Main Content
Education
Building environmental awareness and stewardship, changing attitudes and influencing the decisions of tomorrow by educating policy makers, students and the wider community about the biggest threats to the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds and solutions to address those threats.
Field Work
Patrolling the Santa Barbara Channel and its tributaries to identify and deter pollution and respond to citizen reports of pollution. We conduct scientific research to investigate critical threats facing our waters, and collect and disseminate scientifically sound water quality data.
Advocacy
Representing our community’s interest in clean water by providing expert, science-based stakeholder advocacy and testifying before government officials to influence policies to better protect our waters and habitats.
Enforcement
Ensuring that entities, both public and private, comply with environmental laws, and that government agencies enforce those laws. Channelkeeper occasionally uses citizen lawsuits to protect the public interest in clean water and healthy aquatic habitats.
Watershed Brigade
The Watershed Brigade is a community of volunteers dedicated to keeping our local watersheds and beaches clean. Brigade members remove trash from trails, creeks, rivers, urban areas, and beaches, act as environmental stewards, and collect trash data used to help reduce pollution at its source. And it’s fun! Volunteers earn points that make them eligible for perks and prizes.
Corporate Challenge
The Watershed Brigade’s Corporate Challenge is a fun and effective way for your company to make a difference in our community and earn points to compete against other local businesses. Gain community-wide visibility while your company takes positive steps for the environment.
4.5k
VOLUNTEERS ENGAGED
36k
KIDS EDUCATED
10k
LBS OF TRASH CLEARED
Our Blog
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May 20, 2021Santa Barbara Channelkeeper’s Plastic Film Festival
Plastic pollution is a mounting global concern, and it has significant impacts locally, which is why reducing single-use plastic continues to be a major focus of Channelkeeper’s work. In an effort to help educate and inspire our community, we’ve compiled a list of seven informative films about plastic that are available to stream online. It’s the perfect opportunity to host a documentary film festival in the comfort of your home.
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April 29, 2021California Can Lead the Fight for Clean Water
In California, 95% of all waters remain too polluted to swim, fish, or drink. After half a century with the Clean Water Act in place why does toxic contamination continue to threaten our water resources? The California Clean Water Act, Assembly Bill 377, will put the state on track to eliminate polluted waterways and make California waters swimmable, fishable, drinkable by 2050.
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March 11, 2021Tracing the Path of Trash
Each year, 5 to 14 million tons of debris flows into the ocean from coastal areas. Not only can it be toxic to aquatic wildlife and humans, this pollution degrades the water quality and also destroys the beauty of our oceans and beaches that we swim and play in. Each of us can help stop the flow of trash to the sea by helping keep streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and storm drains free of garbage.
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