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Heal the Bay Blog

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S.T.E.A.M. Machine Madness at the Aquarium

11.12.2014 |

EventsSanta Monica

Nov, 13, 2014 — Jaclyn Friedlander saw the email inviting Santa Monica Pier Aquarium volunteers to build a Rube Goldberg Machine for this Saturday’s S.T.E.A.M. Machines event on the Pier and took the challenge to her most creative and handy friends.

“We had two objectives,” Jaclyn explains, “to incorporate as much of Heal the Bay’s message as we could and build a machine that works. The second part of that is actually not as easy as it looks when it comes to building a Rube Goldberg Machine.”

A Rube Goldberg machine is “an overly complex contraption, designed with humor and a narrative, to accomplish a simple task,” according to the national competition’s official website. Teams of high school and college students will compete beginning at 11:30 a.m.  Saturday marks the second annual regional Rube Goldberg contest, which will showcase machines that erase a chalkboard in a unique fashion.

The free event is hosted by Heal the Bay along with the Santa Monica Pier Corp. and presenting sponsor Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds initiative.

Friedlander’s creation won’t be entered in the contest, but will add to the multitude of fun and innovative activities – from bicycle-powered ice cream to 3-D printing, to opportunities for all to build, draw, paint and create. The event takes place 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the east end of the Pier. The theme will continue at the Aquarium, where visitors can pilot an underwater ROV, capturing marine samples with mechanical claws.

Friedlander calls the process of building a Rube Goldberg machine one of “creative trial and error with major contributions from everyone.” The six-member team did include one person with an engineering degree who creates video games for a living (Jason Wishnov) and a second, Timothy Ries, who Friedlander credits with using his construction skills to create the base of the machine.

After about eight hours in the planning phase, the team — which also included Trisha Hershberger, Justin Langley, and Nate (goes by his first name only  ) — spent a couple of hours to collect the necessary materials and another 14 hours building. So their baby is definitely a 24-hour labor of love. Built at YouTube’s studio in Los Angeles, the group created a time-lapse video as well, which will be available on Hershberger’s YouTube channel any day now.

When watching the machine in action, notice how a shell became a key component to a crucial step. But the true secret ingredient? Lots of duct tape. 

Time Warner Cable

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Thank You Thursday 11-6-14

11.06.2014 |

California SharksSanta Monica

A huge thank you to Adventure Voyaging for including Heal the Bay in last month’s Catalina Cruisers Weekend – two days full of fun at Two Harbors. Additional thanks go out to Peter Ellis and friends who served up the famous “Buffalo Milk” beverages at Saturday night’s party, donating every drop these sailors drank back to clean water. These may have been some of the most delicious dollars we’ve received recently!

When a swimmer was bitten in July by a white shark struggling to be free of an angler’s hook next to the Manhattan Beach Pier, the city banned fishing from the pier to protect public safety. The ban was lifted at the end of the summer, but the unfortunate incident prompted coastal communities with piers throughout L.A. County to consider similar bans. As an alternative, Heal the Bay recommended the establishment of a pier and sport angler educational program, where on-the-pier ambassadors educate the fishing public about local sharks and marine life and how to avoid catching these sharks.

The cities of Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach along with L.A. County embraced the shark ambassador program, and all have contributed to support it. Kudos to these partners, who are helping us educate anglers on the important role sharks play in the ecosystem.

Corporate Healers play an integral role in cleaning our beaches while encouraging stewardship among their employees – not to mention providing their workers with a day at the beach. Thanks to Wells Fargo and Macerich for joining the program.

Students from low-income schools will have the opportunity to visit our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium for field trips thanks to the support of the UPS Foundation. Thanks so much for sponsoring youth education.  

And last but not least, happy 5th anniversary to the The Grilled Cheese Truck – and thanks to this traveliing wagon of cheesy goodness for donating proceeds from its celebration to Heal the Bay.

