Chapter 12 - The Great Plains and Prairies

Chapter 12 talks about the continuous plains and prairies that are located in the center of the United States. The landscape does have variation with it going from prairies to badlands which are created by sedimentary rock erosion. The Great Plains' weather is not identical to Santa Barbara; droughts, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and wind is not common in Santa Barbara.

Chapter 12 also discusses the countless novels, films, songs, and television shows about the Great Plains. In comparison, one book comes to mind when I think about Santa Barbara: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. The novel is based on a true story about Juana Maria who was left alone on an island on one of the Channel Islands off of the California Coast. In the end, she is rescued and taken to the Santa Barbara Mission.

Not so much ABOUT Santa Barbara:

• The final scene in The Graduate is set in Santa Barbara.
• Several scenes in the 1966 version of Batman were filmed at Stearns Wharf.
• The television show Psych follows a crime consultant in the city of Santa Barbara.

[Sources]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_of_the_Blue_Dolphins

http://quarriesandbeyond.org/states/ca/images/santa_barbara_mission/ca-santa_barbra_missn_5471_gardn_juana_maria_plaq.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Barbara,_California

Chapter 11 - The Agricultural Core

As stated previously, agriculture dominates the land use in Santa Barbara county. Strawberries, lemons, winegrapes, and vegetable crops are among the most fruitful in the area. Much of the success of agriculture can be attributed to Santa Barbara's climate. Elevations ranged from sea level to mountains over 6,000 feet giving Santa Barbara county various micro-climates which have naturally led to many agricultural regions.

The Santa Ynez Valley has been a big cattle-grazing land but until recently has become site for horse-breeding and wineries and vineyards.

The Lompoc Valley has prime soils which make it an ideal are for a variety of crops such as apples, cherries, and flower seeds.

The Santa Maria Valley is the prime agriculture trade center of the county. Many farm residences and agriculture processing plants are located in Santa Maria. One-half of the area's irrigated acres are vegetables and strawberries. More than half of the county's farm income comes from these crops. The foothills in the Santa Maria Valley are used as vineyards and beef cattle are grazed on the surrounding hillsides.

 

Santa Barbara's abundance of agriculture is also a negative aspect: it is also a leading source of water pollution. Rain water and irrigation water that washes over fields full of salts, metals, nutrients, and pesticides run off into the water nearby.



[Sources]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CFgQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2Flongrange.sbcountyplanning.org%2Fprograms%2Fgenplanreformat%2FPDFdocs%2FAgricultural.pdf&ei=T5LhTo_TBOariQLq-YWODw&usg=AFQjCNFBMWlIMSJqOpUf7jcjP-JlLMQLhw&sig2=haCH0MJIausOhZr_VbcWtw

http://www.sbck.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=7

Chapter 10 - The Southern Coastlands: On the Subtropical Margin

Chapter 10 discusses the Southern Coastlands of the United States which are comprised of parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and all of Florida. This environment is categorized as subtropical; the climate is humid, the winters are mild, and the summers are hot. Santa Barbara, in comparison, is a Mediterranean climate which is actually a variety of the subtropical climate.

In contrast to the Southern Coastlands hazards of hurricanes and winter freeze, Santa Barbara's most prevalent hazard would have to be wildfires. The Jesusita Fire on May 5, 2009 burned more than 8,000 acres and destroyed over 80 homes. The fire burned through the Santa Ynez Mountains to the hills above Montecito.

Satellite image of the Jesusita Fire burn scar on May 10, 2009, taken from the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite . Image shows the northern part of the burned area, which stretches from the outskirts of Santa Barbara (hidden beneath clouds) into the Los Padres National Forest.

Santa Barbara takes pride in the many fruit orchards it has all over the county. One successful crop that has cultivated in and around the county are lemons. Lemons are a subtropical fruit that bloom and bear fruit almost all year long. In 2007, over 1500 acres of lemons were grown in the Santa Barbara county.

However, Santa Barbara's most successful crop to date is the strawberry. In 2009, strawberries brought in a total of $299,442, 100.

“Agriculture... continues to provide a strong base for our local economy, and through the multiplier effect, agriculture and related activities had a total contribution in 2008 of more than $2 billion to the economy."





 [Sources]

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/may/14/santa-barbara-endures-its-most-threatening-natural/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesusita_Fire

http://www.cfbf.com/counties/?id=42

http://www.noozhawk.com/local_news/article/041409_strawberries_remain_santa_barbara_countys_top_crop/