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Heal the Bay Blog

Earth Day Party Fun for All Ages

04.22.2013 |

About UsHeal the Bay Aquarium

Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium saw more than 1500 people over the weekend. Visitors bounced between beach cleanups, the BlueGreen festival, and our expo of sustainable innovation held on the Pier deck and the Aquarium — here face painting, scavenger hunts and engaging presentations kept kids happily entertained – not to mention the 100+ species of marine species on exhibit. And some quenched their thirst in Pier establishments serving Golden Road Brewing’s Heal the Bay India Pale Ale (IPA) Some highlights: 

  • Public Educator Wyatt Miller had all ages in the palm of his hand as he mugged his way through a program called “Who Pollutes?”
  • Volunteer Dr. Rene Bombien, put on a lab coat on his day off to play veterinarian with young visitors in the Aquarium’s science lab, where pint-sized vets recorded the “vitals” of various stuffed animal marine sea creatures: oil-slicked birds, sea lions with plastic six-pack rings around their necks and a plastic bag-choked pelican. 
  • Curby, Santa Monica’s recycling robot, spent Saturday afternoon next to the Aquarium, telling kids about the importance of recycling. A full-sized recycling truck was nearby, where visitors tried their skill at maneuvering the truck’s mechanical arms used to pick up the big blue recycling bins.
  • The BlueGreen Festival along the Pier deck’s Central Plaza, was bustling with folks checking out the ocean-inspired art of Heal the Bay partner Erik Abel.
  • Sazzi Toe Motion brought their new take on the flip-flop: a sandal (made of 100% recyclable materials) that has multiple toe posts, allowing for better grip for water sports.  
  • Santa Monica Farmers’ Market volunteers were dishing out delectable organic, in-season fruits and veggies and including recipe cards as a bonus.
  • The Aquarium’s Nick Fash and Philip Soza of Golden Road Brewing used their charms to sell eco-mugs made of bamboo — perfect for the debut of Golden Road’s latest brew: Heal the Bay IPA! 

Check out more festive photos on the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium Facebook page.

— Randi Parent

Aquarium Outreach Manager

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As Goes Maryland, So Goes L.A.?

04.18.2013 |

News

We may live on opposite coasts, but pollution runoff affects us all and Marylanders did something about it.

In 2012, Maryland passed legislation that would require the city of Baltmore and the state’s nine largest counties to implement stormwater pollution fees to raise revenue to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, serving up some lessons that we can apply here in Los Angeles as we work on our own Clean Water, Clean Beaches measure.

Since its passage at the state level, Maryland’s counties have either approved, or are working to approve, fees their officials find fair for homeowners and businesses…stirring up plenty of debate along the way. In fact, what opponents have termed the “rain tax,” has thrust the mid-Atlantic state’s water pollution solution into the national spotlight. (A similar program was recently enacted in Philadelphia, resulting in a 25-year “Green City, Clean Waters” plan)

An April 16 op-ed in the Baltimore Sun argued in favor of the new fees and disputed the “rain tax” moniker:

“This isn’t merely about protecting the bay (although that alone would justify the program) but also about protecting the health of freshwater drinking supplies and preventing local flooding, two issues that should strike most Marylanders pretty close to home. …We aren’t taxing rain, we’re taxing the pollution all of us generate, however unintentionally. The rain is just the vehicle by which that pollution is swept away.”

We Angelenos can relate, as we import drinkable water and dare not swim in the ocean too soon after a rainfall, so as not to be sickened by pollution runoff. Flooding is also a potential result of climate change here in Southern California.

Which is why we’re working on funding projects that capture and filter rainwater through the passage of the Clean Water Clean Beaches measure, keeping runoff pollution out of our waterways and bolstering groundwater supplies, which could eventually be used for drinking water.

The L.A. County Board of Supervisors put the measure on hold in March, but we at Heal the Bay remain hard at work to keep it as strong as possible. The consequences of not doing anything are just too dire.

Concerned about sustainable water supply in Los Angeles? So are we. Contact your Los Angeles County supervisor to support the “Clean Water, Clean Beaches” measure.

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Bringing the Ocean to the Capitol

04.18.2013 |

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To help educate California state legislators about the ecological and economic importance of the sea to all Californians, Heal the Bay staff joined our fellow environmental advocates in the 6th annual Ocean Day at the state Capitol on April 16, 2013. The event lets us work with policymakers to find effective legislative solutions that protect and restore California’s iconic ocean and coastline.

