june 2009 santa barbara channelkeeper newsletter

8/8/2019 June 2009 Santa Barbara Channelkeeper Newsletter

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June 2009

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper News & Events

News & Events

Goleta "Jug Handle"Destruction Finally Over

Stream Team Data Used byState

Marine Protected Areas Update

Blue Water Ball a Success

JUNKride Event

Watershed Revolution FilmEvent

World Ocean Day Festival

I Madonnari ChannelkeeperSquare

Stream Team - June 6th & 7th

Become a ChannelkeeperMember!

Did You Know?

Plastic never

biodegrades and vast

quantities end-up in

our oceans.

In the Central NorthPacific Ocean there is apatch of swirling plastic

debris known as the"Great Pacific Garbage

Patch" that is believed tobe at least twice the sizeof Texas. In this region,

scientists havedetermined that tiny

plastic particlesoutnumber plankton 6 to

Goleta Slough " Jug Hand le" DestructionFinally Put to an End

In 2005, Channelkeeper staff begandocumenting the on-going off-roadvehicular damage to a small wetlandarea known as the "Jug Handle"located in front of the entrance toGoleta beach by Highway 217 andSandspit Road. Although damaged,this area is important habitatbecause it still experiences tidalflow. For years, off-road vehicleshave severely damaged the wetland

ecosystem by destroying vegetationand producing scars on the mud andsalt flat that last for months or years.

For the last several years, Channelkeeper has testi fied and advocated tothe County Supervisors and California Coastal Commission (CCC) for asolution to prevent on-going vehicular damage to the wetland. Afteryears of delays, negotiations and planning, the County and land ownererected a post-and-rail fence, completed last month, to keep vehicles outof the wetland. The CCC is now working with the County and the GasCompany to possibly install signage, most likely within Goleta BeachPark. Protection of this wetland is a long-sought victory forChannelkeeper in our efforts to protect the Goleta Slough.

Goleta Stream Team Data Utilized by State

for List of Impaired W ater Bodies

Every two years, by federallaw, California must compile a l ist of theState's "impaired," or seriously polluted,water bodies. These are waters that arenow too polluted to support fishing,swimming, wildlife, drinking water andother uses without costly extratreatment. The State recently releasedits proposed revisions to the List of Impaired Water Bodies.Channelkeeper's Goleta Stream Teamdata was used by the State as anofficial l ine of evidence demonstrating the need to add 16 newimpairments to the List . Newly listed Goleta Stream Team creeks include

Atascadero Creek, Cieneguitas Creek, Los Carneros Creek, Maria YgnacioCreek, San Jose Creek, and San Pedro Creek. These creeks were listedfor a variety of water quality impairments that are monitored by theGoleta Stream Team including indicator bacteria, dissolved oxygen,nitrate, electrical conductivity, pH, and temperature. While there is noreason to celebrate the pollution of local creeks, usage of our waterquality data for this purpose is perhaps one of the most significantcontributions that a citizen water quality monitoring program can make tothe local community. Channelkeeper will continue to monitor waterquality throughout the Goleta Slough Watershed as state and localagencies work to address these problems.

Marine P rotected Areas Update

a Barbara Channelkeeper E-News http://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_pre

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1, indicating that bothsmall and large creatures

inevitably consumeenormous amounts of

plastic.

Do what you can to findalternatives to using

disposable plastics of allkinds, from drink bottles

to take-out containers tobags at the store.

The second of three rounds of deliberations to develop a variety of proposals for a network of MarineProtected Areas (MPAs) in SouthernCalifornia as part of the Marine LifeProtection Act (MLPA) Initiative endedwith a meeting last month of theappointed representatives for publicinterests in our oceans. Ultimately, theappointed representatives produced fourproposals, but the use of voting todetermine MPA placement has resulted in many stakeholders - such asconservationists, scientists, Native American representatives, and

government officials - feeling that their interests were not representedby these maps. In response, the MLPA Initiative staff is recommendingthat the three external proposals proceed into Round 3 to maintain adiversity of options. These include the two proposals submitted byfishing organizations and one co-authored by Santa BarbaraChannelkeeper, titled External Proposal C, which prioritizes conservationand long-term socio-economic benefits. There is strong opposition by consumptive interests to a conservation-priority proposal moving forward. This opposition exists despite the factthat External Proposal C was evaluated as the best approach to meet thescientific guidelines set forth by the MLPA, as well as the fact that i treflected thoughtful revisions in Round 2 to minimize short-term socio-economic impacts to fishermen. The Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF), thepanel responsible for providing guidance to the process and to thestakeholders on how to meet the goals of the MLPA, will meet on June4th in Los Angeles to discuss which proposals will move forward. It is

imperative that External Proposal C, the only MPA proposal that will trulyrestore and sustain California's marine resources, is considered in Round3 to ensure that all interests continue to be represented in the process.

Please voice your support for taking the conservation goals of the MLPAseriously, for effective MPAs in Southern California, for California's effortto rebuild and sustain our marine life, and for External Proposal C. Pleaseconsider attending the June 4th BRTF meeting in Los Angeles or sendinga comment of support to the MLPA Initiative([email protected]) and to us at Channelkeeper([email protected]).

To get more information on upcoming meetings, the MLPA Initiative, andhow to get involved, please visit dfg.ca.gov/mlpa or contact MichaelSheehy at Channelkeeperm ([email protected], (805) 637-8730).

Local Clean Water Victories Celebrated atChannelkeeper's 2009 Blue Water Ball

Santa BarbaraChannelkeeper's NinthAnnual Blue Water Ball,held on Saturday, May16th was a great success,providing an opportunityto share and celebrate thevictories for clean waterthat Channelkeeper hasbeen able to achieve inthe past year. The eventfeatured guest speakerShaun Tomson (recognizedas one of surfing'sgreatest ambassadors anda strong proponent of environmentalism), master of ceremonies JohnPalminteri, and a new venue (QAD's stunning Corporate Headquarters inSummerland).

