May 2012

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper News & Events

News and Events

SB Bag Ordinance Moves Forward New Episode of Watchdog Diaries SBCK Serving on Carpinteria IPM Advisory Committee Paddlers Needed to Help with MPA Monitoring Volunteers Needed for Harbor Clean-up May 5th Stream Team May 5th and 6th Become a Channelkeeper Member!

Santa Barbara Bag Ordinance Moves Forward

In March, the Santa Barbara City Council at long last directed its Ordinance Committee to draft a single-use bag ordinance that draws from those passed by many other California municipalities. The Ordinance Committee has since met twice and, with input from Channelkeeper and CEC, has prepared a draft ordinance for consideration and adoption by the full Council as early as this month. The draft ordinance, which Channelkeeper supports and applauds, would ban plastic bags and place a nominal charge on paper bags at grocery stores, pharmacies and certain other retail establishments in Santa Barbara. The draft ordinance will serve as the model for the regional Environmental Impact Report (EIR) being coordinated by the Beach Erosion Authority for Clean Oceans and Nourishment (BEACON), a joint powers agency made up of representatives from coastal municipalities from Point Conception to Point Mugu. This regional approach will save individual municipalities money on the EIR, which is necessary to avoid a lawsuit by the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, a lobby group representing plastic bag manufacturers that has sued other municipalities for similar ordinances to address plastic bag pollution. Stay tuned for the upcoming City Council meeting date and meanwhile, remember to use reusable bags for all your shopping needs!

New Episode of Watchdog Diaries - The Ojai Quarry

Did You Know?
Channelkeeper has just released the latest episode of The Watchdog Diaries, our online video-blog series. This episode highlights Channelkeeper's ongoing effort to document water quality impacts to North Fork Matilija Creek emanating from the Ojai Quarry off Highway 33 in the Ventura River watershed. Check out this new episode and follow Channelkeeper on a recent stormy outing to document the impacts of contaminated runoff on endangered steelhead trout habitat.

The number of cruise ship visits to Santa Barbara has increased significantly over the last two years. This year 8 cruise ship calls are scheduled and last year there were 7, compared the 1-2 visits we had prior to 2011. The US EPA recently designated state waters (from 0-3 miles from shore) along the entire California coast as a nodischarge zone, prohibiting

Channelkeeper Serving on Carpinteria Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee

cruise ships and other large commercial vessels from discharging sewage in state waters.

On April 30th, the City of Carpinteria hosted the first meeting of its Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Citizen Advisory Committee. IPM is generally defined as an effective, environmentally friendly approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices aimed at minimizing or eliminating the use of harmful pesticides. The City of Carpinteria has already been implementing elements of IPM, however they recently decided to formalize and enhance their effort by adopting an official IPM policy as well as by soliciting the expertise of local community members in developing a work plan for the City to follow. Channelkeeper has been appointed to serve on the Citizen Advisory Committee along with other community members with expertise in horticulture, agriculture, grounds keeping, and IPM strategies. We look forward to working with the City in developing their IPM program as a means to better protect water quality and public health in Carpinteria from exposure to harmful pesticides.

Paddlers Needed to Help with MPA Monitoring

Channelkeeper needs your help with monitoring California's newly protected underwater wilderness areas. Channelkeeper's MPA Watch volunteer monitoring program records how humans use these special sections of our coast and ocean in the Santa Barbara area, including the Campus Point Marine Protected Area (MPA) off Isla Vista and the Naples Reef MPA. Collecting this information is critical for helping to interpret how fish populations respond to MPAs and informing MPA management. Becoming an MPA Watch volunteer is easy and fun! Volunteers walk stretches of beach and record all the human activities taking place in and adjacent to the MPAs. Channelkeeper is also looking for stand-up paddleboarders and kayakers to help collect this valuable data at harder to reach areas. So whether you are a beach walker or a paddler, Channelkeeper can use your help. We will be hosting a volunteer training workshop on Monday, May 21st at 5:30pm at the Channelkeeper office (714 Bond Ave., Santa Barbara). If you want to attend or learn more about MPA Watch, please email or call us at 805.563.3377 ext. 2.

Volunteers Needed for Harbor Clean-up This Saturday at 8 am

On Saturday, May 5th from 8 am-12 noon, the Santa Barbara Waterfront Department will host its sixth annual "Operation Clean Sweep" clean-up of debris from the harbor seafloor. Please join Channelkeeper in volunteering your time to help with this important effort. Volunteers can provide dock support topside or, if SCUBA-certified, participate as a diver to retrieve sunken trash from the harbor bottom. This year we will target the dock fingers "E" through "H" in Marina One. Divers must supply their own equipment, but Channelkeeper will provide tanks and the Waterfront Department will provide donuts, coffee and water. Email or call us at 805.583.3377 ext.5 if you would like to participate in this fun and beneficial clean-up.

Stream Team May 5th and 6th

Stream Team is Channelkeeper's volunteerbased water quality monitoring program. Every month, volunteers join Channelkeeper staff to test for common water quality parameters at numerous sites in the Ventura River and Goleta Slough watersheds. Note: Special Ventura Stream Team predawn sampling times! Ventura Stream Team - May 5th - This month Ventura Stream Team volunteers will collect samples in two shifts. The first shift will meet before dawn at 4:30 AM. The second shift will meet at 12:30 PM. We are conducting diurnal (twice daily) monitoring in order to measure the chemical impacts of algae growth in the Ventura River. Volunteers must RSVP to ben@sbck.org as morning and afternoon slots are limited. Volunteers for the morning shift must have received training at a prior event. Goleta Stream Team - May 6th - Goleta Stream Team will meet as usual at 10 AM. Visit www.stream-team.org for more information.

Become a Channelkeeper Member!

Become a Channelkeeper Member! Your support for Channelkeeper's efforts is needed now more than ever. Become a member of the Channelkeeper crew today with your taxdeductible donation. You'll be investing in clean water and healthy communities along the Santa Barbara Channel today and for future generations. With your membership, you will receive our regular newsletters, news updates and action alerts, invitations to special Channelkeeper events and fun volunteer opportunities, and a free Channelkeeper sticker. All new donors contributing $50 or more can also receive a Channelkeeper t-shirt, and for donations of $250 or more, quarterly issues of Waterkeeper magazine. Sign up today by calling 805.563.3377 ext. 4 or emailing us.

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper | 714 Bond Avenue | Santa Barbara | CA | 93103