Heal the Bay Blog

Category: Marine Protected Areas

Big Win for Whales Off Our Coast

03.08.2013 | Dana Murray

Heal the Bay’s Marine & Coastal Scientist Dana Roeber Murray reports great news from the Coastal Commission meeting on Friday, March 8, 2013:

After hours of public comment and following decades of the U.S. Navy dismissing mitigation requirements for sonar and explosion practices, the Coastal Commission unanimously voted to reject the Navy’s consistency permit!

Heal the Bay board member Dayna Bochco led the charge today by making the initial motion. The Commission sent a strong message that the Navy needs to come back with a robust plan to protect marine animals. Avoiding Marine Protected Areas was also a key message echoed by the commissioners.

“This is a good day for the oceans,” said Dana. “I am proud of our Coastal Commission for standing up to the Navy and using their position to protect our coast.”

Learn more ways you can Take Action.

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5 Years In, State MPAs Are Thriving

03.05.2013 | Heal the Bay

About Us Marine Protected Areas More Ways to Give

Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bay’s director of coastal resources and Dana Roeber Murray, Heal the Bay marine scientist, recently attended a conference in Monterey that examined how well marine protected areas are functioning off California’s coast. Heal the Bay has played a critical role in establishing MPAs in Southern California. Here Sarah shares lessons learned at the symposium.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

As to many conservationists, this quote from Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax has meant a lot to me throughout my life and career. It was inspiring to hear Chuck Bonham, the Director of California Department of Fish and Wildlife, conclude his remarks at the State of the Central Coast MPA Symposium with this quote last Friday. (Maybe he was channeling Theodor Seuss Geisel, as it was Dr. Seuss’ birthday the following day, March 2!)

Spending a few days in Monterey with Dana Murray, Heal the Bay’s Marine and Coastal Scientist, listening to resource managers, policy makers, stakeholders, and scientists reflect on the first five years of marine protected area (MPA) monitoring and management along California’s Central Coast gave me hope for restoring Southern California’s marine resources, with our own MPAs on the South Coast going into effect last year. It was an intense three days in a room with over 350 people, but we both learned a lot about how the Central Coast MPAs (from Pigeon Point to Point Conception) are functioning.

These “lessons learned” may give us insights on other MPAs up and down the coast will perform, as the Central Coast has the first coastal MPA network to be implemented in California.

Here are the top three snapshots that Dana and I took away from the symposium.

1. The early signs are encouraging

The overall trend in marine life growth and abundance is positive! While there is some variation between species and MPAs, many fish, including blue rockfish, lingcod, and cabezon are more abundant inside the MPAs as compared to outside these areas. Research also shows that some species, including black abalone and owl limpets are larger in the MPAs. In one of the oldest underwater parks along California’s coast, Point Lobos (a 40-year old marine reserve), scientists documented more fish and larger fish- and similar results are starting to be seen in some of the newer MPAs. With a robust network of underwater parks throughout the state now in place, hopefully we will start to see similar trends in other locations, including Southern California.

Commercial and recreational fishing and other commercial ventures are also showing improvement. Overall commercial fishing revenue has increased since MPA implementation, and recreational fishermen’s total catch has actually increased. In addition, people are adapting to public demands for recreation– some former fishing boats have moved on to provide non-consumptive ventures such as whale watching.

2. Community-based research helps provide insights

As a group that relies on volunteer engagement and stewardship to reach wide audiences and conduct research, Heal the Bay recognizes great value in citizen science. It was motivating to see how important community-based research and citizen science is in evaluating the Central Coast MPAs. A broad range of groups are involved in these efforts– volunteer SCUBA divers surveying marine life with Reef Check, fishermen working with marine ecologists to assess population trends like the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program, high school students monitoring tidepools through the LiMPETS program, and volunteers monitoring human uses in MPAs through the Otter Project’s MPA Watch program. These programs offer many benefits beyond data collection – they are cost-effective, build awareness, create community trust and transparency in the research, and promote stewardship among participants. This provides promise for Heal the Bay’s research programs that rely on volunteer scientists, like Stream Team and MPA Watch.

3. People still care about MPAs

It’s no secret that the MPA designation and adoption process was contentious, and a challenge to balance various interests in creating these new underwater parks. So, it was exciting to see the conference room packed with hundreds of people from throughout the state during all three days of the symposium – it is clear that people are eager to learn about the research findings, and there was a general buzz of positivity in the room.

