Coastal Cleanup Day 2024 brought out a true rainbow coalition of participants: 6,983 Volunteers cleaned 62 Sites, removing 19,209.47 Pounds of trash from our coastline and waterways!
These amazing efforts are only possible with your support.
“Protect what you love.” It’s a mantra I preached to our supporters during my tenure as Heal the Bay’s Communications Director a decade ago.
And if there’s one beach I love in greater LA, it’s Will Rogers State Beach in Santa Monica Canyon. Specifically, Tower 18, where my father served as an L.A. County lifeguard during my youth. So I felt a tug of connection when Heal the Bay asked me to be a last-minute captain there during last Saturday’s Coastal Cleanup Day. 
Our crew, led by volunteer Jennifer Cheong, contributed to a fantastic turnout over the weekend. In total, 6,626 volunteers joined Heal the Bay at 60 coastal and inland cleanup sites throughout Los Angeles County. These diligent supporters collected more than 19,209.47 pounds of trash. Over the past 30 years, our CCD volunteers have removed nearly 2 million pounds of debris from local shorelines and inland waterways.
Back in the ‘70s, Tower 18 became a gathering spot for a cross-section of the hip, tanned actors sunning themselves against a stone wall, waiting for a nearby pay phone to ring with a call from their agents. Fabled surfers like Miki Dora and Mickey Munoz prowled a series of surprisingly good beach breaks. World-class beach volleyball players competed ferociously in pickup games, sometimes joined by Lakers great Wilt Chamberlain.
Tower 18 was also home to the so-called Green Wall Gang, a beach-loving crew of Speedo-clad gay men who congregated near a bank of paddle-tennis courts. The beach served as a refuge and safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community at a time when overt discrimination, verbal abuse, and street violence flared against its members.
L.A. County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath hosted an event last year to honor the legacy of the site, known informally as “Ginger Rogers Beach” and to unveil a Pride Progress flag installation/wrap around the lifeguard tower there. The beach continues to attract ocean lovers of all stripes and sexual orientations.
So it didn’t come as a surprise to me when I pulled up to the parking lot Saturday and saw a group of men waiting in the parking lot for us, many with rainbow regalia. About a dozen members of the California Gay Adventurers association showed up on an overcast morning, armed with good will and cleanup buckets brought from home.
The organization, which has about 800 members, hosts social events, outdoor activities and community action throughout the state. One weekend you might find the local chapter bowling in Hollywood, the next hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains.
About two dozen CGA volunteers canvassed the sand in search of cigarette butts, plastic bottle caps and bits of Styrofoam. Joined by another 20 or so participants, the men put in a good two-hour shift. Returning to base camp with smiles on their faces, they had their collected debris weighed and cataloged.
Amid the comparing of hauls, one gentleman in a floppy khaki and a neat goatee beamed. He had, no doubt, won the unofficial contest for best find. He held out a washed-out, severely torn $20 bill. We assured him that if he had at least one set of serial numbers on the torn bill, he could redeem it at a local bank.
Another volunteer also found something of monetary value – a $1 poker chip from a local casino. A rusted-out pitchfork marked the most dangerous item found during our cleanup. In all, we removed more than 115 pounds of trash from just one small beach in two hours.
Single-use plastic items comprised the vast majority of the detritus: soda bottles, potato chip bags, straws and what-not. The heaps of trash served as a powerful testament to why Heal the Bay this week joined the California Attorney General in filing a landmark lawsuit against ExxonMobil, the world’s largest producer of plastic polymers.
Cleanups are fun, when conducted with good people like the CGA. But frankly, we’d rather not be doing them. With this bold suit, we aim to stop the harm at its source, rather than merely reducing the harm.
We know that we can’t solve the plastic crisis in a single morning of action. However, the commitment and enthusiasm shown by our volunteers is incredibly heartening to all of our staff. We thank you deeply.
Among the CCD heroes this past weekend:
- Site captain Joel Glen, who found his plans to clean up the East Fork of the San Gabriel River turned upside down by the recent Bridge Fire. Instead of giving up, he pivoted and established a new site at Eaton Canyon, mobilizing 27 volunteers within a week.
- The crew at Good Earth Community Garden and our new partners at BlueSkyLA helped us run a new restoration site in South L.A., with 67 participants.
