Building Meaningful Careers: An Interview with MPA Watch Interns  
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
1d ago
Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs, are underwater sanctuaries that provide safe havens for marine wildlife. Channelkeeper’s MPA Watch program trains and engages community volunteers to observe and record human uses of coastal and marine resources both inside and outside of marine protected areas (MPAs) along the Santa Barbara coast. Using standardized protocols volunteers and program interns collect relevant, scientifically rigorous, and broadly accessible data that are used to help inform MPA management and enforcement. Through Channelkeeper’s shore-based MPA Watch program, we’re able to collec ..read more
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Channelkeeper Seeks Answers in the Wake of Goleta Slough and Beach Sewage Spill
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
2w ago
More than 1 million gallons of untreated sewage spilled from a 24-inch forcemain pipe maintained by Goleta West Sanitary District on February 16 and 17, polluting the Goleta Slough and nearby beaches.  This is the largest spill reported in Santa Barbara County in the past decade. In fact, it is more than 100 times greater than the next largest spill on record—two separate 9,000-gallon spills that affected Cieneguitas and Mission Creeks in the winter of 2023.   Santa Barbara County Public Health Officials have advised that the area from 1 mile east to ½-mile west of the Goleta Slough ..read more
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Annie Lovell Joins Channelkeeper
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
3M ago
Channelkeeper is pleased to welcome Annie Lovell to the team as our new Development Director. In this role, Annie will help develop strategic partnerships and raise funds to support Channelkeeper’s mission and programs. Annie brings experience in fundraising, grant writing, and community building, along with a deep appreciation for the ocean and a background in environmental science. We took a moment recently to chat with Annie and learn more about her experience and interests. Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? What were you interested in as a young person?   ..read more
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Storm Response Cleanup 
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
3M ago
Help Keep Trash Out of the Santa Barbara Channel Every time it rains, stormwater enters the City of Santa Barbara’s storm drain system and flows untreated to the ocean. On its way, this water picks up trash and debris that litters our streets and sidewalks. A lot of this trash ultimately ends up on our beaches. Wildlife can ingest and/or become entangled in plastic and other pieces of trash. Stormwater is a major source of pollution for our creeks, wetlands, and ocean.   Cleaning up the mess and keeping trash out of the ocean is a massive job that calls for the Watershed Brigade! Th ..read more
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Welcome Aboard, Nate!
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
6M ago
Channelkeeper is pleased to welcome Nate Irwin to our team as a Policy Associate. In addition to his passion for environmental science and profound local knowledge, Nate brings extensive policy development and community organizing experience and ebullient positive energy. He will be leading the charge on many of Channelkeeper’s advocacy campaigns and environmental policy programs. We took a moment recently to learn more about Nate, his deep appreciation for the ocean, and what inspires his work to protect the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds.    Tell us a ..read more
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Protecting Biodiversity in the Santa Barbara Channel 
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
7M ago
Home to acres of giant kelp forests and a diverse array of marine species—from anemones and nudibranchs to sheephead and yellowtail, and sharks, sea lions, dolphins, and whales—the Santa Barbara Channel is considered an ecological treasure and one of the most biologically rich ecosystems on Earth.   Its unparalleled species density and diversity can be attributed to the Channel’s location in the transition zone between the cool northern California Current and warm Southern California Countercurrent, where two distinct ecological systems merge. In addition, wind-driven upwellings, whi ..read more
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May is American Wetlands Month 
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
11M ago
May is American Wetlands Month, and a perfect time to take a moment to appreciate these beautiful habitats and all that they offer to wildlife and communities.  What are Wetlands?  A wetland is land that is covered by water—salt, fresh, or brackish—either seasonally or permanently, that functions as its own ecosystem. Freshwater wetlands include bogs, swamps, and wet prairies. Saltwater wetlands include salt marshes and mangrove swamps.   Why are Wetlands Important?  Wetlands are one of the most productive and biodiverse habitats on our planet. They provide important shelte ..read more
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Welcome, Veronica Moran!
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
1y ago
Channelkeeper is delighted to welcome Veronica Moran to our team as a Part-Time Administrative Assistant. In addition to her friendly, can-do approach and passion for environmental science, Veronica brings professional experience and a strong work ethic. She will be supporting Channelkeeper’s clean water work by helping with community outreach, administrative duties, and monitoring fieldwork. We took a moment recently to learn more about the experiences that inspired Veronica to join our staff. Where did you grow up? What schools did you attend?  I was born and raised in Santa Barbara. I ..read more
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Every Yard Counts in Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
1y ago
The Santa Barbara Channel is vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate. Your yard can help protect it.  The Santa Barbara Channel is one of the most biologically productive ecosystems found on Earth. However, changing oceanographic processes, warming water temperatures, ocean acidification, and sea level rise produced by a changing climate are already affecting the health of marine ecosystems.   We’ve seen recently how coastal runoff from intense rains and flooding flushes trash and debris into the Santa Barbara Channel, degrading water quality. We’ve also seen how high nu ..read more
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Leveraging the Law to Protect Ocean Environments from the Effects of Finfish Aquaculture 
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Blog
by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper
1y ago
Channelkeeper recently joined the Center for Food Safety, other environmental organizations, fishing groups, and the Quinault Indian Nation in suing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over its issuance of Nationwide Permit 56, which authorizes the development of finfish farming structures in state and federal waters. We are challenging that the Nationwide Permit was approved without a thorough analysis of its potential detrimental impacts on our ocean ecosystems, water quality, public health, fishing communities, and endangered and threatened species.  Nationwide Permit 56 allows the instal ..read more
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