Heal the Bay Blog

Category: Events

Forum: What Does Climate Change Mean For Venice?

04.28.2014 | Matt King

You know climate change is a global issue, right? But do you have any idea about what its specific impacts may be on the L.A. shoreline in the coming years? Are you curious how sea level rise may affect the Los Angeles coast? Is your favorite beach or neighborhood hangout subject to dangerous flooding?

Well, you can learn more by attending a workshop organized by Heal the Bay, the Venice Neighborhood Council, USC Sea Grant, and Los Angeles City Council District 11 to learn more about this important issue at our Venice Ocean Forum this Wednesday evening.

Venice, San Pedro, and Wilmington are some of the most vulnerable local communities to flooding, according to a recent USC Sea Grant study examining sea level rise impacts for coastal communities in the City of Los Angeles. Based on 100-year sea level rise projections, some studies suggest flooding throughout much of Venice. Sea level rise in Los Angeles may reach 5.6 feet by 2100, which may be further exacerbated by high tides and storm surge – especially when big wave events occur at or near seasonal peak high tides, or King Tides.

At the Venice Ocean Forum experts will discuss the risks associated with climate change in Venice, and ways that communities can work together to help adapt to impacts. We’ll also talk about how other communities in the greater L.A. area are preparing to meet the specific local challenges posed by global warming. The forum is open to the public. The meeting begins 6:30pm at Westminster Elementary and food will be provided. So please RSVP today.

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Year of the Whale: Come Celebrate

02.06.2014 | Heal the Bay

Events Heal the Bay Aquarium

Year of the Whale? We know it’s really the Year of the Horse, but with all the sightings of whales just off the Southern California shores, these behemoths are foremost on our minds. And what better way to celebrate cruising cetaceans than by spending time at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium during “Whale of a Weekend,” Feb. 15 and 16?

The annual migration of the Pacific gray whale is one of the longest migrations of any species, some10,000 to 14,000 miles round trip between the Arctic seas and the warm lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. This migration takes the whales past the Santa Monica Pier, sometimes within viewing distance from the west end observation deck.

Whether migration patterns are changing or the whales are multiplying at a much greater rate, the result is twice as many sightings of the gentle giants heading south now compared with a year ago. To help celebrate, we’ve put together a number o engagement opportunities.

Whale of a Weekend at the Aquarium offers the public a chance to touch bristly baleen, feel the heft of a whale’s rib or try on a layer of (simulated) whale blubber. Spying for whales from the West end of the Pier is easy with our naturalists on hand to provide binoculars and field guides. Even if you don’t get to holler “thar she blows!” an afternoon of learning about whales and checking out the more than 100 species of marine life on exhibit at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is a great way to celebrate the Year of the Whale – or the Horse!

Year of the Whale - Wyland Whale Tail print

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Learning to Love: the Sea & Hula Pie

02.05.2014 | Matt King

Bring Back the Beach Gala

Heal the Bay CEO Ruskin Hartley gets a slice of life — and pie — spending a day in Malibu with some inspiring kids.

If you have spent any time on a surfboard you are probably familiar with Duke Paoa Kahanamoku, Hawaii’s legendary Olympic swimmer and surf evangelist. In 1912, he won the 100 meters freestyle in the Stockholm Olympics. And starting in the 1920s, he starred in a dozen feature films. But between Olympic competition and filming, he travelled the world inspiring a love of the ocean through his passion for swimming and his introduction of surfing to an unsuspecting world. Heal the Bay's Melissa Aguayo teaching at Duke's Malibu during Lunch n' Learn

In its own way, Heal the Bay is continuing Kahanamoku’s legacy with an innovative partnership we call “Lunch and Learn.” For the past three years we have partnered with a restaurant that bears his name, Duke’s in Malibu, to introduce kids to the ocean and teach them simple things they can do to care for it every day.

The program combines an outdoor field-trip for elementary schoolchildren with a hosted sit-down lunch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Many of these kids, all of whom come from Title I schools, have never been to the ocean despite it being in their backyard. The icing on the cake is the lunch served to them on white linen as they sit and watch for whales and dolphins (actually, the icing is fudge sauce and macadamia nuts….). I recall having that only once on a field-trip growing up, but that’s another story.

Students raise their hands during Heal the Bay's Lunch n' Learn education program at Duke's Malibu I was fortunate to help out with this morning’s field-trip. From the moment the fourth grade classes arrived on the big red bus from the Crescent Heights Language Arts/Social Justice Magnet school in Los Angeles, to the last slice of famous Hula Pie, there were smiles all around. But this wasn’t just about buses and pie, important as both are. The heart of the program teaches kids about the relationship between what they do in their everyday life and the impact it has on the ocean. The link being the stormdrain that washes the debris from their playground, street and home through to the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean.

