Channel Islands Restoration

What Channel Islands Restoration does

Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2001 and headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, that operates as a licensed landscape contractor specializing in habitat restoration across all eight California Channel Islands and the adjacent mainland (Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties). Its core services include invasive plant management (Arundo donax, ice plant, tamarisk, fennel), native plant propagation and installation, irrigation systems, botanical and wildlife surveys, habitat restoration planning, and wetlands research — delivered to federal, state, and local/tribal government agencies (including Channel Islands National Park), non-profit partners such as The Nature Conservancy, and private clients. CIR holds a Department of Pesticide Regulation Business License with staff carrying Qualified Applicator credentials.

The organization runs a parallel education and community engagement operation, including youth service-learning trips (3,200+ young people since 2004), adult natural history tours (Channel Islands cruises, White Mountains, Death Valley, Eastern Sierra), a three-step Docent Program, expert webinars, and a 21,000-square-foot native plant nursery in Goleta. Revenue is generated through five diversified streams: tiered memberships ($50-$1,000 annually), trip and tour fees ($262-$700), e-commerce merchandise, contracted restoration services, and corporate business sponsorships ($500-$15,000+). A community of nearly 10,000 cumulative volunteers supports labor-intensive restoration work, and long-standing partnerships with Island Packers, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, UC Santa Barbara Reserve, and local Chumash groups anchor both project delivery and cultural programming such as the 'al-tipašumawiš Ethnobotany Garden at San Marcos Foothills Preserve.

Name

Channel Islands Restoration

Legal name

Channel Islands Restoration

Website

https://cirweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Channel Islands Restoration is a 501(c)(3) non-profit licensed habitat restoration contractor serving California's Channel Islands and Southern California mainland, delivering invasive plant removal, native plant propagation, and youth/adult environmental education to government agencies, schools, and donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Restoration Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872)

akta.pro primary industry

Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Riparian & Watershed Reforestation (Streambank Stabilization) (AFAMACAK)

Keywords

• Habitat restoration services
• Invasive species management
• Native plant propagation
• Environmental education programs
• Volunteer conservation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: CIR generates revenue through individual donations and annual membership programs with tiered benefits (Island Scrub Jay $50, Coastal Goldenbush $120, Island Ironwood $500, Island Fox $1,000). Members receive early access to events, merchandise discounts, newsletters, and invitations to exclusive events.
2. Trip and Tour Fees: CIR charges fees for natural history trips including the Autumn Equinox Cruise to Santa Rosa Island, White Mountains trips, Death Valley tours, and Eastern Sierra Nevada Geology Tours. These educational excursions include pricing tiers for members vs. non-members.
3. Merchandise Sales: CIR operates an e-commerce shop selling branded merchandise including t-shirts, hats, hoodies, water bottles, tote bags, patches, stickers, and field guides. All proceeds support CIR's restoration work.
4. Contracting Services: As a licensed landscape contractor, CIR provides ecological restoration services to government agencies and private entities, including habitat restoration planning, invasive plant control, native plant installation, and environmental consulting.
5. Business Sponsorships: CIR offers corporate sponsorship packages at various levels (Anacapa $500-$2,499, San Miguel $2,500-$4,999, Santa Rosa $5,000-$14,999, Santa Cruz $15,000+) with benefits including event recognition, newsletter placement, and volunteer days.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Channel Islands Restoration is a 501(c)(3) non-profit licensed landscape contractor that restores habitat on California's Channel Islands and adjacent mainland through invasive plant management, native plant propagation, and native plant installation. The organization also delivers environmental education via youth service-learning trips, naturalist-led tours, a volunteer program, and webinars, and operates an e-commerce shop and tiered membership program to fund its work.

