount of Local acreage going to Grazing, assuming that the dry bean fields remain fallow a fourth update. This seems to be in keeping with Agriculture Commissioner reports, which have shown a steady decline in this crop type in recent years. LABOR ESTIMATE: Please estimate the amount of time spent on the following tasks. photo interpretation, start date: 2/16/2007 photo interpretation, number of days: 15 ground truthing dates: 4/24 4/27/2007 # days for map compilation and clean up: 5 * Note: Irrigated Farmland = Prime Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance or Unique Farmland; Local = Farmland of Local Importance Further information on the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program can be found at:

8 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Division of Land Resource Protection TABLE A-32 SANTA BARBARA COUNTY Land Use Conversion Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program PART I County Summary and Change by Land Use Category ACREAGE CHANGES PART II Land Committed to Nonagricultural Use TOTAL ACREAGE ACRES ACRES TOTAL NET TOTAL LAND USE CATEGORY INVENTORIED LOST GAINED ACREAGE ACREAGE LAND USE CATEGORY ACREAGE (-) (+) CHANGED CHANGED 2006 Prime Farmland 67,774 67,223 1, , Prime Farmland 370 Farmland of Statewide Importance 12,380 12, Farmland of Statewide Importance 2 Unique Farmland 35,135 34, , Unique Farmland 215 Farmland of Local Importance 20,837 20,095 1, , Farmland of Local Importance 33 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 136, ,998 4,136 2,008 6,144-2,128 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 620 Grazing Land 583, ,449 1,656 2,796 4,452 1,140 Grazing Land 175 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 719, ,447 5,792 4,804 10, AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 795 Urban and Built-up Land 62,029 62, Urban and Built-up Land 0 Other Land 254, , ,213 1, Other Land 119 Water Area 4,264 4, Water Area 0 TOTAL AREA INVENTORIED 1,039,815 1,039,815 6,310 6,310 12,620 0 TOTAL ACREAGE REPORTED 914 PART III Land Use Conversion from 2004 to 2006 Farmland of Farmland of Subtotal Total Urban and Total LAND USE CATEGORY Prime Statewide Unique Local Important Grazing Agricultural Built-up Other Water Converted To Farmland Importance Farmland Importance Farmland Land Land Land Land Area Another Use Prime Farmland to: , ,324 Farmland of Statewide Importance to: Unique Farmland to: Farmland of Local Importance (1) to: ,190 1, ,563 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL ,769 3, ,136 Grazing Land to: , , ,656 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL ,850 2,769 4, , ,792 Urban and Built-up Land (2) to: Other Land to: Water Area (3) to: TOTAL ACREAGE CONVERTED to: ,008 2,796 4, , ,310 (1) Conversion from Farmland of Local Importance is due to dry cropped land being left idle for four or more update cycles. (2) Conversion from Urban and Built-up Land primarily the result of the use of detailed digital imagery to delineate more distinct urban boundaries. (3) Conversion to Other land due to the changing course and appearance of the mouth of the Santa Ynez River near Surf. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

9 FIELD MAPPER(S): Kerri Kisko California Department of Conservation Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program 2004 FIELD REPORT COUNTY: Santa Barbara IMAGERY: source : Air Photo USA date: September, 2004 scale: One foot resolution film type: true color mosaic coverage gaps: Cuyama Valley Area (covered with NAIP) additional imagery: NAIP (National Agricultural Imagery Program), summer 2004, 2- meter resolution, true color mosaic WRITTEN, DIGITAL & ORAL INFORMATION SOURCES: Please list which local governments, interest groups, or individuals submitted comments on the 2002 maps. Also list all phone and in-person contacts made or related GIS data referenced while conducting the 2004 update. local review comments cities: City of Lompoc county : others: personal contacts: Mark Bright, County of Santa Barbara, Planning and Development (805) or Mark@co.santa-barbara.ca.us websites: County of Santa Barbara ( B & H Flowers, Inc. ( Santa Barbara County Education Office ( Santa Barbara County Vintners Association ( Solid Waste Information System ( GIS data referenced: California Department of Fish and Game Lands (dfg_lands.shp) Federal Lands (jv.shp and refuges.shp) Santa Barbara County Farmland, provided by Mark Bright (farmland_04.shp) SWIS landfill/waste facility reference file (swis.dgn)

