Heal the Bay Blog

Category: Palos Verdes Peninsula

A Gift to California's Coast

06.07.2012 | Heal the Bay

June 7, 2012

Today’s guest blogger is Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bay’s coastal resources director

Just in time for World Oceans Day, the Fish and Game Commission in a 3-0 vote, designated new marine protected areas (MPAs) along the North Coast (CA/OR border to Alder Creek near Point Arena in Mendocino County). This is a major milestone that completes the statewide network of underwater parks in California’s coastal waters.

These new MPAs were designated under the Marine Life Protection Act, a visionary law enacted in 1999 that called for a new approach to ocean management, and enlisted local fishermen, scientists, business and tribal leaders and conservationists to plan science-based protections for their part of the state. Heal the Bay played a major role in the creation of Southern California’s MPAs by sitting on a panel of stakeholders that designed our local set of underwater parks that went into effect on January 1 of this year.

California’s network of underwater parks now includes 119 MPAs, five recreational management areas, and 15 special closures, representing about 16% of all open coast state waters. With only about half of these areas designated as no-take marine reserves, the vast majority of California’s coast is open to fishing. The new North Coast MPAs are expected to go into effect by early 2013.

As an investment to protect ocean health for future generations, MPAs safeguard key areas for marine life and their associated habitats. They will help ensure a vibrant coastal environment that delights visitors, supports local businesses, and makes local places, like Malibu Palos Verdes, and Catalina a great place to enjoy California’s coast and ocean.

With World Oceans Day just days away, Californians can be proud about the legacy we’re leaving for our kids and grandkids.

Visit the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium or join us on June 9 for the Paddleboard Race and Ocean Festival to help celebrate.

Volunteer for our MPA Watch program to help monitor these new underwater parks.

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Debris Check: What’s in the Waves?

06.06.2012 | Dana Murray

About Us Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

Today’s guest blogger is Dana Roeber Murray, a marine and coastal scientist with Heal the Bay.

A little more than a year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Heal the Bay is conducting our first tsunami debris monitoring of Los Angeles area beaches in partnership with the NOAA Marine Debris Program.

Beginning June 8, we will launch monthly monitoring efforts that will also help gather information about how trash and debris unrelated to the tsunami accumulates on our local beaches over time. Our first survey will be in Palos Verdes, and we will also survey in Malibu.

This monitoring occurs not a moment too soon, as I discovered on a recent family trip to Hawaii when I brought my daughter to one of my favorite beaches – Honokalani Black Sand Beach in Wainapanapa State Park in Maui.

I had camped at this state park a couple years ago and had remembered it being one of the most scenic and unique beaches I’d ever been to, complete with sea turtles riding in the waves. However, during this visit, I was surprised to see quite a lot of plastic debris fringing the tide line on this black sand beach. Other visitors thought they were little shells and would stoop down for a closer look, only to find bits of white and multicolored plastic lining the beach.

When I took a closer look at the plastic debris, I found Japanese writing and odd shaped plastic pieces, and determined that I was likely looking at plastic marine debris that had washed ashore all the way from Japan after the tsunami last year. In March 2011, the tsunami washed boats, buildings, appliances, plastic objects, and other items into the sea, which initially were visible by satellite as a debris field off the coast of Japan, but have since dispersed. Wind and ocean currents have scattered the items throughout the North Pacific Ocean, and some items likely sank to the seafloor.

In addition to what I witnessed first-hand on the beach in Maui, on mainland U.S. shores, there have been a few confirmed reports of tsunami related debris washing ashore in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, including a soccer ball, motorcycle, and fishing vessel. However, we have yet to see evidence of any tsunami related debris washing ashore in Southern California. NOAA and oceanographic experts believe the debris will continue to disperse by wind and ocean currents, and they are uncertain as to if or when we will see effects in Southern California, which is part of the importance of regular monitoring.

If you find anything on the beach that you think might be related to the tsunami, please contact Heal the Bay’s Policy Analyst Kathryn Benz. In addition, you can report it to report it to NOAA.

Want to know more? Read our Tsunami Debris FAQ and NOAA’s Factsheet.