Product overview

Channel Islands Restoration (CIR) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that operates as a licensed landscape contractor specializing in habitat restoration on California's Channel Islands and adjacent mainland. The organization's offerings span four main areas: (1) Ecological Restoration Services — including invasive plant management, native plant propagation, habitat restoration planning, and wetlands research for government agencies, non-profits, and private clients; (2) Education and Tours — including youth service-learning trips to the islands, guided natural history tours (Autumn Equinox Cruise, White Mountains, Death Valley, Eastern Sierra), and a docent training program; (3) Volunteer Programs — including island and mainland restoration volunteer days, a Core Nursery Volunteer team at the Goleta greenhouse, and special projects like the Cavern Point Restoration and Elings Park Transformation; and (4) Membership and Merchandise — including tiered donor programs, business sponsorship, planned giving, and branded merchandise. Core to its mission is the Native Plant Nursery that cultivates thousands of plants for restoration projects, and collaborative initiatives like the Chumash Garden ethnobotany project at San Marcos Foothills Preserve.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Habitat Restoration Services Ecological restoration services including invasive plant control, native plant propagation and installation, irrigation systems, and habitat restoration planning for the Channel Islands and mainland coastal Southern California.
• Environmental Contracting Services Licensed landscape contracting for government agencies, non-profits, and private entities, including habitat restoration planning, specialized invasive plant control, native plant material collection and propagation, riparian restoration, and botanical and wildlife surveys.
• Youth Education Trips Service-learning trips to the Channel Islands for school and youth groups emphasizing habitat restoration and island ecology, including pre-trip presentations, day trips, and multi-day overnight experiences on Anacapa, Santa Cruz, and other islands.
• Natural History Tours Educational naturalist-led tours to locations including Channel Islands (Autumn Equinox Cruise to Santa Rosa Island), White Mountains, Death Valley, and Eastern Sierra Nevada, covering geology, botany, and wildlife.
• Volunteer Program Habitat restoration volunteer opportunities including nursery volunteer days, island restoration trips, mainland projects at San Marcos Foothills, Santa Clara River Preserve, Elings Park, and the Cavern Point Restoration Project on Santa Cruz Island.
• Native Plant Nursery CIR cultivates thousands of native plants for restoration projects at a 21,000-square-foot greenhouse facility in Goleta, with a Core Nursery Volunteer team providing training in seed propagation, soil preparation, watering, transplanting, and plant care.
• Docent Program Three-step training program for environmental educators covering online modules, a comprehensive docent manual, and in-person site visits at San Marcos Foothills Preserve, including training on Chumash traditions and connections to the land.
• 'al-tipášumawiš Ethnobotany Garden Collaborative project with local Chumash groups establishing a living ethnobotanical garden at San Marcos Foothills Preserve, conceived by Chumash elder Ernestine Ignacio De Soto, teaching visitors about plants used by the Chumash for food, medicine, and fiber.
• Wetlands Research Research and monitoring services including wetland classification, delineation, assessment, and analysis, as well as lake and pond documentation and feasibility studies.
• Channel Islands Restoration Merchandise Branded merchandise including organic cotton t-shirts, hoodies, hats, water bottles, patches, stickers, tote bags, and field guides featuring Channel Islands themes and wildlife, with all proceeds supporting restoration work.
• Membership Programs Tiered membership levels (Island Scrub Jay $50/year, Coastal Goldenbush $120/year, Island Ironwood $500/year, Island Fox $1,000/year) offering benefits including early event access, merchandise discounts, newsletters, and VIP invitations.
• Business Sponsorship Corporate sponsorship program with four levels (Anacapa $500-$2,499, San Miguel $2,500-$4,999, Santa Rosa $5,000-$14,999, Santa Cruz $15,000+) offering event programming inclusion, website recognition, newsletter placement, and volunteer team-building opportunities.
• Planned Giving / Legacy Society Estate planning program allowing donors to include CIR as a beneficiary; Legacy Society members receive exclusive annual events and recognition for future environmental impact.
• Geoffrey Jewel Memorial Fund Memorial fund established with UCSB Bren School to honor Geoffrey Jewel (former CIR Board Member), supporting environmental conservation and educational outreach in partnership with UCSB.
• Santa Clara River Preserve Volunteer Program Ongoing volunteer partnership with The Nature Conservancy to maintain and restore the Santa Clara River Preserve, including invasive weed removal and public access support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Completed over 100 habitat restoration projects since 2001
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Island PackerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIsland Packers provides boat transportation services for CIR trips to the Channel Islands, departing from Ventura Harbor. They offer special rates for school groups and are the primary transportation partner for accessing Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and other islands for restoration projects and educational trips.
• Santa Barbara Botanic GardencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR collaborates with Santa Barbara Botanic Garden on the Elings Park Transformation Project, a three-year restoration initiative converting a one-acre plot into native plant habitat. The partnership includes joint volunteer recruitment and scientific monitoring of plant and animal diversity.
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR helps manage the Santa Clara River Preserve (nearly 1,000 acres) in partnership with TNC. CIR is currently treating Arundo donax on TNC's 250-acre property in the Santa Clara River and has completed multiple Arundo eradication projects in the Santa Clara River and other riparian systems over 20 years.
• Channel Islands National ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR partners with Channel Islands National Park on habitat restoration projects including Anacapa Island ice plant removal, Santa Cruz Island Cavern Point revegetation, and supporting NPS volunteer trips. The partnership focuses on restoring native vegetation in areas degraded by grazing and invasive species.
• San Marcos Foothills PreservecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR manages the San Marcos Foothills Preserve (301 acres) and conducts restoration activities including the 'al-tipašumawiš Ethnobotany Garden developed with Chumash elder Ernestine Ignacio De Soto. The preserve offers habitat for hawks, kestrels, kites, roadrunners, coyotes, bobcats, and hundreds of bird species.
• Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UCSBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR partnered with the Bren School at UCSB to establish the Geoffrey Jewel Memorial Fund, commemorating a CIR Board Member who passed away. The fund supports environmental conservation and educational outreach in Geoffrey's memory.
• UC Santa Barbara ReserveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR leads groups on restoration projects in the western portion of Santa Cruz Island through the UC Santa Barbara Reserve station located in the island's Central Valley, which provides housing for multi-day volunteer trips.
• REIN Teen ToursminorGTM or Marketing PartnerREIN Teen Tours partners with CIR to provide educational and community service opportunities for high school students from the East Coast, including four-week journeys with habitat restoration activities, seed collecting, and environmental education.
• Chumash GroupscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR works closely with local Chumash groups to establish a native plant garden at San Marcos Foothills West Mesa, planting purple needlegrass (Stipa pulchra) and other natives. The collaboration includes trail improvements and cultural education programs. CIR acknowledges that the land upon which they work is the unceded territory of the Chumash people.
• Elings ParkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIR and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden collaborate on a native plant habitat restoration project at Elings Park, a one-acre plot transformation that compares plant and animal life abundance, diversity, and composition before and after transformation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Heal the Bay: LA-based marine/coastal non-profit with education, advocacy, and volunteer programs — adjacent in California coastal conservation audience and youth education programming.
• California Native Plant Society: Statewide non-profit focused on California native flora conservation, advocacy, and rare plant inventory — comparable to CIR's botanical survey and native plant propagation work, with overlapping volunteer and membership audiences.
• Land Trust for Santa Barbara County: Regional land trust conserving open space in Santa Barbara County; comparable member-supported conservation model with adjacent preserve management activity to CIR's mainland work.
• Friends of the Los Angeles River: Non-profit running riparian habitat restoration, community stewardship days, and education along the LA River — closely comparable volunteer-driven restoration model and use of paid contracting services.