10 CHANGES*: Please summarize the most common changes to the maps. List representative locations (quads) of each type of change encountered. Make sure to list and describe particularly large, unusual or notable changes and give estimates of the acreage involved. Irrigated Farmland to Urban Land This update there were 12 conversions of irrigated farmland to urban land. The majority of these conversions were in the form of new housing developments, schools, and businesses in the cities of Santa Maria and Lompoc. In Santa Maria, the new housing development Bradley Square ( 120 acres) was added as well as another large development ( 95 acres) along Blosser Road. Tommie Kunst Junior High School ( 20 acres) and Pioneer Valley High School ( 50 acres) were also added. On the west side of Santa Maria, the Cal Giant Cooling facility ( 10 acres) was noted. In Lompoc, the Crowne Pointe housing development ( 15 acres) and the new Home Depot ( 20 acres) were added. Near Guadalupe, the Bonita School ( 10 acres) was expanded and now meets our minimum mapping size. On Vandenberg Air Force Base (Surf quad) some water control structures ( 15 acres) were noted. Local, Grazing or Other Land to Urban Land The majority of local, grazing, or other land that was converted to urban land (27 changes) was in the form of housing this update. Most of these conversions were fairly small, acres each. These changes occurred throughout the county. In the western part of the county, the Cherrywood Estates housing development ( 30 acres) was added, some new warehouses ( 20 acres) near the Santa Maria Public Airport were noted, and a brand new elementary school ( 10 acres) was built in the City of Santa Maria. Nearby, in Orcutt, the Lorraine Estates housing development ( 60 acres) was added as well as two small areas of homes ( 10 acres each). In Lompoc, the airport was expanded ( 45 acres) and two areas of homes ( 15 and 20 acres) were added. On Vandenberg Air Force Base, the Vandenberg AFB Landfill ( 30 acres) was noted, as well as two areas of buildings ( 10 and 15 acres). In the Santa Ynez Valley, the Lomita de Oro housing development ( 10 acres) was added in Los Alamos. In Buellton, an approximately 10-acre area of new homes was noted. In Santa Ynez, an area of homes ( 15 acres) and some buildings ( 15 acres) were added. Nearby, in Ballard, a small area of homes ( 10 acres) was noted. Along the south coast, the Tajiguas Sanitary Landfill was expanded by approximately 10 acres and an area of homes ( 15 acres) was added in Ellwood. Also, in Montecito, another area of homes ( 20 acres) was noted. Nearby, in Carpinteria, the Tee Time golf driving range ( 15 acres) and the Viola Fields baseball complex ( 10 acres) were added. Irrigated Farmland to Local or Grazing Land There were 35 conversions of prime, statewide, or unique farmland to farmland of local importance or grazing land this update. The majority (23) of these changes were due to irrigated farmland being fallow for three or more update cycles and were scattered

