In December, as one of the first of major cold fronts was approaching, these clouds gathered in the sky just before sunset. It was a bitter cold that left snow on the coastal mountaintops the following morning.

The Carpinteria Bluffs is one of the last few remaining coastal open spaces in Santa Barbara County. It is visited by the White-Tailed Kite (a threatened species). A breeding colony of Harbor Seals is located on the adjoining beach below the bluffs. Because the Bluffs was under the threat of development for a number of years, a local organization, The Citizens for the Bluffs formed with efforts to preserve the land as an open space. They have since been successful in raising funds to purchase a large portion of the land. The Citizens group remains dedicated to its original mission of acquiring the entire Bluffs property. It will launch a subsequent fundraising campaign toward that goal if and when the landowners of the remaining 29 acres of Bluffs property are willing to sell the property to the community at a fair market price.