Another sign that people are caring for our MPAs comes from the trends of public calls to Cal-TIP, presented at the symposium by Assistant Chief Bob Farrell of Fish & Wildlife’s Marine Division. Cal-TIP is a confidential call-in line for the public to Fish and Wildlife to report illegal activities of poaching and polluting, in an effort to help protect the state’s biological resources. In 2012, 259 calls came in from the public reporting violations in California’s MPAs via 1 888 DFG-CALTIP (888 334-2258). Public reporting is a form of community stewardship of our oceans, as it helps both our natural resources and Fish and Wildlife’s enforcement efforts. Although education efforts are key to the success of MPAs, reporting violations to Fish and Wildlife is imperative as well- Farrell stated that “poaching activity directly affects the recovery and rebuilding rates of an area.”

People care about these special places, and are working together in creative ways to build “social capital” or awareness and stewardship about these MPAs. I guess this shouldn’t be a surprise, as one of our most popular volunteer programs, MPA Watch, involves monitoring underwater parks in our region.

Another gem from Chuck Bonham closed the symposium- that California has created “an MPA network that rivals none other in the world.” MPA creation in California has been a true collaborative process, which will hopefully provide long-lasting benefits California’s coastal environment and its ocean users.

Find out more about the Central Coast MPAs.

Watch highlights from the State of the California Central Coast symposium on February 28, 2013.

Want to get involved with monitoring and research in Southern California? Sign up for Heal the Bay’s volunteer scientist programs Stream Team and MPA Watch.

— Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bay’s Coastal Resources Director

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Climate Changing: Time to Adapt to the New Abnormal

01.30.2013 | Dana Murray

About Us Climate Change Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marine Protected Areas More Ways to Give South Bay Venice Beach

Climate change is happening now. Here in Los Angeles- not just in the Arctic. In our backyards, our ocean, our mountains, our beaches. Of course it’s important to keep reducing carbon emissions, but at this point climate change is occurring – we don’t have a choice, we need adapt to the change. Investing time and resources into identifying and advocating for environmentally-sound adaptation solutions is imperative- climate change could be one of the biggest challenges we face.

Some of the ongoing and expected climate change impacts here in coastal Los Angeles include increased storm intensity, ocean temperature increases, changing currents, sea level rise, species range shifts, coastal erosion, and ocean acidification. To make matters worse, when a combination of impacts collide—such as high tides, sea level rise, storm surges, and inland flooding—projected inundation could severely impact our freshwater supplies, wastewater treatment plants, power plants, and other infrastructure… not to mention public health and the environment.

According to NOAA, in 2012 the U.S. experienced our warmest year on record, which might sound nice and toasty at first, but really means that we had more extremely hot days and heat waves than in years past. This type of climate change not only has immediate impacts to public health, but can also affect nature’s timing—prey, predators, and pollination may not match up as they have in past years—which can have profound effects on our local and migrating species, upsetting the natural balance native species have established for centuries.

At Heal the Bay, we’re committed to advocating for environmentally sound climate change adaptation methods through participating in local stakeholder groups such as Adapt-LA, analyzing and commenting on proposed plans and policies, and educating the public about the coastal threats associated with climate change and how everyday people can be involved in sound solutions that protect our critical natural resources.

Some areas we’ve been involved with for a while will help with climate change adaptation – like encouraging water reuse and conservation, or supporting and advocating for low-impact development. Also, by supporting the restoration and protection of specific ecosystems- such as wetlands and eelgrass beds- we are also not just adapting to climate change, but trying to offset it. Wetlands and eelgrass beds can act as a carbon sink, natural places that absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they release.

One of Heal the Bay’s larger efforts over the past five years, and one of the key slices of my personal work at Heal the Bay is the establishment and implementation of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), which help to maintain and create healthy ecosystems. How are MPAs and climate change related? Healthy ecosystems can better withstand the pressures of climate change much more effectively than a stressed ecosystem, and MPAs house more resilient habitats and species. By focusing on reducing overall stressors to the environment, such as pollution and overfishing, we can buy time for species to adapt to stressors that we cannot control- namely, climate change. A more resilient ecosystem can rebound and adapt after an extreme event. Also, by supporting a network of MPAs, rather than just single areas, we are planning ahead for species shifts to northern waters as ocean temperatures rise- our California MPA network provides a continuity of protected habitats.

I was encouraged to hear our President bring up climate change in his inauguration speech this month, and am ready to face the challenge and help implement solutions for our community, our environment, and for future generations- I hope you are on board too!

–Dana Roeber Murray, Marine & Coastal Scientist

You can get on board by joining the Forward on Climate rally in L.A. on February 17.

Or consider supporting Heal the Bay’s coastal resiliency efforts.

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We Know Where We're Headed in 2013

01.23.2013 | Heal the Bay

Beach Report Card California Bag Ban 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

As representatives of Heal the Bay, we often get asked: “Is the bay healed yet?” People know we’ve been at this a long time (more than 25 years). While the answer is a qualified “yes,” we still work every day to fulfill our mission to make southern California’s coastal waters and watersheds, including Santa Monica Bay safe, healthy and clean. Our tools? Science, education, community action and advocacy.

