Heal the Bay Blog

Weather Underground, HTB Partner on Beach Report Card

05.07.2012 | Heal the Bay

Just in time for summer vacation planning, weather information site Weather Underground is now providing Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card grades to beachgoers in California and the Pacific Northwest on its Beach Weather pages, potentially reaching 12.5 million users each month in the U.S.

Not just weather geeks, but tourists, surfers and swimmers alike can assess water quality before heading to the shore, as well as real-time weather forecasts, wind conditions and tidal phases. Live webcams and satellite images also document up-to-the minute conditions.

Grades from our Beach Report Card are also available as a free iPhone or Android app and at www.beachreportcard.org.

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Greetings from “Camp by the Water”

05.07.2012 | Heal the Bay

Heal the Bay Aquarium Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Santa Monica Venice Beach

Today’s blog post is by Aquarium Education Specialist Amanda Jones

Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!

Greetings from Camp, by the Water

Having so much fun, by the pier

Discovering creatures from deep and seashore near

Open Ocean and Rocky Shore

Are two habitats we’ll explore

Sea cucumbers are full of goo

They’ll teach us about sharks, fishes and big whales too

Plastic bottles and pollution

Not the smartest evolution

Kids empowered will save the day

Marine habitats are cleaner, thanks to Heal the Bay!

Camps are week-long or just one day

This gives you parents time to play

Arts and crafts and instruction, too

Teachers Nick and Amanda are waiting for you

If this happens, your kids will pout

It is simple, sign up online

We promise their experience will be sublime!

(with thanks to Amilcare Ponchielli and Allan Sherman)

For more information and to register, phone (310) 393-6149, ext. 103, or learn more about our range of summer science education programs.

Enroll your 1^st-5^th grader now in Summer Science Adventure Camp. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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The Fight for Clean Water Is On

05.04.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Long Beach / Avalon Los Angeles Stormwater Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

May 4, 2012

Heal the Bay’s campaign to “Take L.A. By Storm” got off to a great start yesterday, with concerned citizens telling the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control board to set strong pollution limits as it debates a new stormwater permit for Los Angeles County this summer.

At the so-called MS4 workshop, Regional Board members heard public testimony about TMDLs (pollution limits), Receiving Water Limits and Watershed Management Plans for the first time in the regulatory process. These are arguably the most important sections of the permit. Heal the Bay, Santa Monica Baykeeper and Natural Resources Defense Council reminded the Board of its charge to develop and enforce water quality standards, noted the lack of enforcement for TMDL deadlines long overdue and described key permit provisions.

Stakeholders from the Black Surfing Association, Surfrider Foundation and Ventura Coastkeeper expressed their concerns with lax sections of the draft permit. Also members of the public from many parts of L.A., including Compton, Pico Union, West Hollywood, the San Fernando Valley and Santa Monica, talked about the need for strong regulation. Due to the great public turnout at yesterday’s MS4 workshop, the Regional Board heard from a diverse set of ocean lovers that strong water quality protections are critical for Angelenos.

Stay tuned for the next “Take L.A. By Storm” action.

Our Regional Board can do the right thing and place strong protections (such as low impact development requirements) in the permit. Or, they can make decisions that could result in dirtier water, and a higher risk of getting sick anytime you swim or surf. Heal the Bay will do everything we can to ensure that they make the right choice. We hope you will join us in the fight!

Learn more about this critical effort to protect clean water in L.A. County.

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A Swell Gift Idea for Mother’s Day

05.01.2012 | Heal the Bay

California Sharks Heal the Bay Aquarium More Ways to Give Santa Monica

Mother’s Day is right around the corner and what better way to celebrate motherhood than to adopt one of the swell sharks at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium?

Adult female swell sharks, their developing swell shark pups still incubating in egg casings and newborn shark pups are all available for fostering through the Aquarium’s Aquadoption program. Aquadoption at the Aquarium is an important way to connect with the marine environment, support an animal on exhibit and gain a greater understanding of the amazing ocean habitat of the Santa Monica Bay.

