Insect Invertebrates in the Goleta Slough

Our friend Dr. Michael Caterino, entomologist at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, introduced us to the insects that both depend upon the slough for their existence and help keep it healthy.

We went to the Goleta Slough and found red mites, stink bugs, spiders, caterpillars, flies and larvae. We need bugs.  This is their natural habitat.  Larger bugs eat the smaller bugs.  Birds eat insects and coyotes eat birds. — Owen

We went to the Goleta Slough.  We found many different kinds of insects and larvae.  The bugs live in the slough for many different reasons.  Birds eat insects so it is a whole circle of life that goes on an on. — Catalina

Creek Monitoring At Patterson Ave. and the Bikepath

We decided to see what the water quality was like downstream from the school along the Maria Ygnacio Creek. After passing through a couple of miles of residential areas, businesses and farmland the water was surprisingly healthy. Last year this section was really bad with high levels of Nitrates (fertilizer runoff) and coliform (poo bacteria).

We were testing at the Maria Ignacio Creek.  We were testing water temperature, oxygen, salinity and other things like nitrates. — Caleb

Where we are right now, salinity was good for aquatic life, water was ideal for fish, nitrate was good, which means there is not too much fertilizer, ph was really good, which means it is not too acidic. When you go down the bike path, nitrate was good for people but not for aquatic life.  Ecoli was not good for people but good for aquatic life.  In general, the water was a little bit better upstream.

— Ryan