Each year we discuss where we’ve been, where we’re headed and how we’re going to get there. It’s a valuable process requiring that we all know what our HtB colleagues are up to: whether we’re teaching school kids at our Aquarium, coordinating our next advocacy campaign or analyzing water samples in Malibu Creek.

Here’s what we came up with for our goals of 2013:

Science

Marine Protected Areas and Fisheries

In 2013, we plan to continue to build our MPA Watch program. We will review data collected by MPA Watch volunteers and interns, and share it with management, enforcement, and other monitoring agencies to help understand and evaluate how local Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are being used. We also plan to inform and evaluate the development of fisheries management plans for key southern California fisheries, including spiny lobster. Additionally, in 2013, we will work with local and statewide partners to advance the statewide sustainable seafood policy developed by the Ocean Protection Council (with Heal the Bay’s involvement) and local efforts to promote sustainable seafood. On the education front, we are playing a leadership role in creating new MPA curriculum for teachers with the Southern California Aquarium Collaborative.

Stream Team

Heal the Bay will continue to develop our Stream Team program. We plan to begin evaluating watershed impacts associated with agricultural development in the Santa Monica Mountains, including vineyards. Additionally, we hope to inspire residents and recreationists in the watershed to become Creek Stewards, and help scout for watershed health impacts throughout these mountains.

Malibu Creek Watershed

We will educate local partner groups and management agencies about the findings of Heal the Bay’s State of the Malibu Creek Watershed report. We will also work with watershed partners and policymakers to prioritize and implement recommendations detailed in the report aimed at improving local stream and watershed health.

Predicting Beach Water Quality

Heal the Bay will continue our partnership with Stanford University in developing a predictive beach water quality models. The models will use oceanic and atmospheric factors (i.e. tides, waves, temperature, wind direction etc.) as inputs to forecast indicator bacteria concentrations at beaches, as means of providing early “nowcast” warnings of human health risks (our current methods take 18-24 hours to process, leaving the public with day-old water quality information). We plan to develop simple models for 25 different California beaches that will rapidly “predict” when beaches are in or out of compliance with water quality standards. Additionally, these models will be helpful in identifying and prioritizing beach cleanup and abatement priorities.

Education

Youth Summits

To take student learning beyond the classroom into community action and civic engagement, Heal the Bay will organize more youth summits. Students learn how to protect what they love through adjusting their own behavior, speaking publicly to businesses and governments and educating others in their local communities. This year we will focus on scheduling these events quarterly, formalizing their structure, and expanding their reach throughout Los Angeles County high schools.

Teacher Opportunities

Heal the Bay will expand our teacher education and professional development opportunities in 2013. New workshops and field experiences will be offered to help increase teacher expertise in teaching environmental principles and concepts, marine and watershed science knowledge, and best practices for melding field and laboratory activities into their own classroom curricula.

Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

To further educate the 75,000-80,000 annual visitors to the Aquarium about water conservation, we plan to overhaul the Green Room, named after Heal the Bay’s founding president Dorothy Green, with a new exhibit in her honor. The education room will include interactive, bilingual exhibits on watershed education and the urban water cycle, as well as a space dedicated to Dorothy’s accomplishments and inspirational vision.

Classroom Enrichment

In 2013, we’ll expand our environmental education outreach to more low-income communities and to a wider range of age groups. Through our partnership with the Discovery by Nature program, we’ll be able to reach classrooms in underserved communities, where public education in the sciences — as well as field trip funding — are limited.

Advocacy

A “Yes” for Clean Beaches

In the new year, Heal the Bay will mobilize support for the Clean Waters, Clean Beaches funding measure, which will drive an extensive and multi-faceted water quality clean up and conservation program in Los Angeles County. The proposed measure would address contaminated drinking water, polluted stormwater runoff as well as toxins and trash in the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers, among other challenges.

Plastic Bag Bans

In 2013, we will take a leadership role in advocating for a strong single-use bag ordinance for the City of Los Angeles that is consistent with several other policies adopted by local governments in the area. We will work with partner groups and City Council offices to conduct outreach to the community about the pending ordinance, and ensure that a final policy is adopted that eliminates single-use plastic bag usage in the City at grocery stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores, and greatly reduces paper bag distribution from these locations.

Community Action

Zero Waste Cleanups

In 2013, Heal the Bay plans to run all Nothin’ But Sand monthly beach cleanups as Zero Waste events. Building upon the success of the 2012 Zero Waste cleanups in October and November, we shall focus this year on not generating excessive waste in the process of performing large-scale public volunteer events. The hope is that the public will witness our commitment to practicing what we advocate, by going reusable and minimizing trash.

