Resilient Cuyama Valley Initiative
The Resilient Cuyama Valley Initiative (RCVI) is a four year collaborative effort that enhances the community’s quality of life by investing in an array of projects such as home improvement, backyard composting, fresh food access, water infrastructure, and walking/bike paths.
ABOUT
Initiative Background
In 2018, the Blue Sky Center began developing the Cuyama Valley Community Action Plan. Over the next two years they collected 143 surveys of in-depth qualitative and quantitative information, establishing the priorities for the Resilient Cuyama Valley Initiative. The Resilient Cuyama Valley Initiative enhances the community’s quality of life by investing in an array of projects such as home improvement, backyard composting, fresh food access, water infrastructure, and walking/bike paths.
Initiative Objectives
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Invest in projects that improve access to local food, water infrastructure, mobility, and home energy improvements.
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Host educational workshops and workforce trainings.
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Enable the Cuyama Valley to access and leverage future investments.
RCVI Partners
Blue Sky Center is a place-based, artist-led organization serving the remote Cuyama Valley, employing creative community engagement to promote resilient, thriving, and inclusive rural economies. Blue Sky Center strengthens rural communities within the Cuyama Valley by supporting entrepreneurs and building our regional creative and economic resources. More about Blue Sky Center.
Community Environmental Council (CEC) is a regional non-profit developing and scaling solutions to the climate crisis. CEC partners with local communities and stakeholders, engages in strong networks and coalitions, and builds the capacity for communities and local governments to advance climate resilience in plans, policies, projects, programs, staffing, and elected leadership. More about CEC.
Quail Springs is an educational non-profit based out of a 450-acre permaculture demonstration site. Quail Springs cultivates ecological resilience through land stewardship, environmental education, and community advocacy, with a focus on empowering students with the knowledge, skills, and inspiration essential to cultivating ecological and social health. More about Quail Springs.
The County Sustainability Division collaborates regionally to facilitate and implement equitable climate policies, programs, and projects that empower communities and improve quality of life. Administered by the County Sustainability Division, The Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative's purpose is to build local capacity to advance regional scale solutions to the climate crisis and enhance resilience. Learn More.
PROJECTS
Home Energy Retrofits
Housing stock in the Cuyama Valley is outdated, with many residents lacking heating or air conditioning entirely, unable to live comfortably during summer heat or winter cold. The Initiative conducts home energy retrofits at little-to-no charge to homeowners, installing energy efficient heat pump water heaters, HVAC systems, and outfitting homes with solar and battery systems.
Problem Statement
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Solution Statement
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Water Access
Cyama Valley sits in a critically overdrafted water basin, a water basin that supplies drinking water for the vast majority of residents in the area. As part of the Initiative, residents are receiving new drinking water filtration units and 'Laundry-to-Landscape' greywater systems that recycle wastewater from home usage and water their gardens and lawns, reducing overall water use and improving the quality of water coming in and leaving the home.
Food Assistance
The Cuyama Valley sits in a food desert, with limited access to healthy and diverse food choices. Through our partnership with the Blue Sky Center the initiative has developed the 'Victory Garden/Jardin Victoria program, building personal garden boxes for residents to grow their own healthy produce and pairing that with garden education workshops to develop skills alongside the gardens. Our partner Quail Springs has been installing free backyard compost systems and teaching homeowners to manage compost systems, reducing the amount of household waste heading to landfills and directly benefitting the gardens, increasing yield and reducing reliance on chemical crop management.
Resilient Infrastructure
The Valley and its residents are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change including extreme temperatures, power outages from wildfires and floods, and physical isolation due to road closures. To create community resilience in the face of disasters, the Initiative is assisting the Blue Sky Center in a rezoning effort which would allow them to become a resilience hub, capable of providing shelter and disaster response management for the Valley. The Public Works Division of the County of Santa Barbara is assisting with mobility and access by repairing destroyed sidewalks, creating accessible footpaths, and improving the bus stop in New Cuyama.
Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative
The County of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara County Regional Climate Collaborative will plan and manage the RCVI Coordinating Committee, website, and quarterly newsletter.
Contact: Malia Josephine, mjosephine@countyofsb.org, Climate Program Specialist, County of Santa Barbara
Communications Archive
RESOURCES
Events Archive
April, 2026
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Momentum in Bloom: Spring Updates from the Guadalupe-Lompoc Initiative
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Impulso en Flor: Actualizaciones de Primavera de la Iniciativa Guadalupe-Lompoc
January, 2026
October, 2025
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Celebrate Community this Fall: Booth with us at Day in the Park
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Celebrando a la Comunidad este Otoño: Acompáñanos con un Puesto en el Día en el Parque
July, 2025
April 2025
January 2025
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Shape Climate Resilience in Santa Barbara County: Apply for the GLI Committee!
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Contribuye a la Resiliencia Climática en el Condado de Santa Bárbara: ¡Aplica para el Comité GLI!
October 2024
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Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
Coming Soon!