Ocean Day participants, representing over a dozen non-governmental organizations, were able to stop by the offices of all 120 California senators and assemblymembers to discuss preventing stormwater runoff and plastic pollution, the success of California’s Marine Life Protection Act, and the impacts of climate change to California’s inland and coastal communities.

The timing of Ocean Day couldn’t have been better. Two important bills that would help prevent plastic pollution from trashing our communities and beaches were heard in the Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee the day after the event: SB 405 and SB 529.

SB 405, introduced by Sen. Padilla (D-Pacoima), would phase out single-use plastic bags in California grocery stores, convenience stores, liquor stores, and pharmacies and place a charge on single-use paper bags with the hope of encouraging people to bring reusable bags. The bill cleared the Senate Environmental Quality Committee with the votes of Sens. Hill (D-San Mateo), Hancock (D-Berkeley), Leno (D-San Francisco), Corbett (D-Hayward) and Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). It will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Heal the Bay has long supported passage of a statewide single-use bag bill as a means to comprehensively address the negative environmental and economic impacts caused by single-use plastic bags, and Ocean Day presented another opportunity to educate legislators on plastic pollution before this critical Committee vote. As Sen. Padilla noted in a news release about the committee hearing, “Single-use plastic bags are not just a coastal issue. In our mountains, the winds blow discarded bags up into the trees, you can also find them in our rivers and streams, in our parks, and throughout our communities. It is a statewide problem that deserves a statewide solution — a solution that focuses on reducing the use of plastic bags.” We will continue to work with Sen. Padilla’s office to ensure passage of this important (and long-overdue) piece of legislation.

Another bill supported by Heal the Bay – SB 529, introduced by Sen. Leno (D-San Francisco) – would move fast-food chain restaurants away from foamed polystyrene and other nonrecyclable/noncompostable plastics, again with the hope of encouraging more sustainable packaging options. The bill also passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee with the votes of Sens. Hill, Hancock, Corbett, Leno and Jackson. It will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Novelist Ralph Ellison said that education is all a matter of building bridges. Ocean Day was an opportunity for Heal the Bay and others to reach out to legislators and educate them on the problem of plastic pollution and possible legislative solutions. This information was clearly heard by legislators, and today’s Environmental Quality Committee hearing was an important step in ending California’s addition to single-use plastics. Stay tuned for updates on these bills throughout the legislative session!

— Kathryn Benz, Heal the Bay Policy Analyst

Live in the city of Los Angeles? Urge your councilmember to finalize the single-use bag ordinance that will keep plastic bags from trashing our communities and beaches!

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Cheers to Golden Road Brewing's Heal the Bay IPA

04.17.2013 |

About UsMore Ways to Give

Heading east, away from the beach and the surf, we were on a mission. The destination: Golden Road Brewing, just north of downtown. They had a special treat waiting for Heal the Bay staffers. Today was the day that the Heal the Bay IPA (India Pale Ale) would be tried and tested.

The partnership between Heal the Bay and Golden Road Brewing is a seemingly perfect match. The two-year old brewery, founded by Tony Yanow and Meg Gill, an avid surfer and swimmer, focuses on sustainability, local followers, doing things right for the community and jumpstarting a local movement of craft beer making. Other than the beer making, Heal the Bay’s focus has been on a similar trajectory for nearly 30 years.

The carbonation would be added later that night, but we sampled the essence of the ale, the brainchild of Golden Road’s team led by lead brewer Cole Hackbarth and brewmaster Jesse Houck. Both herald from places with histories of great brewers – Cole from Oregon and Jesse from San Francisco – but wanted to kick start that same passion in a place known for its love with food, drink and beautiful beaches: our home, Los Angeles.

When asked about how a beer that would represent Heal the Bay was created, I was given a beautifully worded description of the “two-row base malt, layered with three different hops (Citra, Centennial & Nelson Sauvin) that would bring about a citrus and fresh flavor to a light and drinkable IPA.” Yes I love it… but after a few more tastes and some casual banter in their “brewers” room, I got to see the artistic, yet scientific, nature of brewing at its best. Words that are associated with Heal the Bay, like “Summertime,” “Fresh” and “CLEAN” came up when they put their fine minds together to create a beer that would proudly wear the name of Heal the Bay. There it was! A beautiful partnership of a local brewer and their fine craftsmanship, representing Heal the Bay’s years of hard work to make our oceans, fresh, light and CLEAN – all in an IPA!

