Environment 8-28
Creeks restoration manager Cameron Benson said recent tests show no fecal contamination of the beaches near Mission Creek, but indications of such contamination exist at Arroyo Burro and Leadbetter beaches, even though there’s no outfall flowing into either. Benson said both beaches test high for feces on Mondays but at acceptable levels on Wednesdays. He suggested that dog walkers-who tend to come out on weekends-may be responsible for the discrepancy. (/poobeach)
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Santa Barbara City Hall will spend $85,000 erecting an eight-foot fence around a small portion of Laguna Creek by Garden and Yanonali streets to prevent its use as a toilet by homeless campers and labor line workers. Creeks restoration manager Cameron Benson said he hopes the fence will encourage people to use two nearby portable toilets provided by the city instead. Currently, City Hall pays Service Master to clean the area twice a week. (/poocreek)
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Eric Hochberg, invertebrate zoology coordinator for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, began his necropsy of a giant squid on 8/22. The specimen-170 pounds of squish measuring 15 feet long, found in Monterey Bay on 6/25-is the most intact giant squid ever found in California waters. Hochberg and other scientists hope analysis of the carcass will enlighten marine zoologist about the species’ diet and migration patterns, among other things. (/giantsquid)
