Sage Trail Alliance
Visit Partner SiteMission
Trails Through a professional trail crew and volunteer events, SAGE provides thousands of hours every year to the maintenance, restoration, and creation of trails. SAGE focuses on improving the user experience, trail sustainability and expanding trail networks. Community We promote trail stewardship and advocate for equitable access to outdoor recreation. SAGE partners with businesses, individuals and other organizations to support an alliance of mountain bikers, hikers, trail runners, equestrians and all trail users. Environment Recreation is our way of interacting with and appreciating the land. SAGE champions access to outdoor recreation. By promoting, employing and teaching sustainable trail design and etiquette we reduce the impact recreation has on the natural environment, while helping all appreciate nature.
About
SAGE Trail Alliance sees outdoor recreation as a pathway towards environmental appreciation. We foster this relationship across Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.
Events & Projects
Programs
Community: Volunteer Days, Youth Engagement, Multi User Advocacy
SAGE strongly believes in engaging with our supporters to instill a sense of stewardship in all of us. We host regular volunteer days on local trails, see our calendar page for details!
Initiative: Climate & Environment
It is no longer an if, but a when, when it comes to climate driven natural disaster in California. Our recreation is impacted by drought, heat, wildfire, and torrential storms. We leverage our community and local impact to influence legislation at local, state and national levels that drive progressive measures towards climate neutrality and land conservation. By working with partners including Outdoor Alliance, Protect Our Winters, Botanic Gardens, Land Trusts, and environmental watchdogs, we provide avenues for our members to use their voice and create change. Additionally, we are proud to announce that we have switched to a fully electric fleet of motorized hand tools as of the 2022 season.
Initiative: Investing in Park Infrastructure
SAGE Trail Alliance has been maintaining the trails on, around and down the Elings Mesa for decades. Our staff knows the park intimately, through the hours spent working, or from having recreated on the land while growing up in the area. In June of 2023, we were commissioned by Elings Park to construct a new trail in the northwest quadrant of southern half of the park. Designed as a more gradual climb route than the other trails in the area, the Santa Barbara Foundation Trail has been well used since its opening in July, and is the first piece of new trail in the park in more than a decade. Shortly after, in the late Fall of 2023, a new trail in the North East corner of Elings Park South was commissioned. Named after the Adams Foundation that funded a majority of the project, the goal was to create a hard surfaced path suitable for use by a wide range of abilities from joggers to wheelchairs. Our work in Parma Park is the result of a newer, but equally promising relationship between SAGE and the City of Santa Barbara’s recreation department. The Parma Park Sustainable Trails Project started in April 2023 and runs through February 2024, encompassing the creation of about 3 miles of new trail, maintenance of the entire existing trail network, and installation of an accessible trail on the park’s west side. Phase one, located to the west of the Stanwood Drive entrance is complete now and open to the public. Phase two is ongoing as of early 2024, with an expected completion date of early spring 2024. These projects highlight the restorative works being undertaken at both Elings and Parma Parks, where thousands of native plants are being planted by the Botanic Garden and the City, respectively, to remediate the acres of open space dominated by invasive species. Our philosophy of design prioritizes trail construction that highlights the beauty of native plants and trees while minimizing disturbance. We know that the path of least resistance is not always the least destructive and take this into account when building in our area’s sensitive ecosystems.
Initiative: Outdoor Accessibility for All
We are grateful that our land managing partners are concerned with not only expanding the quantity and quality of outdoor recreation opportunities, but also with increasing the user base of those who are able to enjoy the spaces these trails access. Over the 2023 season, we created two accessible trails in Santa Barbara, suitable for use by folks with strollers, wheelchairs or other mobility aids. Both trails feature low grades, and smooth, wide, and hard surfaces for ease of travel. Parma Park Accessible Loop- Approximately a half mile loop on the west side of the park, reachable from the El Cielito Road entrance. This trail in on compacted native soil, reaches an overlook with a bench, and meanders through a meadow that is the focus of the City of Santa Barbara’s beautiful and ambitious native plant restoration. Adams Accessible Trail- Around a third of a mile each way, this path connects to the sidewalk at the dead end of Calle Montilla and works its way up to the Moser Meadow overlook and seating area at the top of Elings Park. Featuring imported material for hard surfacing, a play area for children, and impressive views of the ocean and Santa Ynez Range, the trail passes through sagebrush habitat and into another native plant restoration project, this time coordinated by the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Expected opening of this path is in winter of 2024.
Initiative: Restoring Historic Trails
Natural disaster - fire, flood and drought play an ever increasing part of the outdoor recreation equation. Currently, governing bodies do not have the resources to address existing trail in the local area, leading to the loss of historic trails as they fall out of use. In our biggest year for restoration, 2020, we restored over 20 miles of historic trail, at a value of over $1 million. Once re-opened, these trails become part of our regular maintenance schedule to ensure they are not lost to time once more.
Initiative: Sustainable Communities
Parks, green spaces, and engaged businesses are the true root of any place. We work with cities, counties, and a host of local businesses to improve recreation opportunities and restoration efforts. Through these connected efforts, we foster a connected community, attaching people to a place. What is a place without the people who make it special? We work to incorporate the community as a whole into our work. Local businesses support our efforts and events, encouraging a great diversity of individuals to get outdoors. This community in turn supports these businesses, and as a whole, our voices lead to a better response from the local government in fostering the outdoor space and recreation opportunities as a whole. From volunteer days to group bike rides, from providing safe trails and healthy ecosystems, we aspire to make the Central Coast of California an idyllic place for residents and visitors alike.
Initiative: Trails & Conservation
There is no better way to convince someone of the value of conservation than to let them experience nature for themselves. We believe in the responsible merging of recreation and preservation at a number of scales, from local to state. In this vein, we have partnered with 5 different land managing conservancies to design, construct and maintain trails on their properties for the purpose of allowing the public to engage with landscapes and restoration. To date, our work includes over 25 miles of trail at Harmon Canyon (Ventura), Rancho Alegre (Santa Ynez), Ventura River Preserve (Ojai), Mariano Ranch (Ventura), Elings Park (Santa Barbara), and Parma Park (Santa Barbara). This work has included volunteer engagement, environmental review and rehabilitation, public education, and the activation of over $1,000,000 in government and private funds.
Initiative: Trails in Underserved Areas
We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to spend time outdoors. We have a multitude of ongoing projects building new trails in regions historically devoid of outdoor opportunity. These projects are funded by government grants, individual donors, and local foundations. Thus far 20 miles of new trail have been created in Ventura, Ojai, and the Santa Ynez Valley. Our trail projects have brought outdoor access to within several miles of hundreds of thousands of individuals. It is in that vein, that we create space for personal and community growth.
Restoration: Historic Trail, Post Fire, and Landscape
By analyzing historic maps alongside the USFS, SAGE identifies trails that have been lost to time and works to bring them back into the system. We have restored 45km of trails in the region over the past 3 years, with plans for an additional 106km of trail restoration by 2030.
Sage 2030 Vision Plan
Our work covers over 250 miles of trail in two counties, serving over 1.5 million residents. The Thomas Fire, the largest of a string of fires in the last decade, destroyed over 25 miles of trail and the homes of thousands.
How To Support
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