Golden Road’s Heal the Bay IPA will debut this Saturday when the new brew will be full of carbonation and available for everyone and anyone to try at the Santa Monica Pier for the Earth Day Blue/Green Festival. Just $10 gets you a sustainable bamboo pint mug and tastes of three different Golden Road beers at three Santa Monica Pier establishments (Big Deans, Rusty’s Surf Ranch and Santa Monica Pier Seafood) all the while supporting a clean ocean just in time for the start of summer.

— Nick Fash, Heal the Bay Education Specialist

Golden Road Brewing

Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium staff joins the Golden Road Brewing beer gurus for a toast to the ocean. (Photo by Golden Road Brewing)

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Déjà Vu: EPA Threatens to Ax Beach Funds

04.16.2013 |

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Uh oh. Here we go again.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is once again recommending the complete elimination of the Beaches Grant Program, a key initiative for protecting public health at our nation’s beaches. Nearly $10 million in monitoring money is on the chopping block in the administration’s recently issued federal budget proposal for fiscal year 2014.

This is a déjà vu moment from last year, as EPA made a similar proposal for FY 2013. Luckily, program cuts were avoided then, thanks to Heal the Bay and our partner groups’advocacy and efforts from a group of 19 U.S. Senators including California’s Boxer and Feinstein.

Routine beach water monitoring, funded through the Beaches Grant Program, is essential for identifying polluted waters and promptly notifying the 90 million plus beachgoers who visit America’s beaches every year of potential waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea, nausea, ear and eye infections and skin rashes.

The majority of state beach programs are completely funded through federal grants. In California, federal money accounts for approximately one-third of the total funding of these critical programs (the state contributes about $1 million). The proposed cut is extremely concerning as states are only obligated to implement beach programs when federal funding is provided.

If implemented, these cuts will likely have a major impact on beach programs nationwide , including reduction in the number of monitoring locations, less frequent monitoring and elimination of off-season water testing programs. Reduced monitoring could compromise not only public health protection but also the ability to track chronically polluted beaches. Failure to protect public health will also endanger the coastal tourism and recreation economies that contributed over $61 billion to the GDP in 2009.

As Heal the Bay prepares for the May release of our 23rd Annual Beach Report Card, which provides annual water quality grades for approximately 650 beaches along the West Coast, we are concerned about the fate of beach water quality monitoring in the coming year.

Again, we call upon our Congressional representatives to take action against this proposal and for the public to sound their concerns. Historically, Congress has appropriated between $9.75 and $10 million to fund beach programs, and they should continue this level of funding to support our valuable coastal tourism-based economies and to protect beachgoers from getting sick from exposure to polluted water. While we understand that some cuts must be made in these difficult financial times, compromising public health is not truly a cost savings.

–– Kirsten James

Science and Policy Director, Water Quality

Visit Heal the Bay partner Surfrider Foundation to contact your representatives in D.C. and let them know that you have the right to know if a day at the beach could make you sick.  

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Update: Beached Sea Lions to Find Shelter

04.12.2013 |

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At long last we have some good news to share regarding the sea lion pup crisis. While we have yet to identify the cause of the huge spike in sea lion strandings, the California Wildlife Center, just let us know that they’ve begun construction of an emergency seal rehabilitation facility in the Santa Monica Mountains.

With most of the funding in place, supplies are being delivered and expedited, and the Center hopes to have this temporary shelter up and running within two weeks! At the very least, these animals will receive the care they need while we investigate the causes of their illness. This shelter will be used to house seals, as the sea lions have filled the Marine Mammal Care Center, which normally cares for the seals that typically strand at this time of year.

We thank our partners and supporters who galvanized to fulfill this major effort, such as our friends at the California Community Foundation. Compelled by the news of the strandings, our Development staff reached out to a colleague at CCF to see if one of their donors could provide the funding help needed. Within a work day, a match was found. Science and Policy staff also contacted the Waitt Foundation, which issued a challenge grant that to date has raised $50,000.

The Center still seeks donations to meet their fundraising goal.

While Heal the Bay does not work specifically with wildlife, our work is focused on keeping our oceans – and therefore the animals that live there—healthy. We are proud to be able to call upon our partners within our philanthropic network to help ease the pain of these animals. In the meantime, our staff continues to work to address the many facets of ocean pollution, striving to make real and positive change.

