Heal the Bay Blog

Category: Events

Black Surfing Assn. Readies Special Paddle Out

02.26.2015 | Matt King

Today’s guest blogger is Tony Corley, the founder of the Black Surfing Association, which is partnering with the Malibu Surfing Association on a special paddle out this Saturday, Feb. 28 to honor the legacy of Nick Gabaldon.

The Black Surfing Association has been in existence since 1975. This grouping of surfers was the first of its kind. Our intent and purpose is the continuous search for the unique character and individuality that are so fluidly expressed in dancing — wave dancing that is.

We are a developing organization — young and old, male and female – that seeks to share the pleasures of oceanic rhythms. Our distinctive group, which is increasing in number, is greatly diversified in our individual perspectives and pursuits. Our politics, philosophies, vocations and social relations are as varied as our personalities and spiritual realizations.

Yet with our varied lifestyles, we are bonded together by two cosmic forces: blood and water. The blood being our ancestral African roots, and the water being the oceans and seas of the world. The focal point of this bond is the sharing of the sport and art-form of surfing.

This water sport, believed to have been created by our own oceanic ancients, is enjoyed today throughout the coastal regions of the world. Though comparatively small in numbers, the black surfing community is passionate and committed. Our community continues to grow.

From this growth of participation and the need to share arose the conception of the Black Surfing Association. Umoja, together as One, let us surf, share, and save our oceans and seas.

The BSA and the MSA will be meeting this Saturday near the Santa Monica Pier to celebrate Nick Gabaldon, the first documented surfer of color in the Los Angeles region. You can register for the paddleout and after-party here.

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Snapshots of a Rising Sea

02.12.2015 | Dana Murray

Climate Change Events

Staff scientist Dana Murray reports on a photo contest to crown the king of King Tides.

How can we get everyday people thinking about the impacts of climate change? How can we illustrate that we’re not talking about some far-off problem that we don’t have to solve for 20 years? As we’ve seen with super storms in recent times, perhaps we’re not that far off, but communicating the risks of sea level rise can still be a challenge. Impacts are often difficult to see or visualize, and with a plethora of scientific jargon, modeling predictions, and maps being thrown at us, it is often difficult to understand real-life impacts of climate change, and the slow-burn of rising sea levels.

One of the unique opportunities nature has provided us is through extreme “king” tides. These tides happen most drastically in the winter when the sun and moon align to exert the greatest gravitational pull on earth, and result in experiencing the most extreme high and low tides of the year. In California, experts say that the annual king tide today is what we can expect our daily high tide to look like in 35 years. Especially when paired with a winter storm, King Tides are a glimpse of how sea level rise will impact our communities.

To capitalize on these illustrative events, we’re calling for all photographers to get out and participate in digital storytelling by photo-documenting the impacts of these extreme high tides. The pictures you take could help communities understand flood risk and explore adaptation options. They also can help build a local catalogue of at-risk places and people.

There’s a great contest in Los Angeles you can enter your photographs of King Tides into, and win cool prizes through the Urban Tides Photo & Video Contest.

Go to the Urban Tides Photo & Video Contest webpage for more info from USC Sea Grant on King Tide documentation. Be sure to scroll down and check out the tide chart, photo tips, and most importantly the safety tips.

Additionally, the website provides lesson plan information for educators.

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S.T.E.A.M. Machine Madness at the Aquarium

11.12.2014 | Heal the Bay

Events Santa Monica

Nov, 13, 2014 — Jaclyn Friedlander saw the email inviting Santa Monica Pier Aquarium volunteers to build a Rube Goldberg Machine for this Saturday’s S.T.E.A.M. Machines event on the Pier and took the challenge to her most creative and handy friends.

“We had two objectives,” Jaclyn explains, “to incorporate as much of Heal the Bay’s message as we could and build a machine that works. The second part of that is actually not as easy as it looks when it comes to building a Rube Goldberg Machine.”

A Rube Goldberg machine is “an overly complex contraption, designed with humor and a narrative, to accomplish a simple task,” according to the national competition’s official website. Teams of high school and college students will compete beginning at 11:30 a.m. Saturday marks the second annual regional Rube Goldberg contest, which will showcase machines that erase a chalkboard in a unique fashion.

The free event is hosted by Heal the Bay along with the Santa Monica Pier Corp. and presenting sponsor Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds initiative.

Friedlander’s creation won’t be entered in the contest, but will add to the multitude of fun and innovative activities – from bicycle-powered ice cream to 3-D printing, to opportunities for all to build, draw, paint and create. The event takes place 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the east end of the Pier. The theme will continue at the Aquarium, where visitors can pilot an underwater ROV, capturing marine samples with mechanical claws.

Friedlander calls the process of building a Rube Goldberg machine one of “creative trial and error with major contributions from everyone.” The six-member team did include one person with an engineering degree who creates video games for a living (Jason Wishnov) and a second, Timothy Ries, who Friedlander credits with using his construction skills to create the base of the machine.

