Santa Barbara Public Library Trail Talks Presents

Protecting California’s Rare Native Grasslands

With Lauren Harris, CIR’s Staff Ecologist

Santa Barbara Public Library’s Faulkner Gallery
Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Native grassland habitats across the Coastal Range foothills are threatened by continuous feedback between decades of uncontrolled grazing, historic and current fire occurrence, and the threats of invasive grasses. Despite this, the San Marcos Foothills Preserve, located just 3 miles inland from the coast of Santa Barbara, remains an enclave of this ecologically important habitat displaying our native Purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) and a suite of beautiful wildflowers that shelter and feed a diverse set of animals including CA species of special concern such as the Burrowing Owl.

In this talk, Lauren Harris, Channel Islands Restoration’s Staff Ecologist, will discuss ongoing efforts of Channel Islands Restoration to conserve and restore the San Marcos Foothills Preserve from the pressures threatening California’s native grasslands. Specifically, we will hear how carefully planned and timed grazing (known as "prescribed grazing") by sheep can simultaneously foster native plant biodiversity and resilience in the face of wildfire occurrence in this ecologically important habitat.

Lauren holds a Master’s of Environmental Science & Management and a Bachelor’s of Science in Ecology and Evolution from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During her schooling, Lauren conducted research on a broad range of topics from wildfire-related seed germination for California chaparral restoration to the effects of climate change on habitat fragmentation in the Southeast. Lauren is currently the Staff Ecologist for Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) where she directs ecological research, develops and manages habitat restoration projects, and conducts community education and outreach. She has worked at CIR since 2023 and has experience in a variety of habitats including chaparral, grasslands, coastal sage scrub, oak woodlands, tidal wetlands, sand dunes, and Santa Cruz Island scrub habitat.  

Santa Barbara Public Libray
40 E Anapamu St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101