 

There are many ways to help. Donate items from California Wildlife Center’s Amazon wishlist to help alleviate this crisis.  The center’s first volunteer trainings for marine mammal rehabilitation have been scheduled!  Individuals can sign up to attend one of the orientation sessions below:

  • Saturday, April 20 at 10 a.m.
  • Saturday, April 20 at 3 p.m.
  • Wednesday, April 24 at 6 p.m.

Depending on the response, additional training sessions might be added.  Due to the amount of training and the skill level volunteers will need to develop, those interested in volunteering will need to be available to work at least one 4-6 hour shift every week.  RSVP to Cynthia Reyes.  

You can also donate to The Waitt Foundation challenge grant. Every dollar contributed by the public will be matched one-to-one by the Waitt Foundation and dedicated to the direct and urgent care of stranded sea lion pups.

Also, stay up-to-date via the California Wildlife Center’s Facebook page.

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Thank You Thursday – 4.11.13

04.11.2013 |

About UsMore Ways to Give

At Heal the Bay we celebrate Earth Day all month long. (Actually, all year long, but who’s counting?)

Throughout the month of April, you’ll probably see us out in the community at Earth Day events all across Los Angeles. We couldn’t possibly fulfill all of the requests we receive from schools, companies and community groups without our Speakers Bureau volunteers, who pitch in to help us spread our message.

We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate our winter graduating class of Speakers! They devoted three afternoons and one morning to learning about water pollution and solutions and are now trained to answer questions about our work to improve the Santa Monica Bay. An extra big thanks to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) for allowing us to use their beautiful space at the Los Angeles River Center to host our training. If you haven’t visited the L.A. River Center yet, you should definitely go check out this hidden urban gem!

Laker award to Heal the Bay

The Los Angeles Lakers tipped off Earth Month by joining us for a beach cleanup at Dockweiler. As if helping us remove 66 pounds weren’t enough, we also received a Lakers Eco All-Star award from East West Bank. We are grateful for the recognition and for the opportunity to share our Earth-friendly message with Laker fans before the game on April 12 at L.A. Live. (Hockey fans: Look for us on April 13 before the Kings game!)

Not to be outdone, Fox Corp. Broadcasting beach cleanupers were small in number, but mighty, with 20 people picking up nearly 100 pounds of trash near the Santa Monica Pier! That’s including the remnants of a romantic interlude with 97 candles and red roses and 2.5 feet worth of cigarette butts (ew!). The week before, Blackstone Consulting brought 22 people to the beach in Santa Monica, removing 42.5 pounds of debris.

Fox is also donating items to the silent auction at our upcoming Bring Back the Beach gala on May 16. Thank you, Fox!

And, as the weather warms, it’s time to start checking the Beach Report Card to make sure the water at your favorite beach is safe, healthy and clean. We thank simplehuman for its longtime support of this public health tool.

Find an Earth Month opportunity near you.

Learn how to take your love of the Earth to the next level, by volunteering with Heal the Bay throughout the year.

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L.A. Candidates Answer Enviro Questions

04.10.2013 |

About Us

It’s not often that candidates running for Los Angeles City Council, City Attorney, and City Controller offices have an occasion to appear at the same event, but on April 1, candidates running in the May 21 election gathered at a unique forum to answer questions about the environment, transportation, the economy and their vision for a better Los Angeles.

Candidates from City Council districts 1, 6, 9 and 13, as well as the candidates running for City Attorney and City Controller, responded to questions from panelists, offering their ideas about how to address local issues like increasing the scope and accessibility of public transportation, conserving water resources, reducing poor air quality impacts on public health, increasing open space and urban greening, preparing for climate change impacts, attracting green jobs to Los Angeles, and mitigating environmental justice hot spots.

The event was well-attended by members of the public and various non-profit organizations, and staff from local city agencies.  The dialogue offered the public the chance to question candidates directly on these issues. The discussions between candidates were lively—sometimes heated—and the forum offered the candidates the opportunity to further distinguish themselves from their opponents and sharpen their positions on critical issues that will affect all Angelenos.

Watch video coverage from the Candidate Forum for the following races:

Heal the Bay was proud to sponsor the forum along with a broad coalition of organizations, including Climate Resolve, the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, Tree People and Green LA Coalition. After all, the individuals who will be elected on May 21 will shape and influence Los Angeles environmental, transportation and economic policies for the foreseeable future.  

Read the candidates’ positions on these important issues here.  