Marine debris persists as a problem here in Southern California, whether it comes from overseas or from inland sources. Heal the Bay conducts regular beach cleanups throughout Los Angeles County. Please join us for a cleanup.

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Mariposa School Holds Creative Cleanup

06.06.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey More Ways to Give Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

At a time when most schools are focused on fundraising to support their own libraries and arts programs, one local school decided to share some of the money their families raised at a beach cleanup event to help further Heal the Bay’s mission.

Mariposa School of Global Education students donated $1,200 (out of more than $12,000 raised) from their 4^th Annual Beach Clean-A-Thon to Heal the Bay. The Beach-Clean-A-Thon is a school-wide event that involves all grades. In April, kindergarten classes cleaned Malibu Lagoon, while other grades cleaned Malibu Creek State Park to learn how the creek flows into the ocean and affects local oceans and beaches.

“We must remember to model community partnerships and philanthropy towards those causes we wish to see furthered,” said Jeff Lough, principal of the Agoura Hills-based school in Las Virgenes Unified School District. “Our donation and partnership with Heal the Bay is an example of our commitment to this idea. Mariposa’s donation will come back to our children tenfold when they grow up and enjoy the coastline that Heal the Bay works so relentlessly to protect.”

When Mariposa sixth graders presented Heal the Bay Coastal Resources Director Sarah Sikich with the check on May 21 at their campus, she reminded the students that their contributions would pay dividends for all beach lovers. “The money you raised will go to keeping wildlife and the ocean healthy and clean,” she said.

Sarah also noted that the students will be supporting Heal the Bay’s beach cleanup programs, as well as our work to bring underserved kids — some of whom have never been to the beach before — to our Aquarium to learn about the ocean and the animals who live in Santa Monica Bay.

Mariposa formed a new partnership with Heal the Bay this year to help support student conservation efforts and as part of the school’s educational components. Students learn responsibility by participating in activities like the Beach Clean-A-Thon, which acts as both a fundraiser and educational event. The remainder of funds raised will go directly to programs, resources and services for Mariposa students.

Fundraising efforts by students included children sponsoring other children, start-up lemonade stands, kids’ video messages filmed at the beach and hand-written letters with ocean-themed art. Donations came in all shapes and sizes, from hand-picked coins from kid’s piggy banks to online donations from out-of-state friends and relatives.

Mariposa’s 2013 Beach Clean-A-Thon will be held near our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium location and will include an educational tour of our marine learning center.

Schedule a cleanup for your school.

Plan a visit or field trip to our Aquarium.

Help us bring our ocean education programs to Los Angeles students.

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Lonely Planet Tours Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

06.05.2012 | Heal the Bay

Heal the Bay Aquarium Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

Tune in to the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Lonely Planet “California Adventure” special at 10 a.m. Sunday to tour Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium with the popular travel show’s host, Dominic Bonnuccelli.

Maria Calleia, who works in program development for Lonely Planet Television, requested permission to film at the Aquarium a few months ago. She said the show was eager to feature Heal The Bay and our Aquarium in an upcoming special, ‘Subaru California Eco Adventure.’ Host Bonnuccelli travels to locations up and down the California Coast – in…no surprise, a Subaru – to experience eco-oriented adventures and visit organizations active in conservation and preservation.

Calleia, an L.A. native, said she selected Heal the Bay to represent Southern California’s environmental community because of the enormity of our efforts, the organization’s credibility and our lengthy track record of making the region’s coastal waters and watersheds safe, healthy and clean. More than 100 species of marine animals and plants call the Aquarium home, including Pacific sea horses, sea stars and swell sharks.

Along with the segment on the Aquarium and Heal the Bay, featured are the 31^st Annual Avalon Harbor Cleanup, a visit to the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center and an interview with Sara Bayles, founder of a cleanup effort to pick up trash on the beach around Santa Monica lifeguard tower 26 for 365 non-consecutive days. Sara blogs about her experiences at The Daily Ocean.

Watch BBC America on Sundaymorning to see how our Aquarium shines as the public face of Heal the Bay. Check your local listings, but Time Warner Cable station 131 will air the show from 10-11 a.m.

