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Heal the Bay Blog

Author: Heal the Bay

An organization is only as strong as its foundation – and our foundation is made up of amazing volunteers, partners, and supporters.  We’d like to thank Heal the Bay’s very own “lucky charms” who helped make our St. Patrick’s Day-themed Volunteer Party last week truly memorable.

Thanks to Bodega Wine Bar for hosting; the food was superb, the staff welcoming, and the special green drinks created exclusively for the party – the “sea kelptini” and “luck of the Super Healer” — were a big hit.

Hotpoint’s video booth had everyone giggling and creating funny videos, and the Frozen Yogurt and Dessert Bar, a local mom and pop shop, satisfied everyone’s sweet tooth.

Local businesses that donated raffle items included REI, Patagonia and Pacific Park, along with gift cards from Yogaworks, Pono Burger and Kippy’s Ice Cream.  Photographer Michael Kriskovic captured the night in pictures.

And finally a big thanks to those who made the unforgettable decorations: Jennie Ledesma and family, Noriko Niwa, Chloe Wisdom, and Sheana Penley. Bodega liked its holiday-themed creations so much that staffers kept them up for Saint Patrick’s Day.

On another note, our branded merchandise offerings received a boost recently. We’re very grateful to Bob and Karen Hopper for donating dozens of high quality beach towels to be embroidered with our logo. Stay tuned – they’ll be for sale at a tabling event near you soon! 

Photo by Michael Kriskovic



Marketing/Communications Intern Darrin Moret got a behind-the-scenes peek at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium’s newest exhibit. An LMU class of ’13 alumnus, Darrin is a writer and enjoys the beach, surfing and travel. 

Close-up of moon jelly at Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

There’s more to see than what meets the eye at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium these days. It’s the little guys that are the stars of the show at “Catch of the Day”—a refreshing new exhibit utilizing cutting-edge digital imaging technology to shine the spotlight on some of the Bay’s smallest critters. Tanks filled with sea stars, snails, hermit crabs and California killifish now await visitors along with the Aquarium’s more established eel, ray and shark residents.   

This dynamic exhibit highlights species of local marine life often overlooked in traditional aquarium displays, using a high-definition digital microscope camera and monitor to allow patrons to view these creatures at a level of detail not possible with the naked eye. “You really get a close look at little things most people miss,” says José Bacallao, the exhibit’s designer and the Aquarium’s Senior Aquarist and Operations Manager.

Aquarist Akino Higa shows off the new exhibit at Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

While small, many of the species featured in the exhibit form an integral part of the food web in the local marine ecosystem. Some of the fish that may be found in the tanks, including juvenile black surfperch, are important gamefish that support a thriving recreational fishery and are commonly caught by anglers off the Santa Monica Pier.  

Nestled under the Pier’s wooden deck and beneath the historic carousel, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium could easily be missed by anyone visiting the more conspicuous attractions topside. However, for those who make it inside, this aquarium provides a unique opportunity to learn more about the marine ecosystem that thrives just offshore. Patrons young and old take delight in getting an up-close look at horn sharks in an open-top tank, initiating staring contests with moray eels and touching (gently, of course) a variety of invertebrate species in the touch tank. In an effort to keep their exhibits fresh and exciting for visitors, José and his team periodically update the tanks with newly collected specimens for viewing.      

Touch tank sea stars at Santa Monica Pier AquariumWhile it may be the fish that draw most of the attention, it is the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium’s dedicated team of aquarists and volunteers that really make this place special. In addition to maintaining exhibits and informing visitors about marine life, they share a passion for helping protect the ocean by stressing the importance of environmental stewardship. José says his love for working with animals and his staff at the Aquarium is the most exciting thing about his job, his enthusiasm for which is apparent to anyone in his presence.  

 

For a closer look at the “Catch of the Day” and other exhibits, drop by the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium Tuesdays through Fridays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., and weekends from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is free for kids 12 and under and $5 for visitors 13 and older. In 2015, the first Wednesday of every month is free, thanks to the generous sponsorship of Wells Fargo.



Heal the Bay has been advocating on behalf of the ocean and clean water for 30 years. Last week, we took time out to revel in this milestone with staff, Heal the Bay members, and friends at two super celebrations: an evening “Party like it’s 1985” Birthday Bash for adults, followed two days later by a family party at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

Whether dancing the night away to 80’s tunes or decorating fish-shaped cookies at the Aquarium last Saturday, everyone had a terrific time celebrating the organization and all its accomplishments. Of course there are many to celebrate or their contributions to the festivities.