After about eight hours in the planning phase, the team — which also included Trisha Hershberger, Justin Langley, and Nate (goes by his first name only ) — spent a couple of hours to collect the necessary materials and another 14 hours building. So their baby is definitely a 24-hour labor of love. Built at YouTube’s studio in Los Angeles, the group created a time-lapse video as well, which will be available on Hershberger’s YouTube channel any day now.

When watching the machine in action, notice how a shell became a key component to a crucial step. But the true secret ingredient? Lots of duct tape.

Time Warner Cable

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Register Early for Winter Day Camp at Our Aquarium

11.07.2014 | Matt King

Events

“Could You Be a Little More Pacific?”

That’s the question the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is posing to young families looking for fun, educational opportunities during the holiday season. Yes, that’s right – we’re taking the wraps off our first ever Winter Day Camps at the Pier.

Our award-winning educators will take kids on a hands-on journey about the wonders of the Pacific Ocean, letting them explore the underwater habitats that are right off our

local shores. At our kid-friendly facility, campers will explore the diversity of the animals in each habitat and learn about the fastest, largest, and most interesting creatures our ocean has to offer.

Campers will also learn how trash from our streets gets into these habitats and how it affects our marine friends. Don’t worry, though. We’ll also learn about what steps we can take on land to help these incredible animals.

CAMP DAYS

Kindergarten & 1st grade: January 5, 2015, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.: Register here.

2nd–4th grades: January 9, 2015, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Register here.

Camp runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day. $65 for non-members, $60 for members.

Please register early as our camps always fill up fast!

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'Wild Fest': Smart Fisheries in an Aloha Style

11.03.2014 | Heal the Bay

Events Marine Protected Areas

Today’s guest blogger is Melina Sempill Watts, a staffer with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains.

In partnership with Heal the Bay staff and volunteers, Fishing Pono: Living In Harmony with the Sea will be screened on Saturday, Nov. 8 as part of the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains Wild and Scenic Film Festival at Pepperdine University. The evening features a number of films about water and begins at 6:30 p.m.

Internationally famous Hawaiian documentary filmmaker Teresa Tico will talk and answer questions after the screening of her film Fishing Pono: Living In Harmony with the Sea, which address marine preservation issues, a core passion for Angelenos. The solutions showcased in Fishing Pono are both innovative and effective.

The inspiration for this film begins with Kelson ‘Mac’ Poepoe. “Uncle Mac,” as he is called by locals, is 100% native Hawaiian, and has done transformative work on fisheries management in Hawaii. He has explained that his heritage and upbringing gave him access to unique historical and ecological knowledge that let him see clearly when the fishing stocks offshore were in danger of being destroyed.

Uncle Mac reached out to the entire community, including all residents and fishermen, to address the real potential for environmental and economic disaster. Starting by talking about clear signs of ecosystem overuse, he fostered discussion on setting limits on what kinds of fish to catch, on size and age limits, on setting up areas where no fishing would be permitted, and promoted a return to native fishing techniques that would reduce the quantities of take. After years of effort, an agreement was reached and the end result has been a remarkable bounce-back of local fish populations.

For years Uncle Mac resisted requests by filmmakers to tell his story. Then a heart attack and near death experience changed his mind. The very next request came from Teresa Tico, and he said yes. Tico has a reputation as an intelligent activist, and defender of ocean ecosystems thanks to a successful second career as an environmental lawyer. By sharing this story at large, Tico is doing her part to help restore fisheries in Hawaii and throughout the world.

Tico’s kept her eye upon larger environmental issues as well, producing several environmental films. Her film Miss South Pacific is a beautiful look at the toll climate change is taking on islands across the Pacific. Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Brosnan love this picture so much that they introduced it at the Malibu Film Festival two summers ago.

This story ties into the future of Santa Monica Bay. We have implemented similar rules via newly established Marine Protected Areas, with the scientifically proven idea that providing areas of refuge will give fish places to breed and rest and grow.

Come see Fishing Pono at the RCDSMM Wild and Scenic Film Festival this Saturday at Elkins Theatre on Pepperdine University’s campus. Event begins at 6:30 p.m.

Aloha.

FISHING PONO: Living In Harmony With The Sea

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Thank You Thursday | June 19, 2014

06.18.2014 | Heal the Bay

News Nick Gabaldón Day

Heal the Bay couldn’t have produced last Saturday’s amazing Nick Gabaldon Day without the support, generosity and guidance of a number of co-presenters and community partners. First and foremost, we thank the Black Surfers Collective for providing their inspiring vision and on-the-ground organizing skills in co-producing the event. And if it wasn’t for the Surf Bus Foundation, we wouldn’t have witnessed the birth of the next generation of groms!

We’re also grateful to LA County Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Zev Yaroslavsky for making the event possible; the Santa Monica Conservancy and the Santa Monica Co-Opportunity for their contributions; and LA County Lifeguards for ensuring the safety of all surfers.

We stayed warm, nourished and expertly outfitted with donations from Clif Bar, the Association of Surfing Professionals and Body Glove.

Thanks to all, and be sure to check out the event’s Facebook photo album here!

