Even though the federal government won't play a role in protecting the Gaviota coast, representatives are in town this week to give an ear to locals' concerns.

The National Park Service declared last month that the coast isn't an affordable addition to its network, but they're now pondering two alternative management strategies.

Meetings in Lompoc, Santa Barbara and Goleta drew several hundred people. Another will be held in Solvang tonight.

Some have expressed muted approval of the decision to forego national park status and said they hope landowners won't be burdened with additional restrictions.

Others wondered why the government couldn't find the money to buy some of the coastal land to save it from being carved up for luxury homes.

But either way, the park service won't be involved in buying or managing the land, now that it has rejected the idea of making the area from Coal Oil Point to Point Sal a national park.

"What's next for the Gaviota coast?" said Martha Crusius, a planner with the National Park Service. "You tell me. It's basically up to the local community."

Public comments will be considered before the park service prepares its final report, but that won't change its position that the Gaviota coast won't be feasible as a national park.

The park service is now weighing two alternatives -- neither involving federal management of the land.

One is to change nothing.

The other is to bolster local and state programs aimed at protecting the coast. That could include nonprofit conservation activities, strategies intended to encourage conservation efforts by landowners and efforts to improve access to public lands.

"This is a menu of ideas," Ms. Crusius pointed out. "But they're not things the National Park Service would take on or tell people to take on."

The service regards the second option as "environmentally preferable," but will make a final recommendation, taking into account economic factors and public support, after hearing from locals.

In lieu of a national park designation, conservation groups applauded the second option, but said federal money is needed to defend the Gaviota coast against urban sprawl.

At the Santa Barbara meeting, Bob Keats of the Surfrider Foundation pointed out that $200 million worth of land is for sale along the Gaviota coast and that "a Stealth bomber costs $500Êmillion."

But Jonathan Jarvis, National Park Service regional director, said that the service's allocation is a small portion of the federal budget and that existing national parks are already in dire need of more dollars.

"Is this the time to reach deep into out pockets and spend what we can to support land trusts in their efforts?" one attendee wondered aloud.

But others found a reason to be hopeful.

"When we start working together, we're going to start reaching a lot of solutions," remarked John Gallo of the Conception Coast Project.

"The future in land conservation work is in partnerships," said Mike Lunford, president of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy.

The park service will hold another meeting on the Gaviota study from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Solvang Veterans Memorial Building.