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CREEK WEEK is an annual community event celebrating our local creeks and the ocean with many local groups sponsoring events to help build awareness and stewardship of the natural treasures of Santa Barbara.
The 10th Annual Creek Week took place September 19th through 26th. Check out the Highlights and photos under each event below to see how they turned out!
Click here for the 2009 Flyer/Schedule of Events
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Saturday, September 19th |
25th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day
9am – 12pm
Various Locations
Coastal Cleanup Day is an international event to raise awareness of the issues of ocean and coastal conservation, to pick up litter, to encourage recycling, and to promote community pride.
Participate in cleanups at local beaches and creeks throughout Santa Barbara County!
Contact: Jeffrey Simeon at (805) 882-3618
http://www.lessismore.org/Programs/ccd2009.html
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html
Highlights: Countywide, 712 participants cleaned up 4,443 pounds of trash! View details as they are finalized here:
http://www.lessismore.org/Programs/coastal_cleanup.html
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Cleanup Carpinteria, Santa Monica, and Franklin Creeks
10am – 12pm
Meet at 5400 6th Street in Carpinteria
Join the Carpinteria Creeks Committee, California Conservation Corps, and South Coast Habitat Restoration for their bi-annual cleanup of all creeks in Carpinteria.
Contacts: Betty Songer at (805) 684-2525; Chris Lima at (805) 278-2787 x14; or Moe Gomez at (805) 729-8787
Highlights: 25 participants cleaned up 289 pounds of trash and recycling from 2.5 miles of creeks. Items found included a ladder, a construction cone, a diving mask, a Lotto ticket, and a wiffle ball. Organizer Moe Gomez said a "great partnership continues with the California Conservation Corps, City of Carpinteria, and Carpinteria Creek Committee."
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Tour of Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park
10am
Meet at the park entrance at the corner of Sandyland and Ash Avenue in Carpinteria
Join the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Friends and the City of Carpinteria to learn about the relationships between the sea and our local creeks as you witness sharks and mullets up Franklin Creek. Enjoy the abundant bird life the merging of these two habitats creates. Witness the diversity of plants that the salty creek side environment can grow.
Contacts: Andrea Adams-Morden at (805) 684-8077
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Creek Week Kick-Off at the Watershed Resource Center
1pm – 5pm
2981 Cliff Drive, at the Arroyo Burro County Beach Park
The South Coast Watershed Resource Center, managed by Art From Scrap’s Green Schools environmental education program, will be setting up environmental games and activities for all ages! These will include an ocean animal trivia game, watershed beanbag toss, geology walk game, fly fishing lesson, and a presentation of the Chumash tomol. Participating groups include the Chumash Maritime Association, Agua Pura, Santa Barbara Flyfishers, Shorelines and Watersheds, UCSB Professor Ed Keller, and UCSB Enfironmental Affairs Board. Come celebrate, win free prizes, and have fun learning about the environment!
Contact: Nikki Heeren (805) 884-0459 x16
www.artfromscrap.org
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Sunday, September 20th |
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“Where the Steelhead Live” Tour and Hike at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve
10am to 12pm
Meet at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve on the Gaviota Coast
The Land Trust for the County of Santa Barbara is offering a docent led hike at the Arroyo Hondo Preserve, “Where the Steelhead Live”. The tour will include a walk (1.5 miles) along the Arroyo Hondo Creek to examine the new fish passage, steelhead habitat, and steelhead life cycle.
Contact: FREE reservations must be made by calling the Preserve at (805) 567-1115
Highlights: 24 community members participated in the hike.
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Monday, September 21st |
Walking Tour of the Upper Las Positas Creek Restoration and Storm Water Management Project
12pm
Meet at the entrance to the Santa Barbara Golf Club, 3500 McCaw Avenue.
Join the City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division for a tour of the Upper Las Positas Creek Restoration and Storm Water Management Project at the Santa Barbara Golf Club, currently under construction.
Contact: Liz Smith (805) 897-2606
www.sbcreeks.com
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| Highlights: A dozen neighbors joined Creeks Division staff for this tour, which was filmed by City TV, who will produce a program about the project. |
West Beach Cleanup
Time TBA
Meet at the West End of West Beach by the bike path across from Sambo’s Restaurant.
Join Twiin Productions for a cleanup of West Beach following the West Beach Music and Arts Festival. Participants in the cleanup will be able to attend the festival next year. Participants who help clean on both Coastal Cleanup Day (Saturday, September 19) and this day will receive 3 day passes to next year’s West Beach Festival!
Contact: Blair Brejtfus (805) 845-6658 or (602) 821-2499
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Tuesday, September 22nd |
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Higgins Springs Cleanup & Weeding
10am – 2pm
Meet at Higgins Springs in Carpinteria, cross over Calle Ochoa by the large Eucalyptus tree.
The Carpinteria Creek Committee and the City of Carpinteria invite you to help with removal of invasive species around Higgins Springs.