The gorgeously painted surfboards available at the silent auction were the work of artists Lindsey Nobel, John Colqui, Meex One and Norton Wisdom.

We are so grateful for the following vendors who helped make our evening Birthday Bash tasty, refreshing and fun:

Simmzy’s provided a delicious array of bites; thanks to Sam’s Club of Torrance for the yummy cupcakes; and Malibu Rum was the key ingredient of a signature 30th cocktail. Thanks also to Golden Road Brewing for sharing their L.A.-brewed IPAs and lagers.  

Fruit of the vine was flowing thanks to several wineries: Cline Cellars, Frontera, Rodney Strong, Francis Ford Coppola Winery  and Deutsch. And a very special shout-out to Corey Cline, long-time volunteer and former intern, friend of Heal the Bay, and principal wrangler of wine donations on our behalf!

Thanks also to Hotpoint – for donating a video booth that had everyone mugging and dancing up a storm.

Wells Fargo gave Heal the Bay a birthday present to last the year by sponsoring one free day a month at the Aquarium for the remainder of 2015. The Feb. 28 Family Birthday Bash was the first free day. Thanks also to the Los Angeles Public Library’s Store on Wheels for bringing their traveling book store/gift shop to the party.

And the party continues! For the remainder of 2015, Well Fargo’s generous present allows Aquarium visitors free admission the first Wednesday of the month from 2-5 p.m.



Dirty 30? Hardly!

Southern California’s coastline, beaches and inland watersheds are cleaner than ever, thanks to Heal the Bay’s 30 years of effective, passionate, science-driven environmental advocacy.

While we’re proud of our accomplishments over the past three decades, keeping our waterways clean and healthy requires constant vigilance and tenacity. While we would be thrilled if straight-A’s on our Beach Report Card gave us a reason to close our doors for good, the reality is that there’s enough work to do to keep us in business for at least another 30 years. (Probably more like 300.)

For now, however, get that scrolling finger limbered up. As we mark the 30th anniversary of our incorporation 30 Februarys ago, it’s the perfect time for a Heal the Bay history lesson!

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2014

  • In a major victory for Heal the Bay and ocean health, Sacramento passes SB 270, the long-awaited statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. An estimated 13 billion plastic bags will be kept out of the waste stream because of this groundbreaking legislation.
  • Heal the Bay led the legislative charge in Sacramento to enact AB 2403, making it easier for cities to secure public funding for multi-benefit water projects like stormwater capture facilities and wastewater recycling plants.

2013

  • Governor Jerry Brown signs AB 376 into law, banning the sale and possession of shark fins in California. Heal the Bay actively fought for a California ban on the sale of shark fins, holding rallies, writing op-eds and encouraging our supporters to call and send emails to Sacramento urging the horrific practice of shark finning to cease.

2012

  • A series of underwater parks, or Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), are established along California’s coast by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Heal the Bay staff and volunteers spent thousands of hours at public meetings to advocate for the protection of these special places, including two local spots – Palos Verdes and Point Dume. Now, marine life that live in select spots along the coast are protected from fishing to allow populations to recover and flourish.

2011

  • Heal the Bay debuts its Jeremy Irons-narrated mockumentary, “The Majestic Plastic Bag,” bringing awareness to the issue of single-use plastics in an offbeat, creative way. Racking up over 2 million views, this film put Heal the Bay in the spotlight as the leader in the legislative fight against the scourge of plastic pollution.

2010

  • Volunteers pick up the one-millionth pound of trash in celebration of Heal the Bay’s 20 years of coordinating Coastal Cleanup Day for Los Angeles County.

2009

  • The EPA awards Heal the Bay’s Angler Outreach Program its prestigious Citizen Excellence in Community Involvement and the National Environmental Justice Awards. These national awards recognize our outreach team and other project partners for their work educating anglers on DDT and PCB pollution off the coast of Palos Verdes and the dangers of eating specific species of fish caught between Santa Monica Pier and Seal Beach.

2008

  • Heal the Bay begins the long fight to end plastic trash in our oceans through advocating for local bans on Styrofoam and plastic bags and statewide efforts to encourage the use of reusable bags by levying a fee for single-use plastic and paper bags.

2005

  • Heal the Bay hosts the first Urban Watershed Summit. Today, Heal the Bay’s Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative connects the community leadership present in L.A.’s neighborhoods with our long history of grassroots activism to effectively address pollution in neighborhoods and communities.