An Aquadoption gift not only assists in the feeding and care of an animal, it also funds the maintenance of exhibits and the ongoing education and advocacy efforts core to Heal the Bay’s mission. Swell sharks are one of eight species available for adoption, ranging in price from $25 to $750, depending upon the animal. Whether you purchase a yearlong adoption for Mom, for a friend or for a child or grandparent – or foster an animal yourself – it is the gift that keeps on giving on behalf of marine life welfare.

Visit the Aquarium to get acquainted with prospective adoptees.

Swell Sharks at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

Adopt a Swell Shark for Mother’s Day!

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Plastic Pieces Push Deeper Into Oceans

04.30.2012 | Heal the Bay

Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

The answer is blowing in the wind for oceanographers who have discovered that gusts of wind push plastic debris below the surface of the water, rendering previous data gathered by skimming the surface inaccurate.

After taking samples of water at a depth of 16 feet (5 meters), Giora Proskurowski, a researcher at the University of Washington, discovered that wind was pushing the lightweight plastic particles below the surface. That meant that decades of research into how much plastic litters the ocean, conducted by skimming only the surface, may in some cases vastly underestimate the true amount of plastic debris in the oceans, Proskurowski said.

Reporting in the journal of Geophysical Research Letters this month, Proskurowski and co-lead author Tobias Kukulka, University of Delaware, said that data collected from just the surface of the water commonly underestimates the total amount of plastic in the water by an average factor of 2.5. In high winds the volume of plastic could be underestimated by a factor of 27.

“That really puts a lot of error into the compilation of the data set,” Proskurowski said. The paper also detailed a new model that researchers and environmental groups can use to collect more accurate data in the future.

The team plans to publish a “recipe” that simplifies the model so that a wide range of groups investigating ocean plastics, including those that aren’t oceanographers, can easily use the model. Following the recipe, which is available now by request, might encourage some consistency among the studies, he said.

“On this topic, what science needs to be geared toward is building confidence that scientists have solid numbers and that policy makers aren’t making judgments based on CNN reports,” he said. Descriptions of the so-called great Pacific garbage patch in widespread news reports may have led many people to imagine a giant, dense island of garbage while in fact the patch is made up of widely dispersed, millimeter-size pieces of debris, he said.

Plastic waste in the oceans is a concern because of the impact it might have on the environment. For instance, when fish ingest the plastics, it may degrade their liver functions. In addition, the particles make nice homes for bacteria and algae, which are then transported along with the particles into different regions of the ocean where they may be invasive and cause problems.

Read more about Heal the Bay’s work to reduce marine debris.

To support a ban on single-use plastic bags in the city of Los Angeles, take action.

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Shining the Green Light in 'Hub City'

04.27.2012 | Heal the Bay

Long Beach / Avalon Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey South Bay Venice Beach

Today’s guest blogger is Edward Murphy, secondary education coordinator at Heal the Bay

April 27, 2012

Throughout April, as we here at Heal the Bay celebrated Earth Month, I got to spend time with my favorite students and community groups in Compton at their events. Compton is living up to its nickname, “The Hub City,” as it’s the center of so much good, green activity.

As a teacher and community advocate, my favorite part of this job is watching the ‘click’ happen in students’ faces as they begin to see their neighborhood in a new light, a particularly green light. Better than that? The moment when I get to watch students begin to see themselves as a “light bearer,” championing that new greener perspective and getting to see what a difference their two hands can make. And over the past week spent at green events in Compton, I got to witness students transforming into eco-champions.

First, on the Friday before Earth Day, “Vampire Diaries” star Ian Somerhalder and his foundation spent some time with Compton High School’s Recycling Club in their outdoor classroom, where he got to hear just how committed they are to the health of their campus and community. Ian and students discussed greener passions, keeping the neighborhood clean, and how students can transform the campus space with just a few hours of commitment and a few drops of perspiration.

To finish off the event, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation presented the students with a grant to help along the building of their outdoor classroom, providing them resources towards a new vegetable garden. I wish I could describe the look in their eyes, but I’ll just let you see for yourself.

The next day, I got to hang out with the most gregarious and passionate woman to walk the pebbles of Compton Creek, Rhonda Webb, at Compton’s Earth Day event. From trees to recycling to gardening to green event planning, many came together to share information with the community about how they can be part of making their neighborhood more environmentally-driven. In Rhonda’s words, never has there been this kind of energy in Compton, and it was refreshing for her – and for me too — to be able to celebrate Earth Day for the first time within the city. Kids heard the word from our fellow environmental education groups, such as Tree People, and in turn taught their parents who strolled by our tables. Clicks everywhere!

