SB Beaver Brigade/Monthly Mtg & Central Coast Beaver Festival
Margie Bushman
SANTA BARBARA BEAVER BRIGADE
An advocacy group for beavers & local watersheds
Meeting Location: South Coast Watershed Resource Center, Arroyo Burro County Park (Hendry’s Beach)
2981 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.
Beaver Festival April 11
Next Monthly Meeting Tues, April 14, 2026
Hi everyone, we will have our regular monthly meeting on Tues, April 14, 6:30 – 8pm, please join us. We will review the recent Eco Hero event honoring Brock Dolman & Kate Lundquist of Occidental Arts & Ecology Center’s WATER Institute.
What a wonderful evening it was, and what a wealth of information they shared about their 30 years of advocacy work for beaver, salmon & our watersheds. We filmed the event, so it will be available online in the future.
We will also show a video of Pamela Adams of Beaver Insights, who we met at the recent State of the Beaver conference in Oregon a few months ago, she will be the keynote the Central Coast Beaver Festival.
Please join us on Sat April 11, 10am – 3pm for the 4th Annual Central Coast Beaver Festival. It takes place in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo, where many years ago the city creatively protected the creek running through its center instead of paving over it as is often done, a beautiful site and credit to the city. Santa Barbara Beaver Brigade will be tabling at the event, please stop by and visit us, we will be at space #7.
Details:
The Central Coast Beaver festival will feature live music performances, guest speakers and storytelling, educational booths from local organizations, food vendors, kids' crafts and games, and hands-on learning about watershed restoration and wildlife. It's a great event for families, students, and anyone interested in climate resilience and ecological stewardship.
Keynote speaker, Pamela Adams, is a Seattle-based "beaver detective" and leader in community-based urban beaver ecology. Her work focuses on empowering everyday residents to observe, understand, and advocate for beavers in their own neighborhoods. Through her initiative Beaver Insights, she helps people recognize the powerful ecological changes these animals bring to urban waterways and how communities can support coexistence. Pamela's vision is simple but inspiring: more "freelance beaver detectives" in every watershed across the West and beyond.
The festival will open with Shaunie Briggs, a proud Salinan woman and living systems artist whose work bridges: ancestral ecological knowledge, traditional foodways, cultural revitalization and community healing. Through her practice, Shaunie invites people to reconnect with the land and recognize the importance of keystone species like beavers in restoring ecological balance. Her perspective brings cultural dimension to watershed stewardship and environmental restoration.
Sichuan Kitchen will be serving locally prepared dishes inspired by the bold spices and flavors of China's Sichuan region. Free bike valet available and free parking in the parking garage at Monterey and Nipomo.
A community program hosted and sponsored by the SLO Beaver Brigade and co-sponsored by Santa Barbara Permaculture Network & The Santa Barbara Beaver Brigade. More info: www.slobeaverbrigade.com
Hope to see you soon! Margie Bushman & Wes Roe, www.sbpermaculture.org
Resources:
Article & videos: Kate Lundquist & Brock Dolman: How We’re Winning the Campaign to Rehydrate the West:
Free downloadable publications on the Water Institute website:
- Basins of Relations: A Citizens Guide to Restoring & Protecting Our Watersheds
- Beaver In California: Creating a Culture of Stewardship
Upcoming Events 2026:
· Sat April 11, 10am -3pm: 4TH Annual Central Coast Beaver Festival, Santa Babara Beaver Brigade at space #7.
· Sat April 18, Chumash Earth Day, public welcome, SB Beaver Brigade & SB Permaculture Network tabling. Sponsored by the Santa Ynez Chumash Environmental Office.
· Sat Apr 25 & 26, Santa Barbara Earth Day; Alameda Park in downtown Santa Barbara, CA, SB Permaculture Network & SB Beaver Brigade tabling, stop by & visit, Sat is Wes Roe’s birthday, there will be cake!
· May 23-25 (Memorial Day weekend) I Madonnari Street Painting Festival, at the SB Old Mission, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network & SB Beaver Brigade sponsor an art square, this year a Beaver & Steelhead theme
SB Beaver Brigade Meetings are on the 2nd Tuesday of the month 6:30-8pm (no meetings in July or December)
Location: South Coast Watershed Resource Center, Arroyo Burro County Park (Hendry’s Beach)
2981 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.