Tour our Aquarium for yourself. Plan your visit .

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Heal the Bay Earns Top Tourism Award

06.04.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Beach Report Card Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Marine Protected Areas More Ways to Give Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

June 4, 2012

The California Travel Association (CTA) will bestow its annual Tourism Stewardship of the Year award this week to Heal the Bay, recognizing us for doing the most to “protect, preserve, restore, improve, expand, or otherwise enhance California’s natural, cultural, or historical treasures.”

In honoring Heal the Bay, the CTA noted our education and advocacy initiatives to protect oceans statewide and beautify beaches for the millions of people who visit California each year, including:

The Beach Report Card® that provides weekly water quality grades to more than 500 California beaches;
Our advocacy work to help create newly established Marine Protected Areas off the coast of Southern California;
The ongoing education of nearly 100,000 visitors to Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium and
Our contribution to ending the scourge of pollution on our shores by sponsoring a number of regional and statewide measures that have significantly reduced urban runoff and marine debris.

Heal the Bay’s Coastal Resources Director, Sarah Sikich, will accept the award on Heal the Bay’s behalf during an event organized by the state’s leading travel trade organization during its annual convention June 4-6 in Sacramento. Heal the Bay is among seven honorees designated by the CTA, including surf industry legend Jack O’Neill, the Francis Ford Coppola winery and Napa Valley chef Michael Chiarello.

“Protecting the California coastline isn’t just good for the environment,” said Sikich. “It’s good for the statewide economy. The millions of visitors who come to our beaches each year expect clean water and sand. We all have a duty to protect what we love.”

Three Ways to Salute World Oceans Day

05.30.2012 | Heal the Bay

Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

On World Oceans Day, traditionally held each year on June 8, people around the globe gather to celebrate and honor the ocean and the life it contains. The theme for 2012 is “Youth: the Next Wave for Change” and the event boasts a long list of activities designed to encourage young people to realize that the future of ocean conservation is in their hands.

To help celebrate locally, 5,000 students, teachers and volunteers will gather on Thursday, June 7 at Dockweiler State Beach for “Kids Ocean Day.” Not only will they help clean up the beach, but they plan to form an aerial art piece—a massive shark holding a shield, emblazoned with the message “Defend the Sea.”

Volunteers are still needed for the event, which is organized by the Malibu Foundation. Sign up.

Meanwhile, Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium will celebrate World Oceans Day on June 9, 12:30-5 p.m. The Aquarium will offer ocean-themed games, activities, scavenger hunts and presentations. Staff will also announce the winners of the “My Perfect Ocean Contest,” which offers free registration at a Heal the Bay summer science program as the grand prize. Find out more.

But that’s not all! The Aquarium’s June 9 activities are part of the Santa Monica Pier Honolua Paddleboard Race and Ocean Festival, featuring ocean swim, SUP and paddleboard races. This all-day event from 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. benefits the Aquarium and also features hula dance groups, live music and an ocean sport history exhibition.

For more information, visit www.pierpaddle.com.

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Paddle Out for Ocean Education

05.25.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey More Ways to Give Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

What better way to kick off a summer spent at the shore than with some family-friendly, crowd-pleasing ocean sport competition?

In the water on June 9, the Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Race & Ocean Festival will feature SUP, paddleboard, ocean swim and dory competitions. While up on the pier deck, live music, hula dancing and a surfing, lifeguard and paddleboard museum will be found. The event will run from 8:30 a.m.- 3 p.m.

The paddleboard competition continues a Santa Monica tradition from the 1940s, when two paddleboard clubs were headquartered on the pier.

Heal the Bay will receive a portion of net proceeds from the event, which will directly benefit our marine education facility, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

Check out the vibe for yourself with this video.

For more information, visit www.pierpaddle.com

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Heal the Bay's 2012 Beach Report Card

05.23.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Beach Report Card Beach Report Card Spanish Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

California beachgoers can head to the shore with little anxiety this summer, as their beaches are generally very clean, according to Heal the Bay’s 2012 Beach Report Card®. In fact, 407 of the 441 beaches monitored throughout California’s summer dry weather received very good to excellent (A and B) grades; a 2% improvement from the previous report.