2004

  • Proposition O, a measure to improve local water supplies and keep dangerous bacteria and toxic pollution from contaminating L.A.’s waterways, passes, thanks to aggressive advocacy by Heal the Bay.

2003

  • After years of pressure from Heal the Bay and a coalition of environmental advocates, Washington Mutual agrees to sell Ahmanson Ranch to the State of California, preserving 2,300 acres as parkland and ensuring a contiguous wildlife corridor “from the mountains to the sea.”
  • Heal the Bay-sponsored environmental literacy bill, AB 1548, passes in the state, authorizing comprehensive environmental education standards and curriculum in all disciplines for K-12 students.
  • Heal the Bay opens the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, bringing the Santa Monica Bay to life for an average of 100,000 visitors and students each year.

2001

  • The Clean Beach Initiative becomes law, dedicating $78 million for projects to help clean up and protect our coast, including $2 million for Mother’s Beach and $2 million for Surfrider Beach.

1999

  • Heal the Bay launches Key to the Sea, our “teach on the beach” environmental education program, reaching an average of 10,000 elementary school students each year with hands-on marine activities.

1998

  • The Beach Water Quality Act (AB 411) passes, creating statewide human health standards for beach water quality, establishing a public notification and closure system and mandating beach water quality monitoring.
  • Heal the Bay launches the Stream Team, a citizen-science initiative that gathers data and monitors the Malibu Creek Watershed and establishes baseline data for the sources of storm drain pollution and the locations of degraded habitat.

1997

  • A Heal the Bay study finds high levels of DDT and PCB contamination in 84% of commercially-caught white croaker, a fish popular for consumption among Asian-Americans. Today, our Angler Outreach Team has educated over 80,000 anglers on the health risks of eating contaminated fish.

1996

  • The 40 Day Fight, an intense 40-day lobbying and outreach effort, convinces the Regional Water Quality Control Board to pass a precedent-setting stormwater permit for L.A. County.

1995

  • Heal the Bay, along with USC, L.A. and Orange County, completes the first study examining the health effects of polluted water on people who swim in Santa Monica Bay.

1994

  • Heal the Bay works with more than 1,500 volunteers to restore the Point Dume headlands and the El Segundo Blue Butterfly Habitat Preserve.
  • Heal the Bay’s Gutter Patrol program begins stenciling more than 60,000 catch basins throughout L.A.

1990

  • Heal the Bay publishes the first Beach Report Card. Today, water quality at over 450 beaches in California, Oregon and Washington are graded every week.
  • Heal the Bay coordinates its first Coastal Cleanup Day, mobilizing thousands of Angelenos to clean up dozens of beaches in L.A. County. We’ve coordinated the County-wide effort every year since, averaging 15,000 volunteers and 40,000 lbs of trash.

1987

  • Heal the Bay’s Speakers Bureau is formed. The program now reaches more than 20,000 people every year.

1986

  • Thanks to Dorothy Green’s tireless advocacy, L.A.’s Hyperion Treatment Plant is ordered to stop dumping incompletely treated sewage into the Bay. Today, sewage pollution levels have decreased by over 90%.

1985

  • Heal the Bay is founded by Dorothy Green and a group of concerned L.A. citizens who could no longer endure the continued pollution of Santa Monica Bay.

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Swimming in the Bay

Unfortunate as it may be, humans can become ill from contact with polluted water found in Santa Monica Bay.

This fact was proven conclusively in 1995 through a groundbreaking epidemiological study designed to determine how exposure to ocean water bacteria relates to human illness. The study, which Heal the Bay assisted with, found that you are twice as likely to get sick swimming in front of a flowing storm drain compared to swimming in clean ocean water 400 yards away. The bottom line is that contact with ocean water with high bacteria levels increases one’s risk of getting sick.

The two most common illnesses contracted from contact with polluted ocean water are stomach flu & upper respiratory infections. Additional problems can include skin rashes and ear, nose and throat infections.

Wait at least 72 hours after a rain storm

When it rains, pollutants that have been accumulating on the streets and in the catch basins get whisked through the storm drain system to the ocean, dramatically increasing bacteria levels in the Bay. Heal the Bay recommends avoiding all ocean water contact during a storm and waiting at least 72 hours (3 days) after it has stopped raining before going into the ocean as well as avoiding storm drain impacted and enclosed beaches for 5 to 10 days after a storm. This provides time for bacteria levels to return to safe levels. And remember, over 95% of the time beaches along the Santa Monica Bay are safe in dry weather.

