Channelkeeper's Stream Walk Program, launched in the fall of 2004, was a volunteer-based mapping and data collection project designed to identify and survey existing ecological conditions throughout the Ventura River and Goleta Slough Watersheds. Our Stream Team projects have been collecting water quality data since 2001, and our Stream Walk program was designed to supplement this data by providing more information about the ecological conditions throughout these watersheds.

The overall goal of the Stream Walk program was to collect information that facilitates the enhancement of ecological function and improvement of water quality throughout the watershed. The main goals of the program were to collect baseline information about the physical conditions of the watersheds; to locate areas upstream of existing water quality monitoring sites that may be contributing to ecological degradation along stream corridors; to supplement Channelkeeper's existing water quality monitoring by identifying potential sources of pollution; to provide this information to watershed stakeholders to facilitate restoration, conservation, and planning projects; and to involve citizen volunteers in the protection of their local watersheds while providing educational opportunities and fostering environmental stewardship.

Our work focused initially on San Jose and Maria Ygnacio Creeks in Goleta, and San Antonio Creek in Ventura. Stream Walk volunteers walked sections of creek corridor to identify physical impairments including invasive vegetation, unstable stream banks, discharge points, stream bank modifications, illegal dump sites, impacting land uses, and barriers to fish passage. Each time an impairment was found, it was documented on datasheets and its location plotted using a GPS unit. Afterwards, the information was entered into a GIS database for analysis. With the data, we created an interactive product where the results can be viewed as maps, with pictures and other information. Our results will be used by watershed stakeholders in planning, restoration, and watershed protection projects.

Click here to view our Stream Walk Reports.

In 2006, Channelkeeper received a grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy to identify restoration opportunities along the lower Ventura River watershed.  Channelkeeper continues to conduct periodic stream and watershed surveys for this purpose and intends to publish an offical report by summer 2009.