CIR is committed to taking on overall responsibility for the design, funding, installation and maintenance of a Chumash ethnobotanical garden, in consultation with the Barbareño and other community members.

Ultimately, we want this to be a Chumash project that we help facilitate. Work has begun on this native plant garden at the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa. You can see the area highlighted in red that will comprise the Chumash Garden Area.

As of 2023, we have broken ground and are starting to plant purple needle grass (Stipa pulchra) in the garden area alongside local Chumash. We are thrilled to be working collaboratively to create a stronger community and help restore the environment on the San Marcos Foothills West Mesa. You can find photos from our first planting day below.