It’s Creek Week in Santa Barbara County. The celebration started with Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, with volunteers sweeping the state’s beaches for trash.
Plenty more activities are still planned for residents to lend a helping hand to Santa Barbara’s precious waterways. It’s not too late to go on a nature walk, hear an educational talk, or volunteer for a cleanup.
“Creek Week offers something for everyone,” the county said in an announcement. Local organizations are hosting numerous events to raise awareness and help “build stewardship of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria’s natural treasures.”
Creeks are, after all, essential to the health of our ecosystems and are vital for providing clean drinking water, among their numerous other benefits.
Upcoming events this week include — but are not limited to — yoga at Linden Field in Carpinteria, restoration planting at Ellwood Monarch Grove near the Goleta bluffs, a Carpinteria Bluffs nature walk, happy hour at the Brewhouse, an art contest at the Goleta community center, and invasive plant removal at Mission Lagoon.
View the full schedule of events, including times and locations, here.
Creek Week is an annual celebration, now in its 26th year. It runs until Saturday, September 27.
City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division Manager Erin Markey said she was excited for the diverse offerings for the weeklong event this year.
“By taking part in Creek Week and connecting with our local creeks, watersheds, and the ocean, we hope the community feels inspired to protect and care for our creeks,” she said, “not just this week, but all year long.”
Initial volunteer efforts look strong. Statewide, with only 40 percent of cleanup sites reporting their results so far, Coastal Cleanup Day recovered 178,296 pounds of stuff from beaches and waterways across the state. Santa Barbara County’s results have not been released yet, but the cleanups saw a promising volunteer turnout.