Direct peers

• Santa Barbara Botanic Garden: Co-develops the Elings Park Transformation Project with CIR and shares native plant propagation, volunteer recruitment, and scientific monitoring — closely aligned mission and operating model as a regional conservation non-profit.
• Catalina Island Conservancy: The largest private landholder on a California Channel Island, operating Catalina as a nature preserve with habitat restoration, native plant programs, and visitor education — directly comparable to CIR in mission, geography, and revenue mix (memberships, tours, contracting).

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy (California Chapter): A core partner and one of CIR's largest clients (Arundo work on 250+ acres of Santa Clara River). Operates broader conservation land globally but directly overlaps in California riparian and island habitat restoration and contracting.

Regional players

• Ventura Hillsides Conservancy: Non-profit land trust managing open space and restoration in Ventura County — comparable membership/donation-supported model working on habitat restoration within CIR's stated service area.
• Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains: Special district running habitat restoration, watershed monitoring, and invasive species programs across the Santa Monica Mountains — directly overlaps CIR's contracting service line for invasive plant control and ecological restoration.
• Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority: Public agency/jpa managing open space, restoration, and conservation easements across Los Angeles and Ventura counties — comparable habitat restoration contracting and volunteer engagement model with overlapping geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cirweb
• Instagraminstagram.com/channelislandsrestoration
• Xx.com/cirweborg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Channel Islands Restoration