Heal the Bay Blog

Today’s guest bloggers are Kirsten James, Heal the Bay’s Water Quality Director, and Sarah Sikich, Coastal Resources Director. Here they discuss their experience traveling to Hawaii last week and participating in the 5th International Marine Debris Conference.

Sarah: It’s unreal – spending a week in Hawaii for work! Not to mention meeting some of the leading researchers, government agencies, environmental organizations, and explorers working on marine debris and plastic pollution issues. Was there any research presented that you found particularly memorable?

Kirsten: It’s hard to pick just one presentation but one that stands out is the work being done by Dr. Jan A. van Franeker from the Netherlands.  He gave several revealing talks on his research with Northern Fulmars, a marine bird species. He found that in the North Sea, the “average” Northern Fulmar flies around with 0.3 grams of plastic in the stomach, rising to 0.6 grams in more polluted areas.  If you scale this bird up to the size of an average human, that would equal 30 grams of plastic, resembling a lunchbox full of plastic sheets, foams, threads and fragments!  How about you, did any of the presentations stand out?

Sarah: I’m glad to see how much research is being focused on endocrine disruptors and plastics. Many researchers in the field have raised concerns about whether chemicals associated with plastics are leaching into the tissues of wildlife and fish ingesting this trash. Previously little work had been done to determine whether this was actually occurring. Several scientists presented preliminary research at the conference showing that chemical plastic additives (like phthalates and Bisphenol A) and PCBs that stick to plastics are present in the tissues of animals that have ingested plastic materials. Potential hormone system disruption is also of concern. Pretty scary stuff.  But, at least we were learning about it in blissful, tropical Hawaii. How did the conference location influence your experience?

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View all Earth Month events and updates.

Heal the Bay celebrates each Earth Day in a big way — by turning it into a whole month. For the entire month of April, we embody the catch phrase “Earth Day is every day.” Our month is choc-full of great events for all ages, cleanups, tablings and more. We welcome volunteers to join us in April to get their hands dirty, meet a few new friends in your community and learn all about the Santa Monica Bay at our Aquarium.

Check out our upcoming opportunities by downloading our Earth Month flyer or visiting our Google Map:

April 16

Nothin’ But Sand

 Volunteer for beach cleanups at one of two locations
10am to Noon

• WILL ROGERS STATE BEACH
  17700 Pacific coast Highway at Temescal Canyon ($1 parking)
• TORRANCE BEACH
  201 Paseo de la Playa, Torrance, CA 90501 ($6 parking)

April 16-17

santa monica pier aquarium earth Month celebration

Enjoy special Earth Day activities and family fun
11am to 6pm both days

• SANTA MONICA PIER AQUARIUM
   1600 Ocean Front Walk, Santa Monica, CA 90401 ($3 admission/$5 suggested donation, children 12 & under free)

April 30

the great L.A. River cleanup/la gran limpieza

Join Heal the Bay and PAVA to help FoLAR win the Urban River Challenge
9am to Noon

• RIO DE LOS ANGELES STATE PARK
   1555 N. San Fernando Rd,  Los Angeles, 90065

Earth Day Events Sponsored by

Nothin’ But Sand Sponsored by

Washington Elementary, a Heal the Bay partner school in Compton, just sent its 4th graders camping. Thanks to  the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the students spent two nights at King Gillette Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The key to inspiring environmental advocacy is to expose kids, at a young age, to the nature all around them. For these kids, many of whom have never left home, the oak woodlands and chaparral will be a unforgettable part of their childhood.

“Kids learn about science and nature by experiencing it first-hand,” said Jamie Cabral, Chief of Education and Interpretation of the MRCA.  “They are so excited to be outside in the dark and feel their eyes adjust as they look up at the stars.  They can’t believe how quiet it is at camp.  They begin to understand that nature is all around us.”

The MRCA has run outdoor camps for local kids for over 25 years, providing environmental education, standards-based learning and old-fashioned camp fun.

Heal the Bay is also partnering with Washington Elementary as part of our Healthy Neighborhoods, Healthy Environment initiative. The school has also just completed a tree-planting project with Tree People. All part of creating a generation of young people who care deeply about the world around them.

Every year, Heal the Bay throws a special party to honor all of our incredible volunteers. In addition to thanking those who do so much for us, the night is an opportunity to reflect on all the accomplishments of the previous year, things we could not have done without our crew.

This year, our party at Santa Monica’s V Lounge coincided with February’s Chinese New Year and volunteers were treated to Chinese food, desserts by La Monarca Bakery, arts and crafts, special drawing prizes, free week long passes to YogaWorks Studios, DJ entertainment, and a theme photo booth.

This night also gives us the chance to give out awards to a select group of volunteers who go well above and beyond the call of duty. To check who these amazing people are and what they do, visit our brand new Volunteer Honorees page.

We’d love to see you at our next volunteer party – learn about our volunteer opportunities!