The property known as Parma Park was gifted to the City of Santa Barbara by Harold and John A. Agnes and Mary Margaret Ambrose Parma in 1973 as an open space for hiking and equestrian pursuits. In 2002, the Parma Family set up the Parma Park Trust to help fund the park's ongoing management. Prior to the project, many of the trails in the park were old cattle trails and access points for the former Parma Ranch. Others were developed after the property became a public park. Today, the Parks and Recreation Department manages the 200-acre park, including trail maintenance, habitat restoration, and preventative vegetation management.
The Parma Park Sustainable Trails Project aimed to improve and expand the trail system within one of Santa Barbara’s largest open space parks. Work included improvements to existing trails, the creation of new trails, decommissioning and restoration of realigned trails and access roads, and the addition of a new half-mile reduced-grade loop through a native habitat restoration site to allow all community members to enjoy the beauty of Parma Park.
This project was funded by the Parma Park Trust.