It was inspiring to watch the kids work in groups to test hypotheses about how water will interact with various surfaces, or sieve sand in search of elusive sandcrabs. After lunch, everyone became animated during the quiz as they shouted out answers like “entanglement,” “impermeable,” and “stop littering” as they competed for prizes.

They understand that they can do simple things to help out. I found it very touching to watch them share dessert and talk about their desire to become scientists and engineers when they grew up. All that through a day at the beach, and a slice of tasty hula pie. Thank you Duke’s and the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation!

Heal the Bay provides beach education through our Lunch ‘n Learn program to 500 Title 1 students per year. Learn more about our science-based educational efforts. Lunch’ n Learn is just the beginning.

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High Flying, Adored: MPAs From Above

01.27.2014 | Heal the Bay

Bring Back the Beach Gala Marine Protected Areas News

Ana Luisa Ahern, Heal the Bay’s Communications Manager, shares her experience flying in a Cessna 210 on an aerial tour of L.A.’s marine protected areas.

Marine Protected Area Garibaldi in Kelp Forest A few weeks ago I had the incredible opportunity to fly in a four-passenger, single engine airplane over L.A.’s beautiful coast. The flight was provided by LightHawk, a nonprofit whose mission is to champion environmental protection through the unique perspective of flight. Mike Sutton, president of the California Fish and Game Commission, served as pilot on this eye-opening journey.

Mike and I were taking Los Angeles Times environmental reporter Tony Barboza and photographer Luis Cinco on an aerial tour of L.A.’s new marine protected areas, or MPAs. Our new MPAs are best viewed at either extreme — below the surface of the ocean or thousands of feet above it. Flying over the ocean on a sunny day provided an incredible view of the thriving kelp forests off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The view highlighted the beauty and important placement of our new underwater parks in a statewide network of protected places.

Staring down at the expanse of different hues of blue, accentuated by deep brown kelp beds off the Malibu coast near Point Dume, I recalled my recent scuba dives there, both within and just outside of the marine reserve. The contrast was startling. Diving outside of and then in the reserve was akin to stepping out of the desert and into a grove of giant sequoias, surrounded by life. After seeing only a few straggling fish on the first dive, I was awed by the dazzling display of color and variety of species I encountered inside the reserve. Brilliant orange garibaldi darted across my path, a startled swell shark shot off into the deep. Tiny Spanish Shawl nudibranch, those flamboyantly costumed stars of the ocean, swayed in the surge as rockfish stopped to side-eye me in the vast underwater kelp forest. It was like night and day, and the importance of protecting this special place, allowing it to rest and recover in order to thrive, was so beautifully illustrated for me in that moment.

I shared my love for these spots with Tony and Luis on that flight. Mike and I recounted our personal stories about MPAs and the process that brought them to Southern California. We also highlighted the findings of Heal the Bay’s citizen-scientist monitoring program, MPA Watch. The report shows that things haven’t changed all that much for the lives of the fishing community. Life below the surface is on the road to recovery, given a special opportunity to thrive.

Read Tony Barboza’s article about marine sanctuaries in the Los Angeles Times.

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Angelenos Find Furniture, Religious Statues at 2013 Coastal Cleanup Day

09.21.2013 | Heal the Bay

Coastal Cleanup Day News

We did it, L.A.! More than 11,000 Angelenos removed 24,000 pounds of trash today, September 21, for Coastal Cleanup Day, the largest volunteer day on the planet.

That amount doesn’t even include the bulky items that the city of Los Angeles will collect, weigh and report!

Volunteers cleaned over 32 miles of local beaches, inland waterways, regional parks and city neighborhoods at 50 cleanup sites throughout Los Angeles County.

This year’s unsolved mystery is the origin of the five clay statues of the Hindu god Ganesha (pictured above) found throughout California, including a pair found near the Malibu Pier at Surfrider beach.

A “No Swimming, Polluted Water” sign discovered underwater by SCUBA divers at Surfrider is the most ironic found item. The grossest item is a urine sample cup at Will Rogers Beach, while glow-in-the dark vampire teeth found in the Ballona Wetlands is the most Halloween-y.

Volunteers also found a chaise lounge at Cabrillo State Beach in San Pedro that would no doubt go great with the 120 pounds of carpeting found at Dockweiler Beach.

