Hallie Rides for San Marcos Foothills

We recently received a note from Santa Barbara-based educator Hallie Silva, who’ll soon be taking on a 176-mile bikepacking challenge to raise funds for an important cause. Find Hallie’s full message below, along with links to make a donation and to learn more about the organizations being supported:

“I’m a teacher in Santa Barbara, and I’m riding the Tour de Los Padres this year as a benefit for the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. I’m a fairly new bikepacker, and wanted to share my story so that maybe more folks would feel that they can take on bikepacking adventures and maybe also use it as an opportunity to give back to their community.

I’m participating in the Tour de Los Padres, an epicly long bike race, to bring awareness to, and fundraise for the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. This public space is the ancestral home of the Chumash and one of the last remaining access points for front-country wilderness in Santa Barbara, and right across the street from the school I teach at. This access point is being currently threatened by corporate luxury home development.”

Donations that will go directly to two local organizations:

• Seeds to Forest Defense, an autonomous group of Chumash, BIPOC and white allies protecting the land who center Indigenous ecological knowledge. They also work to provide resources such as lawyer fees for the indigenous folks who were arrested in ceremony while protecting our public lands
• Save the San Marcos Foothills Preserve, led by Channel Islands Restoration, whose mission is to purchase the undeveloped property next to the San Marcos Foothills Preserve at fair market value, to protect it forever as public open space, and to restore the native habitat.

Hallie is hoping to raise $3,000 USD through this ride, and you can make a donation here.

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