Avoid flowing storm drains

Swim at least 100 yards away from where the storm drain flow enters the surf. You are twice as likely to get sick if you swim in front of a flowing storm drain due to increased bacteria concentrations from urban runoff.

Do not play in storm drain puddles

Shallow puddles of water on the sand between a storm drain and the surf may appear safe, warm and inviting for children, but this water is urban runoff, filled with bacteria that can cause illness. Although there may not always be warning signs surrounding puddles of urban runoff, this water is never safe for swimming.

Avoid enclosed beaches

Many beaches named “Mother’s Beach” (e.g. in Marina del Rey, Los Angeles County) or “Baby Beach” (in Dana Point, Orange County) are enclosed with poor tidal circulation. Bacteria levels are usually much higher and tend to survive longer in duration at enclosed beaches than those exposed to the open ocean due to the lack of water circulation. Although enclosed beaches appear safe and inviting to children, parents should research water quality conditions carefully before allowing their children to swim at these beaches.

Eating Fish From the Bay

Is it safe to eat fish from Santa Monica Bay and Southern California coastal waters? It can be if you follow our precautions.

Many people catch and eat fish from the waters off the coasts of L.A. and Orange counties. Because fish from these areas may contain DDT, PCBs and methylmercury, people who consume such fish may be ingesting these chemical contaminants and putting their health at risk.  Heal the Bay’s Angler Outreach workers spend their days on local piers, talking to subsistence fishermen about how to avoid contaminated fish and lessen their exposure to these chemicals.

To safeguard your health when consuming fish caught in Santa Monica Bay and surrounding coastal waters, use the information below to reduce your risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. For additional information, visit the Fish Contamination Education Collaborative.

Avoid white croaker

White croaker (also called kingfish or tomcod) generally contains higher levels DDT and PCB than other fish from the Santa Monica Bay area. This is primarily because the white croaker is a non-migratory fish that feeds off the ocean floor where these chemicals have settled. In fact, a 1997 Heal the Bay study on the white croaker found that an astounding 84% of the samples tested exceeded EPA’s “acceptable cancer risk level” for DDT.

Avoid fishing in contaminated areas

Several areas exist along the coast of Los Angeles and Orange counties where fish are likely to contain higher levels of DDTs and PCBs than those fish caught outside of these areas. These contaminated areas include Cabrillo Pier, White Point, Pier J, Belmont Pier and Point Vicente. The highest levels of DDTs and PCBs in ocean sediment are found about one to three miles offshore of the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Follow the consumption recommendations 

Heed the Fish Consumption Recommendations, which shows how much of each fish caught from the different zones in the Bay one can safely eat (brochures and pocket guides). Since chemicals can pose greater health risks to babies and young children, it is particularly important for women of childbearing age, pregnant women, and nursing mothers to follow the fish consumption recommendations.



This Thank You Thursday is one big Valentine to our partners and the people of Hermosa Beach who joined us for our Pop-up Pep Rally on Feb. 7

Heal the Bay is going all out to defeat Big Oil in Hermosa Beach leading up to the city’s March 3rd vote on whether to keep the current moratorium on oil drilling in place. Together with partners Surfrider Foundation and Keep Hermosa Hermosa, we hosted a giant outdoor party that brought out the community for a celebratory day of community action, awareness, musical performances, food and good fun.

We couldn’t have done it without the generosity of Becker Surf Shop and its amazing (and musical!) management team of Bob Rich and Kira Lingman. Becker gave up its parking lot for the day and offered staggering discounts on merch while partygoers munched on cheesy deliciousness from The Grilled Cheese Truck and people of all ages made a show of hands (oily black hand prints, that is) for a Vote No On O banner–all to the rockin’ beat of Lingman and her band The Hollow Legs.

And the music never stopped, with guest appearances by The Spillage People (fabulously choreographed by our friends at The Pretenders Studio) and Allan Mason–Hermosa’s own Pete Seeger–who led the crowd in his anthem “Send em’ back to Bakersfield.”

It was an incredible day, and we’re so grateful for all our friends who helped make it happen!

Check out our Facebook album for pictures from the party!



Thanks so much to Kevin Weatherly, the senior vice president of programming at CBS Radio, and to all our friends at KROQ for their annual support through the station’s Weenie Roast benefit concert. We recently dropped by the station to pick up a very generous donation. We’re extremely proud of our 20-year partnership with KROQ!

