Another big donation, this one for $100,000, has been made to advance the effort to preserve the Ellwood Mesa in its natural state.
The gift from the Woods-Claeyssens Foundation was made in the name of the late Pierre Claeyssens, a local architect and philanthropist know for his generous gifts to veterans, the Music Academy of the West, the poor and victims of circumstance. But over his lifetime, the native of Belgium quietly contributed to efforts to protect the Douglas Family Preserve, El Capitan Ranch and Ellwood.
The gift was made to the Trust for Public Land, which, with the group Friends of the Ellwood Coast, has been working for two years to raise $20.4 million to buy the pristine 137-acre coastal bluff in Goleta.
In addition to its almost mile of coastline, one of the key features of the pristine Ellwood Mesa is its habitat for monarch butterflies.
In announcing the latest contribution, the trust said it has raised $19.54 million -- still $860,000 short of the goal. The trust reports it has until Dec. 15 to raise the balance.
Posted by gandlwoods at December 5, 2004 08:38 AM