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'Wild Fest': Smart Fisheries in an Aloha Style

11.03.2014 |

EventsMarine Protected Areas

Today’s guest blogger is Melina Sempill Watts, a staffer with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains.

In partnership with Heal the Bay staff and volunteers, Fishing Pono: Living In Harmony with the Sea will be screened on Saturday, Nov. 8 as part of the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains Wild and Scenic Film Festival at Pepperdine University. The evening features a number of films about water and begins at 6:30 p.m.

Internationally famous Hawaiian documentary filmmaker Teresa Tico will talk and answer questions after the screening of her film Fishing Pono: Living In Harmony with the Sea, which address marine preservation issues, a core passion for Angelenos. The solutions showcased in Fishing Pono are both innovative and effective. 

The inspiration for this film begins with Kelson ‘Mac’ Poepoe. “Uncle Mac,” as he is called by locals, is 100% native Hawaiian, and has done transformative work on fisheries management in Hawaii. He has explained that his heritage and upbringing gave him access to unique historical and ecological knowledge that let him see clearly when the fishing stocks offshore were in danger of being destroyed.

 Uncle Mac reached out to the entire community, including all residents and fishermen, to address the real potential for environmental and economic disaster.  Starting by talking about clear signs of ecosystem overuse, he fostered discussion on setting limits on what kinds of fish to catch, on size and age limits, on setting up areas where no fishing would be permitted, and promoted a return to native fishing techniques that would reduce the quantities of take.  After years of effort, an agreement was reached and the end result has been a remarkable bounce-back of local fish populations. 

For years Uncle Mac resisted requests by filmmakers to tell his story. Then a heart attack and near death experience changed his mind. The very next request came from Teresa Tico, and he said yes. Tico has a reputation as an intelligent activist, and defender of ocean ecosystems thanks to a successful second career as an environmental lawyer. By sharing this story at large, Tico is doing her part to help restore fisheries in Hawaii and throughout the world.

Tico’s kept her eye upon larger environmental issues as well, producing several environmental films. Her film Miss South Pacific is a beautiful look at the toll climate change is taking on islands across the Pacific. Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Brosnan love this picture so much that they introduced it at the Malibu Film Festival  two summers ago.

This story ties into the future of Santa Monica Bay. We have implemented similar rules via newly established Marine Protected Areas, with the scientifically proven idea that providing areas of refuge will give fish places to breed and rest and grow.

Come see Fishing Pono at the RCDSMM Wild and Scenic Film Festival this Saturday at Elkins Theatre on Pepperdine University’s campus. Event begins at 6:30 p.m.

Aloha.

FISHING PONO: Living In Harmony With The Sea

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank You Thursday 10-30-14

10.29.2014 |

Heal the Bay AquariumSanta Monica

The Frightfully “Fintastic” Fishy Fest held last weekend at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium lived up to its name. The marine center was packed with all sorts of witches, ghosts and ghouls. It was a monstrously successful event and we have some neighbors and friends to thank who contributed to the fun.

  • The Girl Scouts of Troop 12815 brought reusable trick-or-treat bags they created from recycled tee shirts. The girls gave the bags out to our guests for decorating, while sharing ocean pollution education.
  • Parade partners Rusty’s Surf Ranch, The Albright, Bubba Gump and Pacific Park all provided treats for our parade of goblins. And a special shout-out to our honorary grand marshal, Treeman of Venice, who put all his passion for the natural world – and his considerable height – into leading the parade. Thanks also to filmmaker Michael Angelo for documenting the procession and post-parade festivities at the Aquarium. It was a “tree-mendous” weekend!

And last but not least, we thank Bob Shanman of Wild Birds Unlimited in Torrance, who is a true believer in getting kids outside and experiencing the natural world. For years, he has worked with our Key to the Sea and Key to the Watershed programs, providing binoculars at cost (or below cost) for our programs and servicing them every year free of charge.

What a treat!  

Halloween parade at Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

Halloween parade at Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

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Halloween: Come Play Dress Up at the Aquarium!

