Montecito Journal Feature: Celebrating More Mesa Open Space at the Faulkner

Earlier this year, in the February News, the More Mesa Preservation Coalition reported that More Mesa was for sale … for $110 Million.  Shortly after this sale offering appeared in the “Multiple Listings”, the owner contracted with a local company to survey the property.  The “poles” and flags” that may be seen in various areas…

HACIENDA VIEJA PROJECT BACKGROUND: The Hacienda Vieja (HV) Project is located adjacent to the northeast corner of More Mesa on Vieja Drive. As proposed by the developer, Jack Maxwell, it consisted of four extremely large houses … all two stories high. With Planning Commission direction, all houses were made slightly smaller. However, two structures remain…

So far, we are aware of at least eight fledged chicks from the first broods of More Mesa’s kites. Since kites often have two clutches a year, this early count is an extremely heartening number. Last year, the total count, for the whole breeding period, for all four mated pairs, was ten. This early news…

A Different Look At More Mesa … As you all know, we have been experiencing very atypical weather across the South Coast since late spring.  Strong winds, never ending fog, and drizzle are rarely such large components of our weather.  And, of late, heavy rain, with accompanying thunder and lighting have been added to these unusual…

Mother Nature Does Her Thing, Even with a Record Breaking Drought In spite of what is shaping up as yet another drought year, More Mesa is green and blooming. In one short walk we spotted Poppies, California Brittlebush, Blue-eyed Grass, Redmaids, Owl’s Clover and Miniature Lupine. Many of these were in profusion and all a…

El Niño: A New Feature on our Web Site Weather is critical to what happens on More Mesa. Drought and its effects on More Mesa have been discussed over the last several years. Now with a “too-big-to-fail” El Niño about to alleviate some of that drought, a new section Ecology->Climate and Weather, has been added…