Contact: Betty Songer (805) 684-2525
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Walking Tour of Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park and Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve
1pm – 3:30pm
Meet at entrance to the City of Carpinteria’s Salt Marsh Nature Park on Ash Avenue.
This 2.5 hour walking tour of the City of Carpinteria’s Salt Marsh Nature Park and the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County’s Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve will focus on the physical and biological connections between local creeks and the Carpinteria Salt Marsh. The tour will highlight the importance of creeks as wildlife corridors and coastal salt marshes as biofilters. Visitors will have the opportunity to view two large salt marsh restoration projects that have been conducted within the Marsh for the past 10 years.
Contact: Dr. Andy Brooks (805) 893-7670
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Adams Elementary Bioswale Planting with RAP and A-OK!
3-4:30pm
Adams Elementary School, 2701 Las Positas Road
Students in the Recreation Afterschool Program (RAP) and the Afterschool Opportunities for Kids (A-OK!) Program at Adams Elementary will join the City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division to plant native plants at the new bioswale. As part of the Upper Las Positas Creek Restoration and Storm Water Management Program, a concrete drainage on the Adams campus has been removed and made into a more natural wetland area known as a bioswale. The bioswale will slow water down and help to improve water quality and habitat.
Contact: Liz Smith (805) 897-2606
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Highlights: 31 after school students in the RAP and A-OK! Programs planted 50 native plants! Students were filmed and interviewed by City TV for a television program that will be produced about the larger Upper Las Positas Creek Restoration and Storm Water Management Project at the Santa Barbara Golf Club.
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Wednesday, September 23rd |
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Bird Walk with Santa Barbara Audubon Society
5:30pm – 7pm
Meet on the sidewalk next to the Sea Landing Sport Fishing Building at 301 W. Cabrillo Blvd.
Join the Santa Barbara Audubon Society for a bird walk along the sea shore to Mission Creek and make a loop walk.
Contact: Jack Sanford
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Thursday, September 24th |
Storm Drain Marker Cleaning & Replacement with Horny Toad Activewear
9am-12pm
Horny Toad Activewear will help to clean and replace storm drain markers in the beachfront area. Storm drain markers are an important reminder to the community that anything that enters the storm drain flows directly to our creeks and the ocean untreated!
Contact: Liz Smith (805) 8797-2606
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 Walking Tour of Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park and Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve
1pm – 3:30pm
Meet at entrance to the City of Carpinteria’s Salt Marsh Nature Park on Ash Avenue.
This 2.5 hour walking tour of the City of Carpinteria’s Salt Marsh Nature Park and the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County’s Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve will focus on the physical and biological connections between local creeks and the Carpinteria Salt Marsh. The tour will highlight the importance of creeks as wildlife corridors and coastal salt marshes as biofilters. Visitors will have the opportunity to view two large salt marsh restoration projects that have been conducted within the Marsh for the past 10 years.
Contact: Dr. Andy Brooks (805) 893-7670
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 Mission Creek Steelhead Recovery Project Tour and Cleanup with the Environmental Defense Center
5pm
Meet at the end of W. Valerio Street near Castillo (on-street parking on W. Valerio and Castillo).
Learn about the endangered steelhead trout of Mission Creek and take part in the Environmental Defense Center’s annual Mission Creek Cleanup!
EDC and the City of Santa Barbara are working to modify a mile-long concrete channel so that it will no longer block steelhead migration to spawning habitats in Mission Canyon and Rattlesnake Canyon. This is the longest steelhead migration project ever planned!
EDC will lead a short tour followed by a clean-up of the restoration project site. Bring comfortable shoes and bring a hat or sunscreen if you are sensitive to the sun.
Contact: Please RSVP to Brian Trautwein, 963-1622
www.edcnet.org
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 “Southern Steelhead Revival Series” Community Forum – Open to the Public
7pm
Farrand Hall, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta Del Sol.
Come learn about recent steelhead trout recovery efforts in Santa Barbara County, as well as efforts to improve conditions in the Mission Creek Watershed. This presentation will cover topics touching on the methodology to prioritize and recover steelhead trout as well as showcase studies in the region which are contributing to the recovery of this remarkable iconic species!
Southern Steelhead Trout once inhabited the majority of our local streams and rivers in the Southern California area. In Santa Barbara County, the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Rivers had thousands of returning trout on a yearly basis. The smaller South Coast streams also had large numbers of returning trout. Over the years, these magnificent rivers and creeks have unfortunately been manipulated in ways which have made it nearly impossible for steelhead to return to freshwater to spawn. This has resulted in the listing of steelhead as a federally endangered species in 1997.
Fortunately, efforts underway by local non-profits, consultants, local Cities, and the County of Santa Barbara, are making progress to restore and revive the population of steelhead trout. These efforts are slowly beginning to change watershed conditions by modifying and removing barriers to steelhead migration and improve their opportunities for removal from the endangered species list.