The Report
2012 Beach Report Card
PDF

Press Releases
California
Los Angeles
San Diego
San Francisco

Online Beach Report Card
BeachReportCard.org

This is the 22^nd time Heal the Bay has released an annual Beach Report Card, which provides water quality information to millions of people who swim, surf, dive or fish along the West Coast, including Oregon and Washington.

This year’s grades encompass more than 650 locations along the West Coast for summer dry weather and more than 300 locations year-round on an A-to-F scale. The grades represent the risk of adverse health effects from bacterial pollution.

Overall, only 25 of the beaches (6%) monitored statewide received D or F grades during summer dry weather, when most beachgoers typically use the ocean. High bacteria counts at these sites are linked to such potential illnesses as stomach flu, ear infections and major skin rashes.

Los Angeles County once again leads Heal the Bay’s annual Beach Bummer List, with seven locations in the ranking of the state’s 10 most polluted beaches. Avalon Beach on Southern California’s Catalina Island, troubled by outdated and leaking sewers, claimed the No. 1 spot.

On the positive side, San Diego, Orange and Ventura counties once again had superb water quality in dry summer. Central and Northern California ocean beaches also continued their trend of outstanding water quality in dry weather, save for some troubled spots in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties.

Read the full report.

Beachgoers can check Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card weekly grades from their iPhone or Android, or online at www.beachreportcard.org. In addition, grades are now available on Weather Underground.

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Plastic Bag Ban Victory in L.A.!

05.23.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Palos Verdes Peninsula South Bay Venice Beach

May 23, 2012

In a 13-1 city council vote, Los Angeles today became the largest municipality in the U.S. to ban single-use plastic bags.

Heal the Bay board members Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Sharon Lawrence, Amy Smart and David Nahai addressed dozens of ocean supporters for the pre-vote rally and energized the city council meeting’s public comment period.

“What is hideously ugly, gigantically dangerous, and outrageously expensive and yet we still use it every single day in Los Angeles? No, it is not the 405. It is plastic bags,” said Louis-Dreyfus in public comment.

For the past five years, Heal the Bay has led the legislative fight to enact a bag ban as part of its ongoing efforts to tackle plastic pollution in California neighborhoods and seas.

In moving forward with the bag ban, Los Angeles can embolden other cities, counties and states—including California—to also take action. The next fight is a statewide ban, which will be debated this summer in Sacramento.

“Today, the Los Angeles City Council took a prudent step to protect our environment and bolster our economy,” stated Kirsten James, Heal the Bay’s director of water quality. “The vote further emphasizes the fact that the days are numbered for single-use bags in California.”

Under the approved policy, the city will take a phased, three-step approach for curbing the environmental and fiscal waste associated with the distribution, collection and disposal of single-use bags.

Read our news release for more details.

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‘A’ Listers Head to Beach for Star-Studded Gala

05.22.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Bring Back the Beach Gala Long Beach / Avalon Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey More Ways to Give Palos Verdes Peninsula Santa Monica South Bay Venice Beach

On May 17 Heal the Bay hosted nearly 1,000 of our closest friends and biggest supporters at our annual Bring Back the Beach gala. Themed “Sea of Love,” this year’s sold-out event celebrated eco-couple Danny Moder and Julia Roberts, as well as Amy Smart and Matthew Hart on the sand at the Jonathan Beach Club.

With such A-List honorees, Bring Back the Beach drew top government officials, including City of Long Beach Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal, as well as Hollywood celebrities Peter Fonda and Ali Larter and sports luminary Michelle Kwan.

In addition, Heal the Bay board members Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Sharon Lawrence lent their voices to the upcoming vote in L.A. for a ban on single-use shopping bags and their all-star talent to the awards presentations.

The band Entourage provided high-energy, dance-along tunes that got partygoers out of their seats and up on stage to groove until late in the evening.

Earlier, guests were given a chance to bid on a new Toyota Prius c, generously donated by long-time Heal the Bay supporter and community member LAcarGuy.

To view photos from the event—including a shot of the evening’s amazing Technicolor sunset—visit our Flickr photo set.

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