Specials thanks also go out to the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation for its continued support of the Youth Environmental Education Program at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. The foundation’s support has made it possible for us to educate thousands of underserved youth throughout Los Angeles County.

Boys at the Touch Tanks



And they SCOOOOOooo-o-o-o-o-re!! The amazing staff at the Staples Center that is. Our passionate and devoted volunteers who make up the Heal the Bay Board of Directors were treated to a very special quarterly board meeting hosted at the Staples Center on Jan. 14.

With the important business of the day wrapped up, staff and board members enjoyed a Los Angeles Kings hockey game from their own plush suite in Hyde Lounge, complete with tasty beverages and snacks, and the best seats in the house.

Though our beloved Kings lost to the New Jersey Devils 5-3, everyone came away feeling like a winner, thanks to the gracious hospitality and generosity of Brian Hart, general manager at Hyde Staples, Laurel Washburn, sales and marketing Coordinator at Hyde, Ashley Sinclair, special events coordinator at Staples and Sanjay Bawan of RYG Events — definitely the “A” Team of event coordination!  Heal the Bay is deeply grateful for the support.

Speaking of support, last month’s Heal the Bay Youth Summit in Hermosa Beach received delicious help from Jeff Belandi, owner of Watermans Safe House for Surfers in Hermosa Beach. Belandi’s surf-centric restaurant provided lunch for our high school students, volunteers and staff. 

And finally thanks to Boeing for hosting a Corporate Healer Beach Cleanup earlier this week.  Fifty-nine employees cleaned the beach in Santa Monica, collecting 47 pounds of trash.



3 Life-saving Rules:

    1. After a rainfall of any severity, wait at least 3 days before entering the ocean.
    2. Always swim at least 100 yards away (the length of a football field) from a stormdrain outlet.
    3. Check the Beach Report Card for the most recent beach water quality grades before you head to the beach.

    For more safety tips, visit our Beach Report Card FAQ page.

      Barry Ault was 71, but you’d never have guessed it watching him surf. His style was daring and athletic, winning him the admiration of a generation of California surfers—as well as the U.S. Surfing Championship in the Master’s Category in 1970. But on Christmas Day, he fell victim to the waters at Sunset Cliffs, his break in San Diego. It wasn’t a rogue wave or freak accident, but something much smaller, more insidious: a staph infection.

      All signs point to polluted ocean water as Ault’s killer. The heavy rains that pummeled Southern California the week before Christmas sent billions of gallons of untreated urban runoff through the stormdrain system and into the ocean. His deadly strain of staph likely originated in this toxic brew. Ault, like countless other hardcore surfers, couldn’t resist the perfect post-storm waves and ignored the three-day rule, which urges beachgoers to wait 72 hours to enter the water after a rain in order to let harmful pathogens disperse. Sadly, his decision—an all-too-common one—had lethal consequences.  

      Ault’s death struck a deep emotional chord with Heal the Bay and the surfing community, and we weren’t even sure if we should publish this blog out of concern about appearing opportunistic. But in the end, we decided to honor Ault’s legacy by reminding other Californians that water quality isn’t an abstract scientific concept­—it can mean life or death.

      Heal the Bay has been Southern California’s coastal water quality watchdog for 30 years. Our Beach Report Card is already an indispensable safety tool for surfers and swimmers, but it’s about to get even better: We’re working to upgrade California’s current coastal public notification system to include beach water quality forecasting technology…so we never, ever have to write another blog like this one.

      San Diego Surfer Barry Ault Succumbs to Staph Infection

      Barry Ault, pictured doing what he loved the most: surfing and boating. Photo courtesy of The Inertia.



       

      Have a houseful of holiday guests? In need of an outing that won’t add too much stress to the already over-stretched wallet? Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium knows you’ll be looking for a fun destination to entertain all ages. Our marine science center will be open special holiday hours beginning Friday, Dec. 26th through Dec. 31st. Visit any of those days from 12:30 to 5:00 p.m.

      Tuesdays are feeding days, and visitors are invited to help feed the sea stars at 2:30 p.m. A presentation and feeding at the open top shark and ray exhibit can be a refreshing experience, as the sharks often spray water right out of their tanks while anticipating their meal.

      Any day of the week, guests can play hide and seek with an octopus, get a hug from a sea urchin, test their water conservation knowledge at the Watch Your Water exhibit, or put on a puppet show in the Aquarium’s puppet theater. 

      The Aquarium will be closed New Year’s Day, and return to regular public hours on Friday, January 2nd, which begin at 2 p.m.

      Festive Seahorse in a Santa Hat