The talk will be a joint presentation by Matt Stoecker (Stoecker Ecological), Mauricio Gomez (South Coast Habitat Restoration), and George Johnson (City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division). The presenters have been working on steelhead recovery efforts for many years, and will share their expertise, experience, and ideas on how to recover steelhead to the Santa Barbara region.
Refreshments and light snacks will be provided.
Contact: Moe Gomez (805) 729-8787
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Friday, September 25th |
Tour of Coal Oil Point Reserve
9am – 12pm
Meet at Cliff House, Coal Oil Point Reserve. Click here for map & directions.
Enjoy a tour of Coal Oil Point Reserve, a natural reserve owned by UCSB. Trained tour leaders will take you on a walk through a few of the Reserve’s ecosystems: from sandy beach to the Devereux Slough to a restored coastal dune system. Learn about the Reserve’s current restoration projects and its cultural and geologic history while identifying flora and fauna – such as American Kestrel, Coast Golden Bush, and the Globuse Dune Beetle – that make their home at Coal Oil Point.
Tour will take place from 9am – 11am, with an optional hour of restoration from 11am – 12pm.
Contact: Please RSVP to Tara Longwell
www.coaloilpoint.ucnrs.org
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East Storke Wetland Cleanup at UCSB
2pm – 4pm
Meet at the CCBER (Cheadle Center for Biodiversity and Ecological Restoration) offices at UCSB.
Meet at the CCBER offices located in Harder South near Storke Field and learn about the Cheadle Center’s facilities, research, and education. Then help clean up trash and debris from E. Storke Wetland, part of the Goleta Slough ecosystem. Bags, gloves, and water will be provided.
Contact: Darwin Richardson (805) 757-0336
www.ccber.lifesci.ucsb.edu
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Sycamore Creek Walk with Housing Authority City of Santa Barbara
4pm – 6pm
Meet at Paseo Voluntario Learning Center, 309 S. Voluntario
Bring the kids to explore Sycamore Creek with the Housing Authority City of Santa Barbara. Wear sturdy shoes.
Contact: Marcus Lopez (805) 897-1083
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Saturday, September 26th |
Rain Barrel Sale with County Project Clean Water
9am - 3pm
Santa Barbara City College Lot #3, at the corner of Loma Alta and Shoreline Drive.
The County of Santa Barbara’s Project Clean Water and Water Agency are pleased to host a Rain Barrel truckload sale! Rain water is an excellent water source for lawns, plants, and gardens. Rain barrel use lowers household water bills and reduces water pollution and storm water runoff.
A $120 value for only $50 (tax included).
The Systern Rain Barrel:
Õ Easily accommodates existing downspouts
Õ 55 gallon capacity
Õ Constructed of up to 50% recycled materials
Õ Mosquito mesh keeps out bugs and leaf debris
Õ Overflow capability can be linked to another rain barrel
Õ Includes spigot, screws, overflow hose, clamp, and instructions
Cash or Check only – while supplies last.
Contact: Fray Crease (805) 568-3546
For more information, please visit www.sbwater.org/rainbarrel.
www.sbprojectcleanwater.org
www.sbwater.org
www.systern.com
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San Pedro Creek Cleanup with the City of Goleta
9am – 12pm
Meet at Stow Open Space on Stow Canyon Road in Goleta
Help the City of Goleta cleanup San Pedro Creek. Trash will be collected on both sides of the creek between Stow Canyon Road and Calle Real. The City will provide water, cookies, and lemonade for volunteers. Free Creek Week T-Shirts to the first 20 volunteers!
Contact: Liz LaRovere (805) 961-7578
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Introduction to Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve and Salt Marsh Clean-Up
10am – 2pm
Meet at the front gated entrance to the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve off Ave Del Mar in Carpinteria.
This one hour walking tour and cleanup effort will take place on the University of California’s Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve. The tour will provide visitors with an introduction to coastal salt marshes and highlight the importance and uniqueness of these fast disappearing habitats. Following the tour, visitors will have an opportunity to participate in the annual Carpinteria Salt Marsh Clean-Up Day. Come help clean up your local salt marsh!
Contact: Dr. Andy Brooks at (805) 893-7670
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“Trash Wars” Environmental Awareness Challenge with Youth CineMedia
1pm – 4pm
Arroyo Burro County Beach Park
Enjoy tasty food, music, and environmentally themed competitions for kids and adults, including Trash Wars! View the flyer here.
Contact: Osiris Castaneda
www.youthcinemedia.org
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Steelhead Revival Presentation and Light Dinner with the Carpinteria Creek Watershed Coalition
6:30pm – 8:30pm
Carpinteria State Beach Ampitheatre.
Join the Carpinteria Creek Watershed Coalition and the Carpinteria Creek Committee for a presentation on local efforts to restore the endangered steelhead trout, and enjoy a light dinner.
Contact: Moe Gomez (805) 729-8787
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Thank you to our Sponsors and Participating Organizations!
  
     
   
    
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