TUE May 12/SB Beaver Brigade/Monthly Mtg/6:30 pm
Margie Bushman
SANTA BARBARA BEAVER BRIGADE
An advocacy group for beavers & local watersheds
Monthly Meeting Tues, May 12, 2026, 6:30-8pm
Meeting Location: South Coast Watershed Resource Center
Arroyo Burro County Park (Hendry’s Beach)
2981 Cliff Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.
Please join us for our regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Tues, May 12, 6:30 – 8pm. We will continue to talk & learn about our local watersheds, & updates on beaver activities including a report back on the Central Coast Beaver Festival that happened last month (April 14). It was a huge success, attendance count was around 3500, even with the stormy weather.
Freelance Beaver Detective Pamala Adams from Seattle was the keynote speaker at the festival, we will host her for a special event in Santa Barbara on Fri July 10, she’s excited to meet you all. We will have a follow-up non-invasive camera workshop on Sat, July 12, stay tuned for details.
Come a little early and walk around and check out the signage describing the Arroyo Burro Creek & estuary where our meetings take place. Santa Barbara Creeks Division hosts excellent community programs, sharing all that has been done to improve local creeks, the most recent urban creek walk took place on Sun May 3, which we attended. You can sign up to learn about future walks, see below for details.
Please come ready to share ideas about future field trip possibilities. We try to do two a year, and have some ideas, maybe you have some too. We would definitely like to partner with the SB Creeks Division to visit Badger Canyon, which is open to the public yet, but can arrange a time. This canyon is where the Arroyo Burro creek flows in its upper reaches.
We will show one short video, about the removal of fish barriers on the upper Ojai, near Matilija campground off of Hwy 33, furthering efforts to make it easier for the California Steelhead to keep traveling up the creeks they call home. The California Steelhead is now on the endangered species list, each step to make their numbers grow so important.
Hope to see you soon! Margie Bushman & Wes Roe, www.sbpermaculture.org
Resources:
Welcome to the City of Santa Barbara's Urban Creek Trails Program! Our mission is to celebrate the vital role of local creeks in our community. These waterways provide essential wildlife habitat, natural beauty, and flood management. By exploring our Urban Creek Trails, you'll discover how these charming streams support diverse ecosystems and enhance our city’s landscape.
Pamela Adams: https://beaverinsights.com/: 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.
Article & videos:
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:
· May 23-25 (Memorial Day weekend) I Madonnari Street Painting Festival, at the SB Old Mission, Santa Barbara Permaculture Network sponsor an art square, this year with a Beaver & Steelhead theme. Come visit with us & meet returning artist Kristen Sell, special to watch her at work as things unfold over the 3 days.
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· May 29-May 31 Earth Stock Regenerative Summit in Ojai, CA (Fri free, Sat & Sun daily fee) SB Beaver Brigade participates with an exhibit booth.
· Fri July 10, 6 – 8:30pm, evening talk with Pamela Adams, Seattle based Freelance Beaver Detective/ SBCC West Campus, Fe Bland Auditorium/BC Forum
· Sat July 11, 9-Noon, Morning workshop with Pamela Adams (limit 25), discussing use of “non invasive cameras” to observe urban wildlife & beavers, as Beaver Insights encourages citizen in West Seattle
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.