See more images from today’s cleanup and join us for the next Nothin’ But Sand cleanup of Venice Beach on Oct. 19.

Great work, Los Angeles!

Volunteers protect the waterways of the Ballona Wetlands for the 2013 Coastal Cleanup Day.

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Enter Our #SeaStyle Pinterest Contest!

09.20.2013 | Heal the Bay

Events

Win tickets to the WestEdge Design Fair Opening Night Party on October 3 in Santa Monica at Barker Hangar! WestEdge is the newest destination for design featuring a curated selection of 150 leading brands offering design inspiration. The show includes panel discussions and workshops, culinary activities, custom installations, a series of special events and an opening night party to benefit Heal the Bay.

Using Pinterest, create a pinboard of interior and/or exterior design images inspired by the ocean and you could win tickets to attend the exclusive event. You’ll be the first to get a a peek at the fair where you’ll find design inspiration and be able to shop from the industry’s top manufacturers.

To enter follow these easy steps:

1. Follow Heal the Bay on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/healthebay

2. Create a pinboard and title it “Heal the Bay #SeaStyle”

3. Add at least 5 pins to your board from Pinterest and around the Internet. One should be a repin of the Heal the Bay #SeaStyle pin on the #SeaStyle Contest board

4. Include the #SeaStyle hashtag in each pin’s description.

Judges from the WestEdge Design Fair will select the best boards. The winners will receive two tickets to the Opening Night Party on October 3 ($170 value).

The contest ends on October 1st at 11:59 pm PST.

*Heal the Bay recommends that you use artificial rather than real marine life like sea stars, coral, seahorses, etc. for decorative purposes in your homes. Please do not purchase real dried marine animals as many of them are needlessly killed for the souvenier trade.

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Coastal Cleanup Day 2013 Promotions!

09.20.2013 | Heal the Bay

Coastal Cleanup Day Events

“The World’s Largest Volunteer Day” — Coastal Cleanup Day — is tomorrow, September 21! As if keeping our beaches and parks clean isn’t enough, many cleanup sites throughout Los Angeles County will feature amazing promotions for participating volunteers, including free food, yoga classes, stand-up paddleboard lessons and more! You could even win free burritos from Chipotle for a whole year. To find out which cleanup site these awesome promotions will be at, check our list of cleanup sites.

1. Santa Monica Beach, North of the Pier – Start the Day with a free yoga class and peace circle with Naam Yoga at 8:30am. After you help cleaning the beach, you can enjoy a free stand-up paddleboard clinic with Michelob Light, use free admission to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, observe the exhilarating Bud Light Dory Race and enter to win a stand-up paddleboard at the beach clean-up and Dory Race.

2. Santa Monica Pier – Bring your recyclables to the Santa Monica Pier and you’ll be entered to win exciting Honest Tea raffle prizes this Coastal Cleanup Day. After the clean-up, join us at Rusty’s Surf Ranch to win a stand-up paddle board at 3pm.

3. Venice Beach Pier & Venice Beach at Rose – Abbot Kinney Memorial Library will be celebrating Talk-Like-A-Pirate day a few days late with a Moby Dick screening, food and sea shanties after the cleanup. Celebrate your volunteer service at Venice Ale House with a beer garden and live DJ for the Coastal Cleanup Day after-party.

4. Ways Park (87th Street and McKinley Ave, Los Angeles, CA) – This inland cleanup will focus on neighborhood alleys. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. This cleanup is hosted in partnership with Councilman Curren Price, celebrating the future home of WAYS Park.

5. Will Rogers (15900 Pacific Coast Hwy. at Temescal Canyon Road, Pacific Palisades, CA) – Enjoy a free lunch compliments of Chase Bank for all clean-up volunteers.

6. Get ready for the LA City Bag Ban at all sites by earning a free reusable bag at all City of LA clean-up locations.

7. Dockweiler Beach, Tower 55 (11999 Vista del Mar, El Segundo, CA 90293) – Yoga Trailblazers hosts a free yoga class south of Tower 55 from 8:30-9:30 am before the cleanup. Bring a yoga mat and wear sunscreen for this beginner class. Veggie Grill will also provide food to keep volunteers energized.

8. Malibu Pier – If you are SCUBA dive certified, this is the site for you. Arrive for the dive at 8am. Prizes will be awarded for the most bizarre items found after the clean-up. Malibu Divers will provide free air fill and half price gear rentals for SCUBA dive volunteers.

9. Santa Monica Beach, Tower 20 (End of Bay Street, Santa Monica, CA) – By helping clean this historic site, you’ll be entered into a raffle for a custom surfboard.

