Damage to the grass fields at Rice Ranch Park in Orcutt is raising concern among local families and youth sports organizations, as Santa Barbara County works to repair the turf and considers long-term solutions.
Dominic May, the North County Coordinator for Santa Barbara County Parks, attributes the damage to wild pigs.
Beaudry Falcon, a student in the Orcutt Union School District, said he learned about the damage when teachers discussed relocating a school jog-a-thon.
“She talked about how the wild pigs were ripping up the turf, so we’re probably not going to be able to do it here and will have to go somewhere else,” Falcon said. “I was like, ‘Oh, come on now.’”
The damage is also affecting local youth sports. Danielle Isvak, president of the Orcutt United Soccer League, said the problem has persisted for about two weeks, forcing the league to reschedule games as it looks for space to accommodate its 819 players.
Other groups that use the park are concerned the damage could worsen.
Joe Podstensik, a coach with the Federation of Christian Athletes, said his group has not experienced a significant impact yet but worries about the condition of the fields.
“What stinks is, like, [it's] one of the only big grass areas in the community,” Podstensik said. “And if they don’t do something about it, it’s going to just tear it up.”
May said this is the first time the county has dealt with this type of damage at one of its recreational sports fields.
He said officials identified signs of wild pigs in the area, including footprints and feces. Park hosts have also reported hearing the animals at night.
For now, county maintenance crews are repairing the damaged turf by patching areas and leveling the ground with composite material and sand. May said the repairs have not resulted in additional costs, but they do require extra maintenance at the park.
“There’s some areas where we are able to patch by hand, you know, just simply by rolling the grass over and almost like a puzzle and just patching it up like that,” said Sonny Calvillo, a county maintenance worker.
Calvillo said crews also use shovels and rakes to level the dirt and repair larger damaged areas.
Falcon said the uneven ground could pose a safety concern for students participating in school activities.
“Like I said, the jog-a-thon we are going to have, this would be a tripping hazard,” Falcon said. “So it would be nice if the county could step in and just put some turf down.”
In addition to the current repairs, May said the county is considering installing fencing around the park to help prevent further damage.
The county has received cost estimates for the potential project, but officials could not provide a specific price or installation timeline. However, May said the fencing would be costly.
County officials are continuing to consider long-term solutions as maintenance crews work to restore the damaged areas.