11 throughout the county. These changes were fairly small, most less than 20 acres each. Large conversions of 50 acres or more occurred on the Foxen Canyon (1), Los Alamos (1), and Los Olivos (1) quads. Other conversions were due to the identification of nonirrigated beans (7) and nonirrigated grain (5), both of which are considered farmland of local importance. The nonirrigated beans were discovered mainly in the Lompoc Hills and the nonirrigated grain in the Santa Ynez Valley. These fields had been noted as possibly dry-farmed for multiple updates. Most of these changes were less than 30 acres, however, changes larger than 50 acres were noted on the Lompoc Hills (1) and Santa Ynez (2) quads. Irrigated Farmland to Other Land This update there were 43 conversions of irrigated farmland to other land. The majority of these conversions were due to farmland being fallow for three or more update cycles and in isolated areas less than 40 acres (grazing has a 40 acre minimum mapping size). These changes were scattered throughout the county. Other changes were due to areas of low-density housing (ranchettes) and farmsteads (main farm house with gravel area used for equipment storage). Most of these changes were fairly small (less than 20 acres), however, an approximately 40-acre area of ranchettes was added on the Cuyama Peak quad. Mining operations accounted for two changes, an approximately 25-acre area on the Sisquoc quad and an approximately 20-acre area on the Solvang quad. Local, Grazing to Other Land There were 44 conversions of local or grazing land to other land this update. The majority of these changes were due to areas of ranchettes and farmsteads. Most of these changes were fairly small (less than 20 acres) and were scattered throughout the county. Large additions of 50 acres or greater occurred on the Los Alamos (1), Los Olivos (7), Solvang (2), and Zaca Creek (1) quads. Other changes were due to areas of rural commercial (low density areas of businesses), mining activities, and a dairy. Local, Grazing or Other Land to Irrigated Farmland This update there were 122 conversions of local, grazing, or other land to irrigated farmland. These changes occurred throughout the county and primarily were in the form of row crops, orchards, vineyards, or nurseries. The majority of these changes were less than 50 acres. In the Cuyama Valley, where we have had limited imagery in the past, an approximately 1,550-acre area of carrots and two areas of row crops ( 150 and 120 acres) were added on the New Cuyama quad and an area of orchards ( 150 acres) was added on the Cuyama quad. Some other changes of note include, an area of row crops ( 260 acres) on the Foxen Canyon quad, an area of row crops ( 150 acres) on the Twitchell Dam quad, and an area of vineyards ( 80 acres) on the Foxen Canyon quad. UNUSUAL: Category changes, complications with the Farmland of Local Importance definition, or any other special circumstances in Conversions from Urban Land: There were seven conversions of urban land to

12 other categories, totaling about 35 acres. The majority (5) of these changes were small boundary adjustments due to improved digital imagery. The other changes were due to irrigated agriculture. In Orcutt, an approximately 10-acre area of crops was discovered within the Rancho Maria Golf Club. In Santa Barbara, an area of orchards ( 15 acres) was found in the hills near the Sycamore Canyon Creek. Local to Grazing Land: There were eight conversions of farmland of local importance to grazing land. All of these changes were due to nonirrigated farmland (beans or grain) being fallow for four update cycles. These changes were scattered throughout the county. Four of these changes were fairly small (30 acres or less). The other four changes were larger than 50 acres and occurred on the Guadalupe (1), New Cuyama (2), and Solvang (1) quads. Grazing Land to Local: There were 12 conversions of grazing land to farmland of local importance. All of these changes were due to new areas of nonirrigated farmland (beans or grain) and primarily occurred in the hilly areas of the northwestern portion of the county. The majority of these changes were 20 acres or less. Larger conversions of 25 acres or more occurred on the Los Olivos (1) and Orcutt (2) quads. Conversions between Irrigated Farmland categories: There were ten conversions of irrigated farmland to nurseries (container or hydroponic). Nursery plants that are grown in containers or hydroponically are considered unique farmland, regardless of the soil conditions. The majority of these changes were fairly small (30 acres or less) and occurred in the south coastal portion of the county. The one large change was the B and H Flowers nursery ( 55 acres) that was noted in Carpinteria. PROBLEM AREAS: What locations and map categories need careful checking in 2006? Why? There is a substantial amount of Farmland of Local Importance that is currently in some stage of the fallowing process. Pay close attention to this category. LABOR ESTIMATE: Please estimate the amount of time spent on the following tasks. photo interpretation, start date: May 19, 2005 photo interpretation, number of days: 15 ground truthing dates: June 27-30, 2005 # days for map compilation and clean up: 15 * Note: Irrigated Farmland = Prime Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance or Unique Farmland; Local = Farmland of Local Importance Further information on the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program can be found at:

13 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Division of Land Resource Protection TABLE A-30 SANTA BARBARA COUNTY Land Use Conversion Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program PART I County Summary and Change by Land Use Category ACREAGE CHANGES PART II Land Committed to Nonagricultural Use TOTAL ACREAGE ACRES ACRES TOTAL NET TOTAL LAND USE CATEGORY INVENTORIED LOST GAINED ACREAGE ACREAGE LAND USE CATEGORY ACREAGE 2002 (1) 2004 (-) (+) CHANGED CHANGED 2004 Prime Farmland 66,460 67,774 1,365 2,679 4,044 1,314 Prime Farmland 438 Farmland of Statewide Importance 11,862 12, Farmland of Statewide Importance 2 Unique Farmland 33,936 35, ,823 2,446 1,200 Unique Farmland 217 Farmland of Local Importance 23,088 20,836 3, ,818-2,252 Farmland of Local Importance 45 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 135, ,126 5,198 5,978 11, IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 702 Grazing Land 586, ,310 3, ,732-2,976 Grazing Land 134 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 721, ,436 9,052 6,856 15,908-2,196 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 836 Urban and Built-up Land 61,076 62, , Urban and Built-up Land 0 Other Land 252, ,087 1,058 2,302 3,360 1,244 Other Land 120 Water Area 4,264 4, Water Area 0 TOTAL AREA INVENTORIED 1,039,815 1,039,815 10,146 10,146 20,292 0 TOTAL ACREAGE REPORTED 956 PART III Land Use Conversion from 2002 to 2004 Farmland of Farmland of Subtotal Total Urban and Total LAND USE CATEGORY Prime Statewide Unique Local Important Grazing Agricultural Built-up Other Water Converted To Farmland Importance Farmland Importance Farmland Land Land Land Land Area Another Use Prime Farmland (2) to: ,365 Farmland of Statewide Importance (2) to: Unique Farmland to: Farmland of Local Importance (3) to: 1, , , ,035 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 1, , , , ,198 Grazing Land (3)(4) to: 1, , , , ,854 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 2, , , , , ,052 Urban and Built-up Land to: Other Land to: ,058 Water Area to: TOTAL ACREAGE CONVERTED to: 2, , , , , ,146 (1) Due to the incorporation of digital soil survey data (SSURGO) during this update, acreages for farmland, grazing and other land use categories may differ from those published in the California Farmland Conversion Report. (2) Conversion to Unique Farmland due to the delineation of potted plant or hydroponic nurseries in the south coastal part of the county. (3) Conversion to Prime Farmland due to newly irrigated agricultural land throughout the county. The largest conversion was an area of carrots in the Cuyama Valley. (4) Conversion to Other Land primarily due to the delineation of low-density housing (ranchettes) throughout the county. SANTA BARBARA COUNTY

14 California Department of Conservation Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program FIELD MAPPER(S): Michael Kisko IMAGERY: source : Air Photo USA date: September 2002 scale: 2 foot resolution film type: true color coverage gaps: none additional imagery: Landsat 2002 IR 2002 FIELD REPORT COUNTY: Santa Barbara WRITTEN, DIGITAL & ORAL INFORMATION SOURCES: Please list which local governments, interest groups, or individuals submitted comments on the 2000 maps. Also list all phone and in-person contacts made or related GIS data referenced while conducting the 2002 update. local review comments cities: Lompoc county : others: personal contacts: Joe Karl w/ Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner s office (Jkarl@co.santa-barbara.ca.us) Mark Bright w/ Santa Barbara County Planning, GIS (Mark@co.santabarbara.ca.us) websites: Santa Barbara County: California nursery index: California Cut Flower Commission: GIS data referenced: Soil Survey-CA673 (south coastal part of county); SWIS waste facility file; 2003 Santa Barbara County Agricultural file-sba_ag CHANGES*: Please summarize the most common changes to the maps. List representative locations (quads) of each type of change encountered. Make sure to list and describe particularly large, unusual or notable changes and give estimates of the acreage involved.