So the word for this Earth Month, at least for me, was “growing,” as the spirit of cleaner streets and cleaner creeks is growing in Compton, and they are growing strong! With their lights a shinin’, those same students, as well as Rhonda and other members of the community, are going to put their hands to work to work to bring health back into their community and come out strong on May 6 for the Big Sunday Cleanup at Compton Creek.

Find out more about Heal the Bay’s wide range of classroom opportunities.

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Get Ready to Fight for Clean Water

04.25.2012 | Heal the Bay

Los Angeles Stormwater Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula South Bay Venice Beach

Today’s guest blogger is Kirsten James, Heal the Bay’s director of water quality.

The federal Clean Water Act turns 40 this year. Water quality has come a long way since 1972 but we’ve still got a lot of work to do to ensure that our waters remain safe and healthy. Our nation’s rivers are no longer catching on fire (e.g. the Cuyahoga River, circa 1969) but many waterbodies are still unsafe for swimming and contain severely contaminated fish.

One of the pillars of the CWA is the stormwater permitting program. Municipal stormwater permits regulate all urban runoff discharge from separate storm sewer systems, so-called MS4s. Because stormwater is the No. 1 source of coastal pollution in California, these permits are a big deal for ensuring public health for those who recreate in our local waters. It’s also a major part of my job – ensuring that water quality regulations are as protective as they can be. And now ocean lovers have a major fight on their hands in Los Angeles County.

In 2001, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a municipal stormwater permit for Los Angeles County. The Regional Board is now considering a new permit for the county, after years of delay. As the board begins making critical decisions regarding the new permit, Heal the Bay is concerned about lobbying interests looking to weaken existing protections.

Board hearings over the summer will determine the fate of our local water quality for the next decade or more. We are at a fork in the road in terms of local water quality, with many cities and dischargers fighting hard to relax hard-won regulations that prevent them from dumping pollution into our waterways.

Our Regional Board can do the right thing and place strong protections (including pollution limits or TMDLs and low impact development requirements) in the permit. Or, they can make decisions that could result in dirtier water, and a higher risk of getting sick anytime you swim or surf. Heal the Bay will do everything we can to ensure that they make the right choice. We hope you will join us in the fight!

If you care about protecting the ocean and public health, we need you to make your voice heard. We need beachgoers of all stripes to attend a Regional Board workshop on May 3 designed to gather community input about local water quality regulations.

To fight for clean rivers, beaches and oceans, join our campaign: Taking L.A. by Storm (download flyer).

Attend the May 3 Regional Board workshop, the first of the hearings this summer, and let them know you want to be able safely swim at our beaches or fish in our rivers. Please help protect what you love.

To join us, RSVP with your name, email and ZIP Code.

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Schools Get a Kick Out of Recycling

04.25.2012 | Heal the Bay

Long Beach / Avalon Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

April 25, 2012

Today’s guest blogger is Melissa Aguayo, speakers bureau manager at Heal the Bay

We are in the middle of the second week of Chivas USA’s Recycling Competition in which Castelar Elementary and Glassel Park Elementary duke it out to see which school can fill up the most recycle bins in two weeks.

Heal the Bay has once again teamed up with Chivas USA, the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation and the Aquarium of the Pacific to help get kids aware and excited about recycling.

We kicked off the competition with some educational and fun assemblies, which hosted a number of special, surprise guests including Chivas USA players Michael Lahoud and Rauwshan McKenzie, the ChivaFighter, the aquarium’s Ray mascot and the notorious ChicoBag Monster!

Both elementary schools will earn incredible prizes just for participating, such as tickets to a Chivas USA game. The winning school will get to join us for one of our fieldtrips out on the beach, as well as some cool prizes to raffle off like signed jerseys and even an Xbox.

Glassel Park Elementary is currently in the lead with 40 bins total…in just one week! However, Castelar Elementary is not far behind with 30 bins full and they still have an entire week to catch up. Check back next week to see which school will win the Recycling Champ title.

Learn more about our Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Environment initiative.