Over 200 participants enjoyed delicious wine and appetizers whileviewing winning entries from Channelkeeper's annual marineenvironment-inspired juried Student Art Show themed "What the ChannelMeans to Me", shopping at the extensive si lent auction, and swaying tothe rhythms of local band Mango. John Palminteri entertained andengaged guests throughout the live auction bidding. Shaun Tomsonshared highlights of his own Channel experiences in the Santa BarbaraChannel and commended Channelkeeper for its role in protecting theChannel for everyone.


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The past year has been challenging, with many guests directly affectedby the economy or by the fires that are part of life in Santa Barbara.Attendees, nonetheless , recognized the importance of protecting andrestoring the Channel and its watersheds, and the event raised almost$60,000 for Channelkeeper's work. Event proceeds will provide critical,unrestricted funds for Channelkeeper's daily operating activities as wellas ongoing community outreach and advocacy efforts to protect waterquality and restore aquatic habitats in and along the Santa BarbaraChannel. Our deepest thanks to Shaun Tomson, John Palminteri, ourguests, and volunteers. Finally, please tell our sponsors "Thank you!" for supporting our Channeland helping make the 2009 BWB one of our most successful ever: Citrix,

Deckers Outdoor Corp, Environment Now, MarBorg, Patagonia, Rabobank,Forester Media, UCSB, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and theOjai Vineyard.

JUNKride, Plastics in our OceansMonday, June 15th, 6:30-8:30pmCommunity Forum, Cabrillo P avilion, 1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd

The Algalita Marine Research Foundationfocuses its research on the North PacificGyre, a swirling vortex of ocean currentstwice the size of the United States, inwhich a vast buildup of plastic debris israpidly growing. Last summer, the JUNKraftset sail on an awareness campaign in which

two crew-members drifted across the Pacificfrom Long Beach to Hawaii on a raft of 15,000 plastic bottles. Now, Algalita is moving forward in their efforts to educate the publicabout marine debris through JUNKride. Traveling by bicycle, Dr. MarcusEriksen and Anna Cummins are making their way from Vancouver toTijuana and stopping in 15 cities, including Santa Barbara on Monday,June 15, to share their message at a free Community Forum. Along the2,000 mile coastal route, Dr. Eriksen is giving presentations and offeringsamples of plastic debris collected from the North Pacific Gyre. The forum is co-sponsored by the City of Santa Barbara Creeks Divisionand County Project Clean Water, along with local non-profits includingSanta Barbara Channelkeeper.

Watershed Revolution

Filmmaker Rich Reid and our Ventura Surfriderpartners will be hosting the cinematic debutof "Watershed Revolution" on June 20th & June 24th. Be the first to view this movieabout the Ventura River Watershed featuringstunning high definition cinematographyhighlighting the beauty of the river. Themovie tells the story of multipleorganizations, including Santa BarbaraChannelkeeper, that are working to protectand preserve the Ventura River. Check out the movie trailer at:http://watershedrevolution.com/

Saturday, June 20Surfrider Foundation's International SurfingDayElks Lodge (11 S. Ash St.), Ventura - 7pmBenefit concert and movie premierTickets available online at Zoey's Café$21 General Admission & $36.50 VIPPass Wednesday, June 24OjaiValley Green Coalition - Chaparral Auditorium, Ojai - 7pmFilm screening$2 donations

World Ocean Day Festival at the Ty Warner


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Sea CenterSaturday, June 6th10 - 11 am, East Beach Clean-up11-2 pm, Festivities at the Sea Cente r

Help keep our beaches clean andplastic free! Meet communitygroups that are taking action toconserve our ocean resources forfuture generations. Learn aboutmarine protected areas and whatyou can do to protect the ocean.Join in the fun with ocean inspired crafts, and experience hands-onscience fun.

While visiting the Sea Center, check out the new watershed model on thewet deck that Channelkeeper helped to create!

Channelkeeper at I Madonnari

Channelkeeper sponsored a square in this year's ItalianStreet Painting Festival, I Madonnari, held overMemorial Day Weekend. Young artists from the SantaBarbara Art Workshops worked hard throughout theweekend to create a beautiful ocean scene forChannelkeeper, featuring playful humpback whales.

Stream Team - June 6th & 7th

Stream Team is Channelkeeper's volunteer-basedwater quality monitoring program. Every month,volunteers join Channelkeeper staff to test forcommon water quality parameters at numerousdifferent sites in the Ventura River and GoletaSlough watersheds. Come join us to help protectour local waterways; we will be testing in Venturaon Saturday, June 6th and in Goleta on Sunday,June 7th. For more information, visit our website,

or contact Penny Owens at [email protected] or805.563.3377 ext.0.

Become a Channelkeeper Member!

Your support for Channelkeeper's efforts isneeded now more than ever. Become amember of the Channelkeeper crew todaywith your tax-deductible donation. You'll beinvesting in clean water and healthycommunities along the Santa BarbaraChannel today and for futuregenerations. With your membership, you willreceive our regular newsletters, newsupdates and action alerts, and invitations tospecial Channelkeeper events and funvolunteer opportunities. All new membersalso receive a free Channelkeeper sticker,identifying you as a steward of the Santa

Barbara Channel. And now, all new donors contributing $50 or more canreceive a Channelkeeper t-shirt, and for donations of $250 or more,quarterly issues of the Waterkeeper magazine.

Sign up today by calling 805.563.3377 x4 or emailing us at [email protected]

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june 2009 santa barbara channelkeeper newsletter

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