John Palminteri
MONTECITO, Calif. (KEYT) – A cleanup effort involving government staff and nonprofit workers has cleared a problem area of the beach where Montecito and Santa Barbara meet, removing hundreds of pounds of debris while raising new concerns about fires, boats, and encampments along the shoreline.
This location sits below the cemetery and west of Butterfly Beach, a site often populated with homeless encampments and considered an environmental hot spot for trash, toxic waste, and debris that can wash into the ocean at high tide.
Ongoing Environmental and Safety Concerns
The area has long been a challenge for both the city and county. Heal the Ocean Executive Director Karina Johnston said the problem doesn’t fall neatly into one jurisdiction.
“A lot of the impacts from trash, abandoned camps and boat wrecks end up in these unincorporated county areas,” Johnston said. “And so it’s this kind of multi-jurisdictional problem that requires the city to collaborate with the county.”
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee said the stakes are high.
“Who knows what is in those encampments that will go into the ocean, into our sensitive habitat,” Lee said. “We’ve got to do everything we can to keep that as clean as possible.”
The site has also seen several fires over the years, including a 2020 blaze that burned for hours, spreading from the encampments into nearby vegetation and threatening the historic Belleguardo estate and cemetery property.
“One of the other serious problems here is fires. Campfires get out of control, burn the hillside vegetation, and then spread to the cemetery or historic landmarks,” said News Channel reporter John Palminteri, recalling past incidents.
Coordinated Cleanup and Partnerships
On Tuesday, nonprofit Earthcomb joined Heal the Ocean, county and city staff, and law enforcement agencies to haul away trash. The effort also involved Supervisor Roy Lee’s office, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, the Santa Barbara Police Department, Bellesguard, Good Samaritan, and Milpas Rentals, which provided an ATV to access difficult areas.
By the end of the day, between 650 and 700 pounds of trash had been collected and removed.
Johnston credited growing partnerships for making a difference.
“We’ve had really strong support and partnerships from Supervisor Roy Lee’s office, the county, city staff, and the waterfront director,” she said.
The cleanup was funded by Heal the Ocean, which has repeatedly rushed to this site before high tide to prevent belongings and debris from being swept out to sea.
Abandoned Boats and New Risks
The shoreline has also been impacted by abandoned vessels breaking free from the anchorage near Stearns Wharf and washing ashore. One boat recently shattered on the rocks at Butterfly Beach.
“I was in disbelief,” Lee said. “I’m making it a priority to make sure that it would never happen again.”
Johnston said the problem is ongoing.
“The problems occur from boats wrecking and washing ashore, creating debris and spilling oil and gases. We’re really trying to tackle that head-on,” she said.
A smaller boat was already spotted on the beach Wednesday, and a new tent was seen deep in the hillside cove that same afternoon.
Looking Ahead
Heal the Ocean says it will keep a close watch on the site. Johnston added that future solutions will need to go beyond quick cleanups.
“What kind of policies can we put together and recommend in the future to help prevent some of this from happening?” she asked.
For now, the work depends on a well-organized rapid response team made up of Heal the Ocean, Earthcomb, Marborg Industries, and Tow US Ventura.
“Heal the Ocean is an organization that does take fast action and we have an amazing field team,” Johnston said.
But officials warn that if there’s a delay, or if bad weather rolls in, the items left on the beach will almost certainly end up in the ocean.
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