10.13.2014 |

Heal the Bay AquariumSanta Monica

Our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium always loves dressing up for Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. There’s the colorful papel picado hanging from the rafters, mini pumpkins decorating the tanks and spooky enhancements all around. Volunteers and visitors are encouraged to celebrate the season by arriving in spooky gear the last weekend in October for the Aquarium’s Fishy Fest.

For those who need a little help putting a costume together, both inspiration and materials will be available.The Aquarium is partnering with Santa Monica’s Resource Recovery and Recycling division to offer gently used goblin garb to visitors.  Anyone who drops off a costume with the library by Oct. 15 gets a coupon to pick out a costume at the Fairview Branch of the public library Saturday, Oct. 18. Costume swappers also receive a coupon for $1 off admission to our festivities.   

The leftover outfits from the costume swap are being donated to the Aquarium and will be available for anyone to use for the parade, stepping off in front of the marine science center at 3 p.m. Oct. 26. The trick-or-treat procession will make stops at neighboring Pier businesse. What a sweet deal for all the little monsters in your life!   

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Thank You Thursday 10-16-14

10.09.2014 |

Marine Protected AreasSanta Monica

Taking the time out to clean the beach is one of the most direct ways anyone can contribute to a healthy ocean. When businesses bring their employees together for a cleanup through Heal the Bay’s Corporate Healers program, they make an important statement about community responsibility and individual stewardship of the marine environment. We thank the following companies for becoming corporate healers this week: DIRECTV, Equity Residential and The Shore Hotel.

The Carrington family – Lisa, Russ, Alexa and Amber – this week hosted an evening at the California Yacht Club, giving Heal the Bay board members, staff and fellow supporters an opportunity to mix and mingle with water enthusiasts in the Marina and to chat about Marine Protected Areas in the Bay. Thanks to the Carringtons, Cal Yacht Club manager Michelle Underwood, and Coleen Cavan, the club’s catering manager, for providing Heal the Bay this opportunity to share news on the success of these zones. And thanks also to Golden Road Brewery for delivering a delicious beverage to accompany the delicious food, all with a stunning sunset backdrop. 

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Royal Flush: The Aquarium's Brand New Loos

10.07.2014 |

Heal the Bay AquariumSanta Monica

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate remodeled restrooms may not sound newsworthy at first glance. But when the remodeled bathrooms are in Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, and the remodelers did all the work for free – well, that’s something to celebrate.

The dream team from One Week Bath will be lauded and the gleaming new restorooms will begin active duty this Sunday, October 12th, at 1pm. In addition to a ribbon-cutting, a presentation on water as a resource will follow in the Dorothy Green Room at 1:30 p.m.

Matt Plaskoff, a native of the area and the owner of One Week Bath, wanted to make a donation that would have a big impact to mark his company’s 2,000th bathroom redo. “When we learned that the public restrooms of the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium needed help, we knew we found a great recipient.”

“I grew up in the area,” Plaskoff continued. “I went to Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica College, raised my kids on the Bay, and I surf – the health of the Santa Monica Bay is something I am very passionate about. Knowing that these bathrooms are going to serve millions of kids that come to the Aquarium to learn about marine biology makes this one of the most meaningful projects in my career.”

Thank you Matt and One Week Bath!

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Thank You Thursday 9-25-14

09.25.2014 |

Santa Monica

Wow, what a week! The list of organizations and businesses to thank is massive. But first, some massive numbers to illustrate how we couldn’t have pulled it off without you.

  • Coastal Cleanup Day (Sept. 20th) brought out 11,155 volunteers picking up 30,480 pounds of trash at 49 locations around L.A. County stretching over nearly 43 miles!
  • Coastal Cleanup Education Day (Sep. 17th) brought 700 children from 10 schools in underserved communities to the beach to play marine conservation-themed games, clean the beach (filling our nine-foot “butt-o-meter” to the brim with nasty cigarette butts) and to tour our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

Thanks so much to our South Bay aquaria partners SEA Lab and Cabrillo Aquarium, and to Mattel, Inc.’s volunteers. All helped wrangle – and educate – those 700 kids on Coastal Cleanup Education Day.

