In mid-2025 SBUCC was approached by a volunteer at one of our trash cleanup events who wanted to restore the native habitat around Mission Lagoon Estuary, which had become heavily infested with invasive plants. Finding large, dense stands of White Sweetclover (Melilotus albus) choking out native plants like Beach Suncup and Fleshy Jaumea, we partnered with the City of Santa Barbara to remove the Sweetclover and other harmful plants like Russian Thistle and European Searocket. Over the course of five volunteer events we cleared about 1,514 cubic feet of invasive plant material out of approximately 6,161 square feet of habitat. With the active infestations suppressed, SBUCC continues to conduct routine maintenance events to prevent the next generation of invasive plants from reestablishing themselves, with the eventual goal of functional eradication.

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You can read about Phase 1 of the project (removal of the original infestations) in more detail here.