Volunteer Time:
2006 (total): 103 days, 169 hours
2007 (total): 238 days, 425.75 hours
2008 (total): 68 days, 98.50 hours
April
1st, 2008:
With a little help from the County Easter weekend we were able to
get the entire pier cleaned with the exception of a section of railings
just past the hoist area. What that means is that every bench is now accessible
and you don't have to worry about your shoes tracking pier goo into your
car and home.
It's Spring - time to reestablish contact with your favorite
pier - come on out!
Noontime -
I'm still shaking with anger ... I did a noontime check of
the pier and found these three 'anglers' at the end. The one on the extreme
left had buried a hook in a pile of bait and potato chips he had purposely
left on the railings. I noticed him propped up on the other bench waiting
to 'set the hook'.
The one next to him with the cap was dangling a multi-hook baited
jig rig in front of another group of birds also trying to snag them. Both
initially thought they were being funny. Then they were offended
that anyone would be bothered by their sick sense of humor.
I called the head ranger and spoke to him about what I saw -
he will be checking on them shortly as they have not yet left the pier.
The incident was also reported to the local Fish and Game warden who said
he would try to swing by the pier as well.
April
2nd, 2008:
I've posted several times over the past couple of years about the
problem of people jumping from the pier in violation of the posted ordinance.
Yesterday the water was extraordinarily clear and I was able
to get this photo of several remnants of old pilings in the area of the
midpier restrooms. I haven't seen these snags before and decided to post
it as a reminder why pier jumping is prohibited ... can you imagine jumping
15-20 feet down to the water only to land on top of one of these jagged
old pilings? Ouch!
April
6th, 2008:
Took a walk down the beach at the east end of the park during the
afternoon's low tide and discovered an area of offshore volcanic rocks
populated by sea lions and cormorants.
In addition to these marvelous living sculptures the shoreline
cliffs have numerous old dried solid tar seeps which extend out over the
onshore rocks like a rubberized coating. Very comfortable to sit
on when watching the sea and birdlife.
There will be minus low tides in the early mornings for the remainder
of the week and next weekend ... perfect time to get and explore!
April
7th, 2008:
Here he is again - California vessel registration 41133. The
owner of the Chameleon is a commercial diver who has repeatedly violated
the 200' restricted area around the pier for commercial fishing vessels.
He was here a couple of days ago and worked the entire reef down
to the shoreline. I reported it to the head ranger then and was told that
since he was more than 100 feet from the pier he was outside the restricted
area. Once again I pointed out that the regulation in question
is the one that applies to commercial vessels and clearly establishes a
200 foot limit (the reef is about 90 feet from the pier):
Sec. 26-77. Pier--No mooring within
two hundred feet.
No person shall moor or anchor any commercial
vessel within two
hundred feet of Goleta Beach Pier except
in an emergency.
(Ord. No. 3708, § 1)
Given the increasingly high cost of fuel
there is always the temptation to dive areas closer to home even though
they may be off limits. But these regulations were established for a purpose
and commercial activity within the park boundaries are highly regulated.
Update 4-8-08:
Spoke with the head ranger today who had requested the vessel's registration
number. He was also concerned that the diver was working alone with no
tender aboard to maintain the pump or watch for other vessels or problems.
April
10th, 2008:
Shane Anderson who is a Diver / Collector
for UCSB and oversees their research vessels says the water temps have
dropped 3-4 degrees over the last week which is unusual for this time of
year. Lots of tiny shrimp in the channel between the reef and the pier.
Overall water clarity at the shallow end
remains exceptional down to 8 feet or so ... like being in Florida. His
divers report the reef is free from the accumulated sediment that plagued
it following the slough dredging several years ago. The fish are beginning
to rebound.
Perching at the shallow end remains the
big attraction with many anglers limiting over the past several days. But
that may change if the wind dies down ... saw significant patches of algal
bloom today starting at the hoist.
This form is called sea sawdust (Trichodesmium)
and tends to clump together like small grains of brown rice ... it is most
noticeable when the wind dies down. The sailors on Captain Cook's Australian
voyage in the 18th century thought it looked, from a distance, like a sandbar
and were afraid of running aground.
Most people assume that some passing vessel
has dumped its holding tanks ... and sometimes it does smell like that.
Mixed together with the surface sheen from offshore oil seeps at Goleta
it can cause havoc with lines and reels.
As a former GP angler was fond of saying
- 'The wind is my friend' and in this case it has been helping to disperse
the red tide before it reaches critical mass :)
April
18th, 2008:
The County has recently installed a porta-potty at the hoist area
next to the new power panel. The latticework enclosure pictured above will
be raised to roof level shortly. Yesterday a county carpenter was
working on the old bathroom removing the partition and disinfecting the
walls and floor prior to its conversion to a Marine
Center.
April
19th, 2008:
Mixed feelings about this new 'artwork' recently installed across
the deck on the end of the pier ...kind of intrigued by the mixture of
inner city boxcar art and the 'octopus tentacle' detail :)
Wikipedia has entries under SKAM referring to a Toronto graffiti
artist ... wonder what the connection is to our local skammer? Seems
to be some linkage to skateboarding as well ... fascinating to spend an
afternoon jumping from one Google link to another trying to discover how
SKAM fits into the big picture :)
April
27th, 2008:
Due to an unfortunate bout of pneumonia I have been confined to
my RV for the past week or so. Since my preferred daytime parking
spot is in the back row of the East lot I have had a chance to observe
just how many people use the unimproved strip of bank that borders the
Slough.
This 25' by 100' section, outlined in red above, begins just
past the dumpsters and is used by at least three different groups on a
regular base:
-
Birdwatchers observing the numerous local and migratory bird populations
-
Amateur and professional painters capturing the many moods of the
Slough
-
Students from UCSB and other local schools studying wildlife and
marine ecology
The County has lined the outer edge of this strip with large logs
which serve both as a safety barrier as well as a place to sit. The major
difficulty is with access ... the area is pockmarked with ground squirrel
warrens resulting in an uneven and unstable footing.
The County has been using this entire area as a temporary rubbage
dump as well which results in an unkempt appearance ... attracting more
trash from visitors parked adjacently. At no time however has the
accumulated trash required more than the initial twenty foot section of
the triangular strip.
 My
suggestion for an easy and affordable upgrade would be to plant a hedge
between the trash area and triangular strip (see green vertical) and clear
and level the remainder of the strip planting it to native grasses.
At a later date it would be nice to see some more interpretive
signs such as this one I found at Jade Cove (Big Sur) during a recent
get-away. Signs addressing bird feeding and leash laws would also be greatly
appreciated.
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