On March 29, more than 200 supporters of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper gathered at the Cabrillo Pavilion to celebrate and raise funds for this vital nonprofit that protects and restores the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds. Emmy Award–winning underwater filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall gave an illuminating presentation.
At the event and in an interview, Executive Director Ted Morton explained the importance of Channelkeeper’s work — advocacy, education, and monitoring — especially with the challenges posed by the Trump administration’s rollback of safeguards protecting clean water and healthy habitats, along with the dismantling of agencies, firings, and proposed budget cuts.
Here at home, Morton related, Sable is aggressively moving to restart oil development along the Gaviota Coast, putting the Santa Barbara Channel, its habitats, and dependent businesses at risk of another massive oil spill. Channelkeeper is working alongside the Environmental Defense Center and others, providing input and encouraging its supporters to do the same. Among Channelkeeper’s concerns is whether Sable has the financial capacity to address a spill, especially at the start of production. Channelkeeper has also been opposing Sable’s recent work undertaken without obtaining permits from the CA Coastal Commission. This matter is the subject of ongoing litigation.