15 Irrigated Farmland to Urban Land There were 10 conversions of irrigated farmland to urban land this update. The majority of these conversions took place around the periphery of cities and mostly involved the addition of small areas of residential housing. Notable examples included new apartments and a baseball diamond that were added to the western fringe of the City of Guadalupe. A small area of new homes (~15 acres) was also added to the northern urban fringe of the City of Santa Maria. Further, the Homes at Ballard Canyon (~10 acres) was a new development on the eastern fringe of Buellton. Finally, the Maravilla senior living community (~20 acres) was a prominent new addition in the Goleta area, alongside Highway 101. Local, Grazing or Other Land to Urban Land There were 23 conversions from local, grazing, or other land to urban land this update. These conversions were scattered throughout the county and included homes, apartments, industrial buildings, schools, and sports fields. One notable conversion was an area of new homes and a school (~40 acres) on the northern urban fringe of the City of Santa Maria. Next, the Purisima Highlands development was the source of approximately 35 acres of urbanization just to the north of the City of Lompoc. New homes were also in evidence in the form of the Foxen Estates development in Los Alamos (~10 acres). In Buellton, urbanization was seen on the western urban fringe where the new Oak Valley Elementary School and new homes in the Sycamore Ranch development (~15 acres) were added. Lastly, the Willow Springs apartments were a new addition in the Goleta area (~15 acres). Irrigated Farmland to Local or Grazing Land There were 49 instances of the conversion of irrigated farmland to local or grazing land this update. These conversions were primarily due to fields that had been fallow for three or more updates cycles. In general these fields were not very large and were scattered pretty evenly throughout the county. One exception was a large field on the New Cuyama quad (~450 acres) that had been fallow for three updates and had a for sale sign posted. Other somewhat sizeable conversions occurred on the Cuyama (~80 acres) and Foxen Canyon quads (~230 acres). Finally, a few dry-farmed areas were identified on the Zaca Creek, Los Olivos, and Figueroa Mtn quads; along with a bit of irrigated pasture on poor soils on the Los Olivos quad (~140 acres). Irrigated Farmland to Other Land There were 44 conversions of irrigated farmland to other land this update. These changes were scattered throughout the county and were due to a variety of factors. One major cause of conversion was due to small plots of irrigated farmland (<40 acres) having been fallow for three updates. Another cause of conversion was due to improved imagery that allowed for the identification of ranchettes and farmsteads throughout the county. Expansion of aggregate mining areas was another conversion factor. Local, Grazing or Other Land to Irrigated Farmland There were 87 instances of the conversion of local, grazing, or other land to irrigated farmland this update. These additions of irrigated agriculture and irrigated pasture were

16 generally small new plots less than 40 acres in size or expansions of existing fields and were scattered throughout the county. The quads exhibiting the most additions of irrigated agriculture were the Los Olivos (14), Santa Maria (9), Sisquoc (8), Twitchell Dam (7), and Los Alamos (6) quads. Crop types added this update run the gambit from row and field crops to vineyards, orchards, and irrigated pasture. Irrigated wine grapes and peppers, along with irrigated pasture, were added on the Los Olivos quad. The Santa Maria quad showed mostly additions of row crops (fruit, vegetable, or ornamental crops). Meanwhile, the Sisquoc and Los Alamos quads showed a mixture of row and field crops, along with a few wine grapes. Finally, the Twitchell Dam quad exhibited mainly vineyard plantings. Notable additions were seen in the Cuyama Valley nearby old Cuyama where a few additions of irrigated agriculture added up to approximately 1,000 acres, mostly carrots from Wm. Bolthouse farms. Sixty acres of new orchards were also added on the Tajiguas quad. Lastly, irrigated pasture was added on the Santa Ynez and White Ledge Peak quads. UNUSUAL: Category changes, complications with the Farmland of Local Importance definition, or any other special circumstances in Nurseries in pots: A few nurseries on the Goleta quad were shifted from the P and S mapping category to the U category due to having been identified during the field check as growing their stock in pots, not in-ground. Dry Farmed areas: South of the City of Lompoc there are some dry farmed areas that have been confirmed by the Ag Commissioner s office don t let the photos fool you! Boundary adjustments: There were a lot of boundary adjustments made due to improved imagery. The improved resolution of the AirPhotoUSA imagery (2 foot resolution) and its orthocorrection for hilly terrain contributed to the need to clean up linework. PROBLEM AREAS: What locations and map categories need careful checking in 2004? Why? Nurseries in the Carpinteria area may warrant some careful field checking to determine if they are in-ground, in-pot, or hydroponic operations. LABOR ESTIMATE: Please estimate the amount of time spent on the following tasks. photo interpretation, start date: 10/6/03 photo interpretation, number of days: 12 ground truthing dates: 11/3/03-11/7/03 # days for map compilation and clean up: 12 * Note: Irrigated Farmland = Prime Farmland, Farmland of Statewide Importance or Unique Farmland; Local = Farmland of Local Importance Further information on the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program can be found at:

17 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION Division of Land Resource Protection TABLE A-30 SANTA BARBARA COUNTY Land Use Conversion Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program PART I County Summary and Change by Land Use Category ACREAGE CHANGES PART II Land Committed to Nonagricultural Use TOTAL ACREAGE ACRES ACRES TOTAL NET TOTAL LAND USE CATEGORY INVENTORIED LOST GAINED ACREAGE ACREAGE LAND USE CATEGORY ACREAGE (-) (+) CHANGED CHANGED 2002 Prime Farmland 74,106 72,349 4,943 3,186 8,129-1,757 Prime Farmland 483 Farmland of Statewide Importance 8,008 8, ,072 1, Farmland of Statewide Importance 2 Unique Farmland 32,297 31,564 3,556 2,823 6, Unique Farmland 240 Farmland of Local Importance 25,399 23,041 4,329 1,971 6,300-2,358 Farmland of Local Importance 18 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 139, ,338 13,524 9,052 22,576-4,472 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 743 Grazing Land 583, ,301 5,734 8,326 14,060 2,592 Grazing Land 145 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 723, ,639 19,258 17,378 36,636-1,880 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 888 Urban and Built-up Land 61,027 61,074 1,530 1,577 3, Urban and Built-up Land 0 Other Land 251, ,839 2,419 4,252 6,671 1,833 Other Land 132 Water Area 4,264 4, Water Area 0 TOTAL AREA INVENTORIED 1,039,816 1,039,816 23,207 23,207 46,414 0 TOTAL ACREAGE REPORTED 1,020 PART III Land Use Conversion from 2000 to 2002 Farmland of Farmland of Subtotal Total Urban and Total LAND USE CATEGORY Prime Statewide Unique Local Important Grazing Agricultural Built-up Other Water Converted To Farmland Importance Farmland Importance Farmland Land Land Land Land Area Another Use Prime Farmland (1) (2) to: ,878 3, ,943 Farmland of Statewide Importance (1) to: Unique Farmland (1) (2) (3) to: ,700 2, , ,556 Farmland of Local Importance (4) to: ,441 2,378 3, ,329 IMPORTANT FARMLAND SUBTOTAL 1, ,027 7,356 10, , ,524 Grazing Land (5) to: 1, , , , ,734 AGRICULTURAL LAND SUBTOTAL 2, ,236 1,697 7,626 7,356 14, , ,258 Urban and Built-up Land (6) to: ,530 Other Land to: , , ,419 Water Area to: TOTAL ACREAGE CONVERTED to: 3,186 1,072 2,823 1,971 9,052 8,326 17,378 1,577 4, ,207 (1) Conversions between Important Farmland categories primarily due to corrections made to soil unit identification and nurseries identified in the Goleta area. (2) Conversion to Grazing Land primarily due to land left idle for three update cycles throughout the county. (3) Conversion to Other Land primarily due to land left idle for three update cycles and the identification of ranchettes. (4) Conversion to Grazing Land primarily the result of the use of digital imagery to delineate more distinct field boundaries. (5) Conversion to Prime Farmland and Unique Farmland primarily due to newly irrigated agriculture and pasture throughout the county with several large additions in the Cuyama Valley. (6) Conversion from Urban and Built-up Land primarily the result of the use of digital imagery to delineate more distinct urban boundaries.

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