Toyota was a Patron Sponsor of Coastal Cleanup Day and Rubio’s donated meal cards for volunteers at all 49 cleanup sites. Picking up trash was accomplished with a minimum of plastic bags, thanks to Simplehuman’s donation of thousands of reusable buckets made of recycled trash. Rusty’s Surf Ranch quenched everyone’s thirst from the Santa Monica Pier site, providing a free beer to everyone 21 and over who cleaned the beach, along with discount lunch tickets. And a shout out to Scott Hubbell and Anheuser Busch for their part in sponsoring the partnership with Rusty’s as well.

 We’re also so grateful to Union Bank, Ralphs/Food4Less, The Vons Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and Darden, who contributed to the success of Coastal Cleanup Day, 2014.

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Sniffing Out the Truth About Orca Poop

09.25.2014 |

News

Sheila McSherry, Heal the Bay’s Foundation Grants Manager, has a whale of a time looking for scat in the Pacific.

Through a friend’s invitation, I recently got the chance of a lifetime — hunting for whale excrement on the open sea! It may sound icky and a bit strange, but it’s not. It’s actually an important step in the fight to protect the gentle giants of the deep.

I joined the Center for Conservation Biology and Conservation Canines, a nonprofit organization based out of the University of Washington, on a recent orca whale research trip near the San Juan Islands.  As its name indicates, the center uses dogs to help collect whale fecal samples to determine the health status of the region’s Southern Resident Killer Whales.

As a longtime fundraiser for Heal the Bay, this outing on the water let me leave my laptop and deadlines behind and reconnect with the marine life we work so hard to protect. I also got to play scientist for the day!

On a sunny morning, I joined a crew that spent the day followed the orca whales around the islands and to the Strait of Georgia aboard the research vessel Moja. My fellow passengers included Dr. Deborah Giles,  a marine biologist who collects orca whale behavior data to assess the effects of decreased prey availability and noise pollution on the animals; wildlife biologist Elizabeth Seely; and a seafaring dog named, Tucker. I was so mesmerized by the beauty and power of the foraging and breaching orca whales, I nearly forgot we had a job to do!

Tucker Sniffing Out Whale Poop

Tucker, an energetic black Lab scat detection dog, was the chief detective. As Seely steadied him, Tucker leaned over the bow of the boat and communicated through movements and sounds when he sniffed a sample. Giles then maneuvered the boat so that it was easier for us to collect the samples using a clear beaker attached to the end of a long pole. These samples are sometimes as small as a lentil and can sink quickly in the open ocean. So we moved quickly to grab samples, which are tested for DNA, stress hormone levels, diet, the nutritional status of the whale, and toxins like DDT).

Conservation Canines employs rescue dogs to do its work. Tucker was found undernourished and wandering the streets of North Seattle by ShoLine Animal Shelter before becoming a scat detection dog. What makes him even more remarkable is that he is the only dog in the world trained to detect killer whale “scat” in the open ocean. His reward when he finds a sample? A rousing game of catch with his favorite WestPaw ball. 

There are three resident killer whale populations found between Washington state and Alaska. These whales are called residents because they spend about half of the year foraging in inland waters, and rely almost exclusively on salmon as prey. The Southern Resident Killer Whales are the most threatened, with a current population of 78 animals.

There are three hypotheses that have been proposed for their decline:

  • Less access to the whales’ primary prey, Chinook salmon
  • A disturbance from private and commercial whale watching vessels
  • Exposure to high levels of toxicants (e.g. PCB, PBDE and DDT), which are stored in the whales’ fat. 

Understanding the relative impacts of these three pressures is vital to mitigating further whale losses.