Follow the Los Angeles Times’ coverage of the event.

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Clean Beaches a Slam Dunk With L.A. Lakers

04.08.2013 |

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Spring has sprung. And for Heal the Bay staffers, that means the beginning of a busy Earth Month 2013.

We kicked off the festivities Saturday afternoon with a special cleanup with the Los Angeles Lakers at Dockweiler Beach. Nearly 100 fans helped remove 66 pounds of ocean-bound debris from the sand and nearby dunes, including a rusted-out shovel and lots of plastic bottle caps.

Laker players Darius Morris and Robert Sacre hustled to Dockweiler following afternoon practice to lend a hand. Even after a long workout, the gracious duo wore big smiles and asked a lot of questions as they marched up and down the sand, blue Heal the Bay buckets in hand.

Morris, a native of nearby Hawthorne, did make one unfortunate discovery. He stumbled upon the carcass of a sea lion pup that had washed ashore, a victim of the wave of unfortunate strandings that has hit Southern California beaches.

Afterward, the players helped out with our raffle, then patiently posed for photos and signed autographs with fans, staff members from sponsor East West Bank and the Heal the Bay crew.

Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to participate in a number of community events with the city’s professional sports teams, including baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, hockey’s Los Angeles Kings and soccer’s Chivas USA.

On April 22, we will be hosting another cleanup with the LA Kings and will be recognized during the game the night before. On April 12 and 13, we also will be participating in an eco-awareness outreach event before Kings and Lakers games at Staples Center and LA Live.

If you can’t make it to any of the games, there are dozens of other Earth Month opportunities with Heal the Bay this April.

Please consider volunteering or becoming a member today.

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Help the Hundreds of Sick Sea Lions Along Our Shores

04.03.2013 |

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UPDATE APRIL 12, 2013: The California Wildlife Center has begun construction of an emergency seal rehabilitation facility in the Santa Monica Mountains. Read more.

For the last couple of weeks, Heal the Bay staff have fielded questions about the hundreds of sea lion pups washing up on our local beaches. We love these animals too, so we’re very concerned. We’ve contacted our partners and compiled the latest information to inform you of the current status of this crisis.

The local California Wildlife Center (CWC) and other rescue/rehab places are inundated, and CWC is trying to raise emergency funds via grants and donations to set up a temporary rescue and rehab center for the overflow of seals and sea lions in L.A. You can donate to their efforts.

In addition to the rescue and rehabilitation efforts, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is assembling an independent team of scientists to review data collected and to determine potential next steps. NOAA’s investigative team is in the process of developing a plan to test samples from both live and dead animals. Blood and tissue samples will be tested for bacterial, viral and other infectious agents. Samples will also be tested for radio-nucleotides. Results will be available in 1-3 months, and you can track the progress at California Sea Lion Unusual Mortality Event.

This is the sixth UME involving California sea lions that has occurred in California. Prior UMEs were declared in 1991, 1992, 1998, 2000 and 2002. Previous UMEs were caused by leptospirosis (1991), El Niño conditions (1992) and domoic acid toxicity (1998, 2000, 2002).

If you find a marine animal in distress:

  • Don’t touch! Do not pick up, pour water on or feed the animal. They are wild animals and can bite. They also are easily stressed by humans.
  • Do not return the animal to the water. Seals and sea lions temporarily “haul-out” on land to rest. Harbor seal mothers often leave their pups ashore while they’re feeding at sea. A beached whale, dolphin, or porpoise should be reported immediately.
  • Give the animal its space. Maintain a distance of at least 50 feet. Keep people and dogs away.
  • Call California Wildlife Center at 310-458-WILD if you find a distressed marine mammal in Malibu, or Marine Mammal Rescue at 1-800-39-WHALE for Santa Monica to Long Beach. For other areas, consult our list below of rescue and rehabilitation groups in Southern California. When calling, it’s important that you be able to identify your location and provide details of the animal and its condition.

Southern California Rescue and Rehab Groups:

Want to do more? Donate items from California Wildlife Center’s Amazon wishlist to help alleviate this crisis, or stay up-to-date via the California Wildlife Center’s Facebook page.

You can also donate to The Waitt Foundation challenge grant. Every dollar contributed by the public will be matched one-to-one by the Waitt Foundation and dedicated to the direct and urgent care of stranded sea lion pups.

 

— Dana Roeber Murray, Heal the Bay’s Marine and Coastal Scientist

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