- Bleu World, a diving organization that conducts citizen science, helped us bring back CCD sites to Catalina Island after a pandemic-related hiatus.
As a special thank you to all these healers, we are hosting a special celebration on Saturday evening at the CadFab Creative Gallery in Culver City. Libations and awards will be handed out. General public is invited too. Click here for details and registration.
If you couldn’t make it to this weekend’s event, we have good news. We host a monthly beach cleanup called Nothin’ but Sand at rotating locations throughout the region. You can find more information about those events here.
And if you’re feeling gratitude, you can join hundreds of other supporters in donating to our Exxon legal fund. The money will be used to defray the costs of our policy team collecting and analyzing data about single-used plastics for the Attorney General as we pursue our lawsuits. Contribute here.
Matthew King is a communications consultant for Heal the Bay and other nonprofits.
Stüssy x Heal the Bay returns with a limited-edition capsule collection launch! 100% of the proceeds from this collaboration will be donated to Heal the Bay to support our marine and coastal watershed protection work!
Need a beach wheelchair to enjoy some fun in the sun? Everyone should be able to enjoy a day at the beach, so come to Heal the Bay Aquarium to access our manual beach wheelchairs, which are available for FREE public rentals.
Calling all eco-warriors and selfie champions! Help your favorite restaurant ditch plastic for a chance to win awesome Heal the Bay gear .
Tim began volunteering with Heal the Bay in 2017. Through the years, Tim has been instrumental to the Beach Captains team for Nothin’ But Sand and Heal the Bay public cleanup programs. In the past, Tim represented Heal the Bay at tabling events in the community and helped spread our virtual Knowledge Drop education series at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Tim brings a strong sense of community to each cleanup and ensuring all team members feel informed and involved along the way, commanding the attention of our cleanup volunteers at Nothin’ But Sand every month, ensuring a safe cleanup. At the end of the cleanup, Tim leads the charge, weighing the trash and transporting large items to the dumpster, often by himself. There is no task Tim isn’t willing to do. 
Since joining Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch Program in February 2020, John has conducted more than 385 MPA Watch surveys. His surveys alone account for more than 25% of the submitted surveys on behalf of Heal the Bay’s MPA Watch program. John’s increased resolution in our data came during an exceptional need to record unprecedented changes in human recreational and consumptive behavior in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. John was awarded the MPA Watch Super Healer award in 2020 and his dedication to Heal the Bay has only grown stronger, serving as an active volunteer, a Beach Captain at monthly NBS beach clean-ups, Suits on the Sand events, and at Heal the Bay’s Coastal Cleanup Day in 2022. John’s contributions are invaluable
John Reyes attends every Heal the Bay volunteer opportunity. There isn’t a cleanup program or Heal the Bay event that John is not involved. Since 2018, John has captained Coastal Cleanup Day sites in Dockweiler State Beach and even organized his own Adopt-A-Beach team, “the Beach Reacher’s”, to clean up would-be marine debris from L.A.’s inland watershed. John is always one of the first volunteers to sign up to support special Heal the Bay events such as the Trash Bowl and Golf Open. Even during the rainy seasons John joins our Storm Response cleanup efforts. His leadership at Nothin But Sand Cleanups are instrumental and he has volunteered at over 100 Suits on the Sand cleanups. The current Beach Programs team wishes to express the greatest gratitude for John’s dedication and outstanding support.
Actress, philanthropist, and leader Sharon Lawrence is known to most as the 
Anthony Marguleas of Amalfi Estates often notes: “we are a philanthropic company that excels at selling real estate. Alongside our commitment to our clients stands our commitment to our community.” Every year the Amalfi team donates 10% of their commissions to Heal the Bay among six L.A. charities. 
Andrea is an actress, filmmaker, and artist, but we all know and love her as one of our most dedicated Beach Captains and Speakers. She has been a Heal the Bay volunteer for many years, inspiring countless attendees at our Nothin’ But Sand Beach Cleanups with her energizing educational safety talks. Rain or shine Andrea is always ready to help setup at the beach and a reliable amplifier promoting Heal the Bay’s messaging and advocacy through social media often serving as impromptu social media photographer for the Communications team. This year, Andrea furthered her passion for Heal the Bay’s mission with the completion on “Marina the Mermaid”. the single-use plastic recycle. This 6-foot-tall recycled mannequin is adorned with pounds of items collected during Nothin’ But Sand Cleanups and her own self-cleanups. Her artwork will be on display during the entirety of Earth Month this April at the Heal the Bay Aquarium to raise environmental awareness.