Extra special thanks to Main Street Santa Monica and the Main Street Business Improvement Association for donating a portion of proceeds from Summer SOULstice 2014 to Heal the Bay. Be sure to cruise Main Street this Saturday, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., for sidewalk sales, live music and more!

NICK GABALDON DAY

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Lessons From L.A. Beaches' Checkered Past

06.10.2014 | Heal the Bay

About Us Nick Gabaldón Day Santa Monica

Programs director Meredith McCarthy says the shared history of L.A.’s beaches isn’t always black and white.

“History is messy.” That’s what local historian Alison Rose Jefferson told me when we started planning a day to honor Nick Gabaldón. By designating a day to commemorate Nick, we celebrate our shorelines and also recognize the struggle for equality of beach access. In the post-WWII years, Nick became the first documented surfer of color in the Santa Monica Bay. With our partners the Black Surfers Collective and SurfBus, we are again celebrating his passion and legacy on Saturday, June 14, at Bay Street beach in Santa Monica.

In honor of Nick, we are offering free surf lessons and beach exploration with Heal the Bay naturalists and docents from the Santa Monica Conservancy. In the afternoon, there will be free admission to our Aquarium at the Santa Monica Pier. No cleanups, just fun – especially for children visiting from underserved inland communities, many of whom have never even seen the ocean, let alone surfed it. We want people to understand how special Nick Gabaldón was and the incredible backstory of Bay Street.

Referred to by many whites as “the Inkwell,” Bay Street beach was a safe haven for local African American beachgoers during a time of de facto segregation. I told Alison I didn’t feel right mentioning “the Inkwell” on the flyer announcing Nick Gabaldón Day. “People need to know their history,” she said, and spoke of the importance of remembering places with ugly names—especially as our society continues to grapple with issues surrounding race and ethnicity.

As a young man of African American and Mexican American descent, Nick faced many challenges learning to surf in Jim Crow America, but none of them stopped him from getting into the water. Since he didn’t have access to a car for many years—and you just didn’t see a black man carrying a surfboard on a bus to Malibu in 1949—Nick would sometimes paddle the 12 miles to his favorite spot in the lineup at Surfrider. His grueling trek forces us to recognize how far we’ve come on our shorelines—and how far asea we were when we started. (Tragically, Nick died surfing the Malibu breaks he loved in 1951.)

After watching a documentary about Nick’s life called “12 Miles North: The Nick Gabaldón Story,” I was ready to jump on a board and join the paddle-out for Nick at our inaugural event last year. There was just one problem, though. I can’t surf. I am terrible at it. But by helping to organize Nick Gabaldón Day, I hope I’m doing my part to link people together in a meaningful way.

It’s time to face the messiness of our shared past and address the fact that 70% of African Americans can’t swim. I want to undo all that fear and ignorance that promulgates the misperception that the beach isn’t for everyone. The beach belongs to all of us, and I face the guilt and the ignorance with hope in my heart.

Please join us on June 14 to paddle out for Nick. Or, you can join me on the beach, where I’ll be standing and cheering.

NICK GABALDON DAY

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Heal the Bay Gala Sets Another Record

05.16.2014 | Matt King

Bring Back the Beach Gala

Hey Party People, we did it!

Thanks to our generous supporters, Heal the Bay set an all-time attendance record for annual “Bring Back the Beach” gala Thursday night. More than 1,200 ocean lovers joined us on the sand at the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica for an evening of relaxed fun and environmental fundraising.

We met all our goals – the evening’s proceeds will underwrite almost a quarter of our annual operating budget. But as important, the night really is a great gathering of the tribe – surfers, policy wonks, soccer moms, environmental engineers, rock stars, progressive business owners, you name it. It’s very inspiring for staff and volunteers to see such a cross-section of greater Los Angeles come out to support clean beaches and healthy watersheds. It’s not just the dollars, it’s the faith invested in our work.

The setting was sublime (another sultry night with a killer sunset), the libations savory (thirst-quenching Palomas and Heal the Bay IPA from Golden Road Brewing), the fashion eclectic (we particularly liked Olympian Greg Louganis’ kilt) and the live music bubbly (The Mowgli’s infectious pop closed the night).

There’s something for everyone at the event — whether it’s vamping the blue carpet, power networking, laid-back table hopping, bidding on a priceless trip to Belize or just hanging out with friends and family on the sand. If you want to check out images from the event, please visit our Flickr page.

This year’s honorees included Mike Sullivan, Heal the Bay board member and president of LAcarGuy, the world’s largest hybrid dealer; LA Sanitation, the city’s public works unit leading the charge to create a more sustainable Los Angeles; and multi-Platinum rock band Incubus, whose Make Yourself Foundation has underwritten numerous Heal the Bay programs aimed at protecting our local shorelines. (It was nice to see Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd being generous with their time, posing for photos and chatting with supporters and fans backstage.)

We’re taking a breather today, but we’ll soon start planning for next year’s bash, which is set for May 14, 2015. We’ll be be back at the Jonathan Club, and it’s our 30th anniversary. So expect something big!

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Forum: What Does Climate Change Mean For Venice?

04.28.2014 | Matt King

Climate Change Events Venice Beach

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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