Watershed Brigade

The Watershed Brigade was formed in 2020 as a grassroots effort to clean up local watersheds. It’s a community program that provides hands-on volunteer opportunities in combination with education and advocacy initiatives that encourage collective action to address trash and marine debris pollution issues that threaten our water resources, wildlife, and the health of our communities.

2,471 Volunteers ֍ 62,786 Pounds of Trash ֍  1,843 Cleanups

Upcoming Cleanups

San Pedro Creek Cleanup

August 15, 9:00 a.m – 11:30 a.m
320 S Kellog Ave, Goleta 93117

Channelkeeper is collaborating with the Environmental Defense Center and the Old Town Creek Justice Project to clean up San Pedro Creek!

With the rainy season approaching, we plan to remove as much trash from creeks as possible before it can be washed out into the ocean.

The terrain may be rocky and wet, so we encourage volunteers to wear appropriate clothing and footwear. Don’t forget your hat, sunscreen, and a reusable water bottle.

Let’s work together to keep our creeks clean and our ocean healthy.

Sign up here!

Coastal Cleanup Day

September 19, 9:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m
West Beach

Get ready to roll up your sleeves and make a difference! Channelkeeper is once again proud to be the site captain at West Beach for this year’s Coastal Cleanup Day. Join us as we team up with volunteers from across the community to help protect our coastline and local wildlife.

Coastal Cleanup Day is a global volunteer effort to clean up beaches and waterways. It is held annually in over 100 countries, and it brings together hundreds of thousands of volunteers to remove trash, raise awareness about pollution, identify its sources, and inspire behavior change.

This year, we’re putting a special focus on microtrash—those tiny but troublesome pieces of litter smaller than a golf ball. From plastic bottle caps and snack wrappers to styrofoam bits and packaging fragments, microtrash might be small, but it poses a big threat to marine life and can even enter the food chain.

Using kitchen strainers, we’ll be sifting through the sand to remove microtrash and leave West Beach cleaner and safer for all. Cleanup supplies will be provided, but participants are also encouraged to bring their own kitchen strainers for microtrash collecting.

This is a fun and impactful activity for volunteers of all ages—a great way to get outside, connect with your community, and take action for the environment. We hope you’ll join us!

There will be free parking from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm at all City of Santa Barbara lots with a Coastal Cleanup Day voucher, available from the site captain on the morning of the event

Sign up here!