Earth Day, celebrated annually April 22 since 1970, was created in response to the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into the channel and onto the beaches of Santa Barbara County. The spill had a significant impact on marine life, killing an estimated 3,500 sea birds, as well as dolphins, elephant seals and sea lions. It ranks third after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 1989 Exxon Valdez spills.