Dozens of kids and their families came out to enjoy Santa Barbara Creek Week at the Neal Taylor Nature Center! This was our first year participating in the annual creek week celebration, and we are excited to participate in years to come.
A major highlight of the weekend was the Cachuma Lake Interactive Watershed Exploration, a hands-on experience led by Cachuma Lake Recreation Area naturalist Parker Medel, in collaboration with Santa Barbara County Community Services and Santa Barbara County Parks.
Using food coloring to demonstrate water pollutants, participants saw water flow across grass, concrete, and planted areas—discovering how healthy soil and vegetation naturally filter runoff while hard surfaces send contamination straight into our waterways. The activity was modeled after this educational video:
At the nature center, we put together new watershed-themed exhibits that featured a limited-time Creek Week Scavenger Hunt. Little explorers discovered fun facts and earned our new “Become a Water Hero” coloring & activity pamphlet as a prize, complete with crayons to color at home. Kids were excited to learn about water conservation and even help educate their families on conserving precious water!
You can do this activity at home! Download and print the “Become a Water Hero” pamphlet:
The new exhibits were added to our dam/geology room and our fish hallway, and will remain there moving forward. They featured an immersive look at the Santa Ynez River Watershed, showing visitors where their water comes from, the impacts of dams on the environment, water pollution sources, and the importance of conserving local riparian habitats.
A special highlight exhibit on rainbow trout and steelhead trout was also added, focusing on the differences between these fish, their habitats, and the importance of conservation efforts to restore populations fragmented by dams.
Overall, our creek week programs at the nature center provided an educational and interactive experience that connected families to their local environment, inspiring both kids and adults to become active stewards of our precious water resources.
About Santa Barbara Creek Week
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 coordinated by the City of Santa Barbara Creeks Division, County of Santa Barbara Project Clean Water, the City of Carpinteria, the City of Goleta, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Explore Ecology.
Learn more at https://sbcreekweek.com/
About Santa Barbara County Parks
Santa Barbara County Parks has a long standing history of providing outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities. We are proud to offer the full range of activities with our day use parks, beaches, pools, group areas, trails, on & off leash dog parks, open spaces, campgrounds and our largest facility Cachuma Lake Recreation Area.
Learn more at https://www.countyofsb.org/334/Parks
About Santa Barbara County Community Services
Santa Barbara Community Services is committed to providing quality services and facilities that meet the needs of our community. We hope that you will enjoy and take advantage of all the wonderful facilities and services we provide. We encourage you to visit our beautiful County Parks, partake in cultural arts events and recreation, visit your local library, explore sustainable energy solutions and participate in affordable housing services. We are here for you and our goal is to connect people to opportunities.
Learn more at https://www.countyofsb.org/323/Community-Services
About The Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake
The Neal Taylor Nature Center (NTNC) is located within Cachuma Recreational Area in a picturesque old ranch house. Developed and operated by a corps of committed volunteers, it offers exhibits on the local valley and mountain environment for all ages, emphasizing hands-on exhibits for children of all ages.
The mission of the Neal Taylor Nature Center at Cachuma Lake is to encourage public understanding, enjoyment, and protection of Cachuma Lake, the Upper Santa Ynez River, and the San Rafael Mountain Range Watershed. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs completely on donations and grants.
Learn more at www.clnaturecenter.org
Nature Center & Gift Store Hours
Thursday through Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Native Plant Garden Hours: Always open
Admission: Donation
