Heal the Bay Blog

Oct. 3, 2016 — Heal the Bay’s coastal resources team, Tova Handelman and Dana Murray, share their experience Honoring the Ocean as part of the Los Angeles Marine Protected Area Collaborative.

Honor – the word evokes a sense of respect. We honor those we admire for their generosity, bravery, or dedication to a cause. We honor ourselves at the end of our yoga practice to acknowledge our health, energy, and self-love. But how often do we stop to honor – to pay respect – to our natural environment? Last week, on a beautiful and warm Saturday morning at Zuma Beach, we got the unique opportunity to do just that.

Heal the Bay and other partners from the Los Angeles MPA Collaborative came together to host a celebratory event to “Honor the Ocean” at the Point Dume State Marine Conservation Area in Malibu. L.A. MPA Collaborative members connected with Angelenos about being stewards of the sea, educating them on everything from marine life in California, to available citizen science opportunities like MPA Watch.

Heal the Bay spoke to interested community members about plastic pollution and how to volunteer for our ocean; the Chumash community welcomed beachgoers and shared their history, culture, stories, and traditions; L.A. County lifeguards provided ocean safety tips; Los Angeles Waterkeeper and the City of Malibu provided educational marine and watershed science activities; the CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife and California Ocean Science Trust were on hand as state experts in MPA science and monitoring; and Malibu Makos offered free surf lessons.

Over 200 ocean enthusiasts gathered to witness Mati Waiya, Executive Director of the Wishtoyo Foundation and an esteemed Chumash elder, perform a moving ceremony to thank the ocean for providing us with oxygen, food, and beauty. A gorgeous hand-carved tomol, a Chumash canoe made from redwood, was lifted by a dozen men and placed on the sand in the center of the congregated onlookers, highlighting Chumash maritime culture. After leading the crowd in traditional Chumash songs, Mati Waiya spoke passionately about the need to respect the ocean’s strength and power, yet also recognize its vulnerability to harmful human activities. His emotional speech ended with a call to action for each person to remember that we are all connected with nature and we must incorporate honor and respect for Mother Earth into our daily lives to keep her – and ourselves – healthy and thriving.

The Los Angeles MPA Collaborative, a network of local organizations, municipalities, and agencies, channels broad and diverse perspectives to build ocean resilience and promote the cultural, recreational, and ecological value of Los Angeles County’s marine protected areas. While we were there to honor the ocean, we also paid respect to the Chumash community and the Wishtoyo Foundation for their advocacy for integrating tribal values into the MPA designation process. For thousands of years, the Chumash have valued ocean stewardship, and they continue to do so through Wishtoyo’s Chumash Tribal Marine Protected Area ocean conservation education program.

The event finished with children and adults alike sitting in the sand at the feet of Chumash elders, who energetically told stories of the Chumash people and their connection to the ocean. It was a truly wonderful day to celebrate – and honor – Los Angeles’ underwater parks, the Chumash peoples’ dedication to the ocean, and the positive legacy the L.A. MPA Collaborative is establishing for future generations of Californians to enjoy our stunning marine ecosystems for years to come.

Big thanks to the members of the Los Angeles MPA Collaborative for planning this event! Read an article about the event in The Malibu Times.

See Photos

July 8, 2016 — Last year, our supporters helped defeat a proposal to drill for oil underneath the Hermosa Beach seafloor. Now we face another ill-advised project in our Bay – a desalination plant on the El Segundo shoreline near the Manhattan Beach border.

In a time of persistent drought, we all agree on the need to reduce Southern California’s dependence on imported water. But a coaliton of environmental groups — including Heal the Bay, LA Waterkeeper and Surfrider — respectfully disagrees with West Basin Municipal Water District that building a costly and harmful ocean desalination plant is our best option.

Instead of literally sucking the life out of the Bay, West Basin can increase reliable local supplies by aggressively expanding reuse of water supplies we already have. By expanding reuse, we’ll seize on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reliably meet our future water needs while reducing daily dumpings of tens-of-millions of gallons of wastewater in Santa Monica Bay. It’s a win-win.

Each day the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant uselessly dumps 250 million gallons into the Bay. It’s time to value that highly treated water as the precious resource it is. We can no longer afford to throw water away. If Orange County can recycle 100 milion gallons each day, so can we.

To learn more about the proposed desal plant, and our preferred alternatives for securing water independence, please join our staff scientists and policy experts for a lively town-hall meeting in Manhattan Beach on July 21.

THE NEXT WAVE

A Special Town-Hall Meeting

Thursday, July, 21, 7:30 p.m.

Joslyn Community Center

1601 N. Valley Drive

Manhattan Beach

June 5, 2015 — It was a party three decades in the making.

