Hello fellow Modoc Preservationists,

We have some good news for the Modoc Preserve!

CAMP and SB County have reached a "Settlement Agreement" to our CEQA challenge to the County's MND that we filed December 1, 2022...

Modoc Road Pathway Reaches a Settlement with Neighborhood Group

After much wrangling...the County has finally agreed in writing to exclude the use of hot-mix asphalt from within the borders of the Modoc Preserve...see "b"...
Additionally, also in writing, they have agreed to follow LTSB's lead as to location and materials within the Preserve...see "c.” 

The big take-a-way is that we have succeeded in putting the Land Trust in the driver’s seat.

Here is the heart of our settlement agreement with the County:

a. The County will construct the portions of the Project that are located outside the Modoc Preserve within the existing County right-of-way and utilizing the existing asphalt infrastructure of Modoc Road, to the extent feasible, as determined by the County.

b. The County will not construct any portion of the Project that is located upon the Modoc Preserve using hot mix asphalt.

c. The County will construct any portion of the Project that is located upon the  Modoc Preserve in a location and using materials that are consistent with the existing Modoc Preserve conservation easement, as determined by the easement holder, the Santa Barbara County Land Trust.

One of the main driving factors in reaching this settlement is that both Land Trust of Santa Barbara County...and, La Cumbre Mutual Water Company supported our recommendation of GraniteCrete as an acceptable path material...and, it appears that the County is also supporting this recommendation.

We can all feel proud of our efforts over the last 15 months...most of the trees in the Modoc Preserve have been saved...and, the environmental footprint and impact(s) to the Preserve has been minimized...and, importantly...acknowledgement of the existing Modoc Preserve Conservation Easement that we fought for, and won in 1999, is at the heart of preserving the Preserve going forward. We fought hard for this, and it is a major achievement to have it in writing in a binding legal document. 

None of this would have been possible without your support, and we are deeply grateful to all of you who contributed time and money to our legal effort.

CAMP (…and, CAMP social media) will continue to exist as a non-partisan grassroots watchdog group which supports preserving the Modoc Preserve. 

There are many details of the project that still remain to be worked out…and, we will try to keep you informed as they become more specific.

Thank you all,
Team CAMP