SB Creek Week is an annual celebration of our creeks, watersheds, and the ocean, with many organizations hosting events to help build awareness and stewardship of the natural treasures of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria. Creek Week is September 17 – 24 and begins with Coastal Cleanup Day, an international effort to clean up beaches on a global scale.
There are multiple opportunities to get involved with Creek Week in Goleta, through participation in Coastal Cleanup Day, Goleta’s Bulky Item Collection Event, Creek Week Art Contest, and a new app for Self-Guided Audio Walking Tours.
Coastal Cleanup Day
Become part of the solution to ocean pollution. Join us for Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 17th! The largest volunteer effort in California, Coastal Cleanup Day is our day to give back to the ocean, beaches, and creeks that make Santa Barbara County such a wonderful place to live. Get outside, enjoy nature, and remove marine debris from our beaches and waterways.
There are many beaches throughout the County you can join. Goleta locations for Coastal Cleanup Day 2022 include:
- Haskell’s Beach (9AM – 12PM), led by site captain Meghan Leon, with Ritz Carlton Bacara.
- Ellwood Bluffs and Beach (9AM – 12PM), led by resident Al Souma.
- San Jose Creek (10AM – 12PM), led by Brian Trautwein with the Environmental Defense Center.
Meetup details and the registration link can be found on Explore Ecology’s website.
Bulky Item Collection Event
The Beautify Goleta program is hosting the 4th and last Bulky Item Collection Event of 2022!
Get rid of bulky household items like old furniture. Electronics, medicine, and hazardous waste will not be accepted. Drop off your bulky items on Saturday, September 17th from 9AM – 1PM at the intersection of Cannon Green Drive and Phelps Road.
The bulky item drop-off is in partnership with Caltrans and the Clean CA program. These statewide Dump Day events are made possible through Governor Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, a sweeping $1.1 billion, multiyear clean-up effort led by Caltrans to keep roads and waterways free of litter, create thousands of jobs and transform state and local public spaces through beautification efforts. For more information on the Clean CA program, please visit Clean CA program online.
Creek Week Art Contest
The Goleta Valley Library is hosting a Creek Week Art Contest that asks community members to submit original artwork inspiring by our creeks, watersheds, and ocean!
Artwork may be submitted at the Goleta Valley Library anytime between 10AM – 5PM Tuesday through Friday, until the deadline of Wednesday, September 14th at 5PM. Artwork will remain on display for the community to enjoy Saturday, September 17th through Friday, September 30th.
Submission Details:
- Age categories include Adults (18+), Teens (7th-12th grade), and Children (6th grade and below).
- All artwork that represents the theme will be accepted.
- Participants many only submit one piece of art.
- Art must be original, completed solely by the participant.
- All mediums allowed (photography, painting, drawing, collage, etc.).
- Art must be no larger than 11” x 14” (including a frame if framed).
- Artwork is not required to be framed but must be ready to hang on the wall.
- Artwork must have participant’s name and age category on the back.
Artwork must be picked up at the Goleta Valley Library October 4th through 8th, 10AM – 5PM. For any questions please contact Sharon at SNigh@CityOfGoleta.org
Self-Guided Audio Walking Tours
The City of Goleta in partnership with the Cheadle Center at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, and Tima Link and the many Chumash Communities has published a FREE application called “Goleta Tours” that helps residents enjoy self-guided audio walking tours highlighting natural resources, wildlife, plants, and cultural history.
This Goleta Tours app is available via the web at https://cityofgoleta.stqry.app/. Stay tuned for future announcements about downloading the app directly to your mobile device via Apple and Google app stores.
Goleta Tours app includes tour stops located from Haskell’s Beach and the Chumash Nature Trail at He’lapunitse (Ritz Carlton Bacara) to the Ellwood Bluffs and UCSB North Campus Open space. A special thank you to the content provided by the Cheadle Center at UC Santa Barbara, the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Tima Link and the many Chumash Communities including Coastal Band of the Chumash, Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation.
Please enjoy these tours, and if you know of or are a part of an organization interested in adding content to our tour app, please email EnvironmentalServices@CityOfGoleta.org.