10. To reward your service protecting our environment from harmful trash, Chipotle is providing free burrito coupons at most clean-up sites in the LA area. Plus, volunteers who take Instagram pictures of their efforts collecting trash tagged #litterati, #chipotlemexicangrill and #coastalcleanupday will automatically be entered into a contest to win free burritos for a year from Chipotle.

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What Will You Find on Coastal Cleanup Day? Friends

09.04.2013 | Heal the Bay

Coastal Cleanup Day News

As of this week, Gabrielle Harradine has raised $270 — $70 over her goal — to “help fund the fight” against pollution on Coastal Cleanup Day. Here she details why she’s “friendraising” for Heal the Bay and what she hopes to find on Coastal Cleanup Day.

This coming Coastal Cleanup Day on September 21 will be the first one since we started a family together. We’d done two cleanups with Heal the Bay before we had children. At the earlier cleanups, I remember finding a lot of cigarette butts; followed by small bits of plastic.

Now that my daughter is old enough to be able to really participate and understand what we are doing, I am looking forward to seeing her enthusiasm. She learned about trash in the oceans at Heal the Bay’s Aquarium in Santa Monica, so Coastal Cleanup Day will be a good follow up.

The response to our fundraising has been exciting and much better than I expected! (Although we do have lots of beach loving friends and family.) A lot of people want to help; it’s just a matter of putting it in front of them so they can respond.

On September 21, I expect to find a group of like-minded people slugging through the sand for any bits of trash. Hopefully, we’ll get to see some thankful breaching dolphins from the shore!

— Gabrielle Harradine

What will YOU find on Coastal Cleanup Day?

Join the biggest volunteer action on the planet, Coastal Cleanup Day, on Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 9 a.m. to noon. Share your personal cleanup discoveries using Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #whatwillyoufind. Past volunteers have found love and a hundred dollar bill!

Anyone can create a fundraising page to support the effort to protect our local natural resources. Volunteers who raise $100 or more receive a Heal the Bay T-shirt.

Gabrielle Harradine sails the Bay.

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What Will You Find on Coastal Cleanup Day? Love

09.03.2013 | Heal the Bay

Coastal Cleanup Day Events

When I started working as Heal the Bay’s Coastal Cleanup Day Manager in 2007, I had no idea that I would end up finding the love of my life. That year, Heal the Bay worked with Councilmember Tony Cardenas’ office on the Northeast San Fernando Valley cleanup sites. I initially started off on the wrong foot with the cleanup captain, Olga. She tried to tell me how to run a cleanup site, but I was certain I knew how to do it better. Olga was concerned with breaking trash-collecting records while I wanted to ensure the best educational and efficient experience for volunteers. A year later, after a very successful cleanup, we started a friendship that led to love. We still laugh about which one of us knows how to do the job better, but I admit that her sites almost always break cleanup records. So this past week, right before Coastal Cleanup Day, I married her. What will you find at Coastal Cleanup Day? I found love and I couldn’t be happier.

— Eveline Bravo-Ayala,
Heal the Bay’s Beach Program Manager

Join the biggest volunteer day on the planet, Coastal Cleanup Day, on Saturday, September 21, 2013 from 9 a.m. to noon. Tweet, Facebook or Instagram us with the hashtag #whatwillyoufind to share your unique Coastal Cleanup Day discoveries!

Eveline Bravo, middle, with wife Olga Ayala and Congressmember Tony Cardenas.

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Win Movie Premiere Tickets and Meet Julia Louis-Dreyfus!

08.29.2013 | Heal the Bay

Events

Heal the Bay is so proud of our board member Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and we can’t wait for her new film “Enough Said” — and now you don’t have to wait either!

You have the chance to bid on a prize package that includes a meet-and-greet with Julia as well as four tickets to the New York premiere of “Enough Said” on Sept. 16 including after-party access! Bid on the prize, estimated at $7,500, by Thurs., September 12.

About “Enough Said”: A divorced and single parent, Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) spends her days enjoying work as a masseuse but dreading her daughter’s impending departure for college. She meets Albert (James Gandolfini) – a sweet, funny and like-minded man also facing an empty nest. As their romance quickly blossoms, Eva befriends Marianne (Catherine Keener), her new massage client. Marianne is a beautiful poet who seems “almost perfect” except for one prominent quality: she rags on her ex-husband way too much. Suddenly, Eva finds herself doubting her own relationship with Albert as she learns the truth about Marianne’s Ex. Enough Said is a sharp, insightful comedy that humorously explores the mess that often comes with getting involved again.

Bid now!

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