Last night Heal the Bay celebrated its 30^th anniversary in beach-chic style, with more than 1,000 ocean-lovers joining us on the sand at the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica for an evening of relaxed fun and environmental fundraising.

With its laid-back vibe and pitch-perfect production, our gala has become a must-stop on the L.A. social and philanthropic calendar. There’s something for everyone at the event – whether it’s vamping the blue carpet, power table-hopping, bidding on a Goodyear blimp ride 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.)

The night is Heal the Bay’s biggest gathering of the tribe – surfers, artists, soccer moms, environmental engineers, eco-entrepreneurs, policy geeks, you name it. It’s inspiring for staff and volunteers to see a diverse cross-section of greater Los Angeles come out to support clean beaches and healthy watersheds. Yes, the money raised is great. (Last night’s proceeds will fund nearly a third of our annual operating budget). But it’s the show of faith and appreciation by so many guests that keep us going throughout the year. The alarming rash of oil blobs washing up all over Southern California beaches this past week was a big topic of conversation, adding an extra sense of urgency to the night’s proceedings.

At last, the weather gods shone on us last night. After we had to reschedule our planned May 14 gala because of inclement weather (hailstorms in the Palisades!), the June gloom parted last night and provided us with a sultry sunset. The libations were rad (cobalt-blue Margaritas on the rocks and Heal the Bay IPA from Golden Road) and the entertainment eclectic (magic acts, stilt walking and flapper dancing from the L.A. Follies).

And you know it’s a good party when the band has to shut down because of late-night noise restrictions. Quirky cover band Postmodern Jukebox had guests cramming multiple catwalk stages like go-go dancers before they had to call it quits.

This year’s honorees included the Los Angeles Kings, whose players all live in the South Bay and have been tireless beach ambassadors and community partners; Meg Gill, our youngest board member and co-founder of the hip, eco-conscious Golden Road Brewing craft beer company; and Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the creative force behind the documentary “Blackfish,” which spawned a national dialogue about the ethics of keeping orcas captive at amusement parks.

Among the celebs joining us: actress and Heal the Bay board member Amy Smart along with hunky hubby/TV host Carter Oosterhouse; world surfing champ Lisa Andersen palling around with “Roxy Girl” Bruna Schmitz; former L.A. Kings forward and current hockey broadcaster Jim Fox; actor and “True Blood” stalwart Gregg Daniel; former MTV veejay and current Sirius deejay “Downtown” Julie Brown; KTLA newscasters Mark Mester, Lu Parker and Chris Schauble (impressively staying up late before his 5 a.m. hosting duties!)

In a night that honored Heal the Bay’s 30 years of environmental victories, it was also gratifying to see so many alumni and past board members of the organization come out to celebrate. 

We’re taking a breather today, but we’ll soon start planning for next year’s bash. But there will be plenty more special event opportunities throughout the year. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Afarin Davari.

As always, we deeply appreciate the support of our family of ocean advocates and stewards.

Here’s to the next 30 years!

Get excited for next year’s Gala – check out our Flickr album of party pics!

At last…a red carpet* you can walk barefoot!

This June 4, we’re inviting you to come party with a purpose as we celebrate our 30^th anniversary in beach-chic style at the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica. It’s never been easier – or more glamorous – to protect Southern California’s beaches and ocean.

A thousand of your fellow beach lovers will join you on the sand to have a blast while recognizing three special honorees:

• The Los Angeles Kings hockey team, whose players all live near South Bay beaches and have been longtime Heal the Bay ambassadors;
• Golden Road Brewing, whose founder, Meg Gill, serves on the Heal the Bay board and has instituted a number of sustainable business practices at the buzzed-about craft brewery;
• Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the celebrated filmmaker whose documentary “Blackfish” spawned intense national debate about the ethics of keeping orcas in captivity.

Our annual gala has become L.A.’s biggest beach party of the year for good reason. It’s a lively mix of eco-advocates, artists, surfers, celebrities, policy wonks, progressive business owners and everyday people. There’s something for everyone at the event – whether it’s vamping for paparazzi, power networking, laid-back table hopping, bidding on a priceless trip 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.

You can always expect the unexpected at our beach bash. But here is what we know for sure: There will be fruity cocktails. There will be delectable edibles. There will be a gorgeous sunset. There will surprise entertainment offerings throughout the night. And there will be to-die-for, once-in-a-lifetime auction items (how about a date with a Victoria’s Secret model?). 

But most important, there will be hope.

This year’s event will raise nearly a third of our annual operating budget in a single night, underwriting such important programs as water-quality testing, volunteer beach cleanups, caring for the animals at our award-winning Aquarium and sponsored educational field trips to the ocean for underserved students across the Southland. 

Our party sells out each year, so purchase your group table or individual tickets early to avoid disappointment. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact Development Manager Afarin Davari at (310) 451-1500 x124.

* It’s actually blue!