Edhat Staff
2017 was an interesting year in Santa Barbara, to say the least. We had several fires, including the largest one in California state history. We had a few storms blow through down and cause havoc. We got back to our activist roots and spoke out against inequality. We marveled at local wildlife. We danced, sang, and celebrated. And we regrouped after devastation. Here some of the top edhat photos from 2017.
Early in January, we were greeted by a fun lighting storm.
Which then showed us how bad the erosion can get at Goleta Beach Park and Isla Vista
A feeding frenzy off Stearn’s Wharf was captured by an edhat reader.
Over 5,000 people gathered for the Women’s March in January as part of a national movement.
Movie stars arrived in style for the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the end of January and beginning of February.
In February another storm hit the area bringing a lot of flooding, downed trees, and damage to the area.
An edhat reader captured a stunning image of Tangerine Falls.
Local residents took part in the March for Science as part of a national movement.
Many edhat readers learned more about the Carrizo Plains thanks to Patti Gutshall’s stunning photos.
Several amazing bands moved through town and performed at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Patti captured this photo of Boston.
Sticking with tradition, we were all wowed by the annual fireworks show for the 4th of July
The Whittier Fire scared us all as it sparked on July 8, 2017 near Lake Cachuma. It was contained on July 28, but it burned a total of 18,430 acres and destroyed 16 homes.
The Castillo Underpass continued to be a hot topic as Caltrans boasted about their latest improvement, which shut the roadway down for several weeks.
Old Spanish Days Fiesta never disappoints and local photographer Fritz Olenberger continues to capture stunning images.
Edhat readers marveled over this historical photo of downtown Santa Barbara from 1906.
Local wildlife continued to captivate us. An edhat reader documented an extremely close encounter with a mountain lion in Montecito.
An edhat reader was shocked with this tiny owl used a hand as a perch.
And the community was fascinated by this bear who wandered down to Rincon Beach.
Another storm rolled through in early September.
An edhat reader spotted a bald eagle while visiting Lake Cachuma.
In October the City of Santa Barbara decided to be smoke-free, causing a mixed reaction from residents.
Our well known edhat pilots did not disappoint this past year with the aerial photography.
And for the majority of December, the Thomas Fire dominated our news stories. As of January 1, 2018, the fire is holding at 92% contained with 281,893 acres burned and 1,063 structures destroyed.
There were ups, there were downs, but it seems safe to say that we’re all looking forward to Santa Barbara in 2018.
Nationally, there was a lot more happening. Check out some of the highlights that happened in our world by visiting the LA Times’ Year in Review and then Google stirs up all the feels with their Year in Search video, below:
And with that, the dedicated staff of edhat.com leaves you with a “Happy New Year.”