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Spiny Lobsters: Key to the Kelp

04.24.2012 | Dana Murray

Malibu / Pacific Palisades Palos Verdes Peninsula South Bay

Today’s blogger is Dana Roeber Murray, a marine and coastal scientist at Heal the Bay

As a recreational and scientific diver, I’ve seen the California spiny lobster ‑ an ecologically important species in our local kelp forests, as well as an important commercial and recreational fishery – in varying population densities along our coastline and out at the Channel Islands.

A predatory species that can be found hiding in dens under rock ledges, lobsters are an important key to maintaining marine biodiversity in our local waters because they prey upon kelp-consuming species such as sea urchins. This in turn helps to balance species abundance in kelp forest ecosystems. In essence, spiny lobster help to provide a stable ecosystem for other species that live in and rely on kelp for food and habitat.

I’ve been diving in “urchin barrens” along our coast and on the backside on Anacapa Island where spiny lobster are hard to come by – places where kelp forests have been completely consumed by urchins, leading to ecosystems that are dominated by just a few species like purple urchins and brittle stars.

To find out more about the future sustainability of our local lobsters, I attended a recent public meeting focused on managing California’s spiny lobster fishery. The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is developing a Fishery Management Plan that aims to sustain their populations for years to come.

The planning process has already begun via series of public meetings, the first of which I attended as Heal the Bay’s marine and coastal scientist, along with two Science & Policy interns. Katja Borowski, Heal the Bay intern and Santa Monica College student, observed that “it was a very civilized exchange of thoughts and ideas between groups with different interests and needs, and it seemed that while everyone clearly tried to pursue their ideas, the welfare of the spiny lobster was high on everybody’s agenda.”

This plan is required under the Marine Life Management Act, and will be developed using the best scientific data available on spiny lobster natural history, recreational and commercial fishery data, and the effects lobster fisheries have on marine ecosystems. In addition to a series of public meetings and public reviews of the planning process, the DFG will be putting together a Lobster Advisory Committee made up of volunteers including recreational fishermen, marine scientists, government, commercial fishermen, NGOs and non-consumptive, recreational users.

This committee will meet regularly and have a major role in the planning process. California’s Ocean Protection Council has provided a grant to support the lobster fishery management planning process and the DFG should have a fishery management plan for California spiny lobster finished by 2015.

Find out more about how you can help improve our marine ecosystems, join Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch program.

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Aloha to a Coastal Champion

04.24.2012 | Heal the Bay

Malibu / Pacific Palisades Santa Monica South Bay

April 24, 2012

Today’s blogger is Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bay’s coastal resources director

Last week we lost a local coastal champion, Joe Melchione, to his fight with lung cancer. Joe was a dedicated environmental activist, friend, and talented surfer. He will be deeply missed.

I first met Joe at a Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board hearing, where the permit for Tapia wastewater treatment plant in the Malibu area was up for renewal. He spoke with fervor before the Water Board regarding his concerns about the threat bacterial pollution at Surfrider Beach poses to surfers and beachgoers. His engagement on water quality issues in the Malibu Creek Watershed over the years helped influence Tapia’s dry weather discharge permit; the development of pollution limits for bacteria, nutrients, trash in the watershed; and other coastal issues in the area.

A member of the Malibu Surfing Association, Joe had a fiery passion for the environment and was a joy to work with. He could always find the humorous side of a frustrating situation.

Joe’s passion was well-recognized and a great influence within the Heal the Bay community. A few years ago, he purchased a table at Heal the Bay’s Bring Back the Beach, but instead of filling it with personal friends, he generously invited fellow volunteers (many of whom could not afford to purchase a ticket) to join him as guests at the event. In hearing of his passing, many of these volunteers and several people I’ve talked with have reflected on how much they enjoyed working alongside Joe to improve our local environment. He was fun to surf with, too. I hope his spirit lives on in all the people and places he affected.

The MSA has established a memorial fund to honor Joe. 100% of contributions will be donated in accordance with his family’s wishes. Your contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law (#95-4459007).

Please make checks payable to MSA and mail to:

THE JOE MELCHIONE MEMORIAL FUND
Malibu Surfing Association
P.O. Box 2683
Malibu, CA 90265

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