Whale Poop Research

Joining Conservation Canines for the day is an experience I will never forget.  And as I move in to my ninth year in environmental fundraising, I’m feeling energized by all of the promising research and advocacy to protect endangered marine life here in the Santa Monica Bay and beyond. The Pacific Ocean is connected to us all. So it’s gratifying to know Tucker is doing his part, while I do mine in an office in Santa Monica.

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Coastal Cleanup Day Contests!

09.18.2014 |

News

Ladies and Gentlemen, Charge your cameraphones!

As we gear up for Coastal Cleanup Day this Saturday, we have some fun contests and promotions for all our wonderful volunteers. Some of these contests have prizes and some are just for fun. Some are offered by local partners through Heal The Bay, and are only available at one of our 50 cleanup sites. Others are provided by the California Coastal Commission, and are open to volunteers across the state. So, bring your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors! This is quite possibly the most fun you could have in Los Angeles this weekend.

Don’t forget to tag #HealtheBay and @HealtheBay in your Instagram, Twitter and Facebook posts! You could be featured in our Best of CCD Photo Round-up next week!

Rubio’s Coastal Cleanup Day Instagram Contest
Rubio's Coastal CleanupDay Instagram Contest
This year Rubio’s is generously sending one lucky volunteer on a luxury vacation.

  • Using Instagram, snap a photo of the trash you find at Coastal Cleanup Day.
  • Tag your photo with #coastalcleanupday #litterati #trashselfie #OceanLove and post it.

The winner, to be selected by the California Coastal Commission (@thecaliforniacoast), will receive a prize package from Rubio’s for an 8 day/7 night stay in a 2 bedroom Grand Suite at a Grand Mayan Luxury Resort in either Riviera Maya (Cancun), Nuevo Vallarta, Los Cabos or Acapulco! The suite can fit up to 6 people, and has a kitchen, living area and 2 private bedrooms. Dates are based on availability and there may be an extra fee for major holidays (Christmas, NYE, Presidents Week, Easter and Thanksgiving). Please click here for complete rules and details.

California Coastal Commission ‘Most Unusual Item’ Contest

Unusual Finds from Coastal Cleanup Day
Each year, the Coastal Commission gives out prizes for the Most Unusual Items collected during the Cleanup.

  • Take a photo of the most unsual item you find during Coastal Cleanup Day.
  • Post the photo to Facebook with the tags #coastalcleanupday #mostunusual
  • OR you can email the photo to coast4u@coastal.ca.gov.

Two winners will be selected, one from the coastal areas of California and another from the inland areas of California. Each will receive a $100 Visa gift card!

Heal The Bay Cigarette Butt Challenge

How many cigarette butts?
Cigarette butts are the most common trash item picked up at Coastal Cleanup Day. Many people throw thier butts out of car windows and into the street where they wash down storm drains to the ocean. This jar contains the average number of cigarette butts picked up in three hours at just ONE cleanup site.

  • Go to our Facebook post HERE.
  • Comment with your guess about how many butts are in the jar.

Anyone who guesses correctly, as determined by Heal The Bay, will recieve a Heal The Bay t-shirt.

Party with Rusty’s Surf Ranch

Rusty's Surf Ranch
Celebrate Coastal Cleanup Day with Rusty’s Surf Ranch on the Santa Monica Pier.

  • Friday 9pm to close: no-cover reggae, “last chance to sign up” with 10% off food and $3.50 bud & bud light.
  • Saturday during the day: 10% off food.
  • Saturday night 9pm to close: “relax at the beach after your hard work” with 10% off food, $3.50 bud & bud light and no-cover reggae.

Free Tacos For Volunteers From Rubio’s

Free tacos for volunteers
While supplies last, Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers can get a coupon for a free taco from Rubio’s! Sign up for a cleanup site in your community, and show up bright and early Saturday morning for more info.

More, More, More!

Plus, we’ve got special prizes, activities, partners and promotions planned for many individual sites. Who know’s what you might discover besides trash at your community’s cleanup site?! We’re working hard to show our Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers how much we appreciate them. Stay tuned for last minute offers, including a partnership with Perry’s Cafe.

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