Celina is a real Ocean Hero, dedicating extensive time and effort to interpreting marine life for the public at the Heal the Bay Aquarium. She has helped countless visitors interact with ocean creatures for the first time at the Aquarium while exercising unwavering advocacy for the animals that live in Santa Monica Bay. Celina inspires people to connect with the ocean. We are so grateful to you, Celina, for all that you have done!
Hannah is a Heal the Bay regular and is always open to new experiences. Whether breaking down birthday parties or interpreting at the touch tanks on busy weekends, Hannah has made our aquarium programs unforgettable. Hannah is not only enthusiastic and dedicated but also extremely well-known for their unmatched button-making skills! We are grateful to Hannah for always coming to our rescue at the Heal the Bay Aquarium when it is needed the most. 
Sophia is a Wave Maker who has inspired her peers to take action in support of environmentalism. An amazing advocacy teacher for all our new public programs volunteers, Sophia dedicated time to the Aquarium by ensuring guests responsibly interacting with our animals. . Sophia is a kindhearted leader with compassion for the ocean, and we are proud to have her on our team.
Ren is a stellar Public Programs volunteer. Extremely knowledgeable, dependable, and always curious, Ron has been volunteering with the Public Programs team for more years than some senior staff members! We love talking with Ren about discoveries in marine science, and are grateful for Ren’s infectious passion as part of the Heal the Bay team!
Jim has been volunteering with the Aquarium Operations department for the past two years and is an invaluable member of our team. Jim’s curiosity and dedication to protecting our environment shines through in all the work he does with Heal the Bay. From helping keep exhibits squeaky clean to spending time out on the sand supporting a beach cleanup, Jim has done it all. He is easily our best and most reliable first mate on Dorothy for kelp collections and overall incredible support to have at the Heal the Bay Aquarium. We’re so honored to have Jim be part of our team!
Russell first volunteered with Heal the Bay in 2021, as a Beach Captain to help clean coastal areas. Russell is a tireless hero of our Nothin’ But Sand cleanups; always working and giving his all. Recently, Russell has developed into one of our leading Corporate Outreach volunteers, helping at Suits on the Sand cleanups, and on more than one occasion assisting at TWO cleanups in ONE day. Russell is our Suits on the Sand superstar. 
Brant started as a Beach Captain in 2022 and has exhibited multitalented capabilities of leading any station. Exceptionally helpful with uplifting all our new digital initiatives at our cleanups, such as the electronic check-in, waiver check, and DEI survey, Brant’s commitment to community outreach streamlines Heal the Bay’s Beach Program initiatives.
Alice began volunteering with Heal the Bay in 2022 and has been an excellent addition to the Beach Captains team. Alice hit the sand running, quickly optimizing our Nothin’ But Sand event procedures, most importantly, our registration booth protocols. With Alice at the registration desk the Beach Programs volunteer teams are able to check-in 300 attendees in an hour or less. In addition to serving as a teacher on the sand for other volunteers, Alice is one of our most dependable Beach Captains.
David started volunteering his data analysis skills to Heal the Bay in 2020. In the past, he helped our water quality scientists assess dissolved oxygen levels in the Channel Islands Harbor, painting an impressive overview of the data through visuals and a results overview video. This year, David has started volunteering his time and expertise to help the Beach Programs team revive the marine debris database, integrating our historic data with current datasets, and helping Heal the Bay bring our historic marine debris database into a modern, accessible format. Thank you for making that dream a reality! 
Tasha Kolokotrones has been an MPA Watch volunteer with Heal the Bay since 2021. Inspired by a love of the outdoors, Tasha has conducted more than 50 MPA watch surveys earning honorable mention as one our most active MPA Watch volunteers. In 2022, Tasha submitted more surveys than 90% of our other program volunteers. Thanks to Tasha, our Marine Protected Area in Palos Verdes had consistent MPA Watch monitoring in 2022, an accomplishment all on its own! 