Compton Creek

Heal the Bay, in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Goldhirsh Foundation, will complete a project to build trash capture devices in the concrete portion of Compton Creek, just upstream of the earthen-bottom, riparian section. Compton Creek is the last major tributary that feeds into the Los Angeles River before it ultimately reaches the ocean in Long Beach. The devices ‑- adjustable metal racks that will be bolted into the channel bottom — will capture trash from dry weather urban runoff and low volume producing storm events and go a long way toward improving water quality.

A Park in South L.A.

Heal the Bay is partnering with Wisdom Academy for Young Scientists (WAYS) Charter School to complete the construction of the WAYS Reading & Fitness Park on the site of 4,000-square feet of unused City land in 2013. This park, located at the intersection of McKinley Avenue and 87th Street in South Los Angeles, will be on the leading edge of green technology, recycling street water to irrigate its own landscape.

Help us reach our goals this year, donate now and keep the field trips, advocacy campaigns and water testing afloat!

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Signs of Progress Along Our Coast

01.17.2013 | Dana Murray

About Us California Grunion Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marine Protected Areas News Palos Verdes Peninsula

Planting one of the first MPA signs along Los Angeles’ coast felt like it’d been a long time coming.

California lays claim to the only statewide network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), or underwater parks, where ocean wildlife can thrive with less disturbance from humans. Yesterday our Coastal Resources Director Sarah Sikich and I, along with our colleagues at L.A. Waterkeeper, installed the first MPA signs in Los Angeles County along access points in Malibu’s marine reserve.

Southern California’s marine protected areas have been in effect for a year — after years of hard work to implement them– and now they’ll finally be marked.

Point Dume State Marine Reserve is located on the Malibu Coast, and includes a rocky headland peninsula, one of the world’s most popular coastal destinations. Migrating gray whales often stop off and feed along Point Dume, and the reserve’s kelp forests, canyon, and tide pools teem with octopus, anemones, and sea stars. Historically, Point Dume’s kelp forest has been the largest in southern California, providing food and shelter for a variety of sea life, including sea lions, grunion, and spawning squid.

It took over a year to get these initial simple signs designed, approved, funded, and installed- but an even longer public process to identify, negotiate, and designate MPAs along the Southern California Coast. Big thanks to the collaborative efforts of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Natural Resources Defense Council, and Los Angeles Waterkeeper for helping to make these signs become a reality!

Next up are installing MPA signs along the Palos Verdes coast and Catalina Island … and later on this year, beautiful and informative MPA interpretive signage which will include images, maps, and multi-lingual descriptions of our local MPAs. For Heal the Bay, this is just the first step in education signage, but an exciting one to help with marine protected area education.

–Dana Roeber Murray, Heal the Bay’s Marine & Coastal Scientist

For ocean lovers who want to get more involved with underwater parks, join our MPA Watch training program on January 30 and February 2 to help monitor these vital environmental resources.

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Things to Do with HtB for MLK Day of Service

01.14.2013 | Heal the Bay

About Us Beach Report Card Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marina del Rey / Playa del Rey Marine Protected Areas More Ways to Give Santa Monica Venice Beach

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?'” –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Each year on the federal holiday marking Dr. King’s birthday, Americans celebrate his legacy by working together to serve our neighbors and communities, making the third Monday of January more than just a day of sales at the mall, but a national “MLK Day of Service.”

Come keep your community clean, by joining Heal the Bay this MLK Weekend on Saturday in Venice for our first Nothin’ But Sand beach cleanup of 2013. We are striving to go “Zero Waste” at our cleanups, so please bring your own reusable gloves, buckets or bags from home. And, if you didn’t know already, our monthly beach cleanups are perfect “get involved” opportunities for the ENTIRE FAMILY – an introduction to a lifetime of making a difference.

Nothin’ But Sand runs from 10 a.m.-noon, which gives you just enough time to get over to Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium to celebrate Underwater Parks Day, 12:30-5 p.m. The annual event recognizes Marine Protected Areas (aka “MPAs”) and the aquatic life they safeguard. Visitors will receive a free canvas tote bag to decorate and have a chance to join various fun activities designed to teach ways to improve the ocean’s health.

With the new year, we encourage you to join Heal the Bay as a member. We are only as effective as the folks who band with us to solve local water quality problems. Help us protect our coastal waters and watersheds and join 12,000 other active members to help fund our education, science and advocacy programs. We’ll keep you up-to-date on work and you’ll enjoy member benefits, such as FREE passes to our Aquarium, Beach Report Card emails and other special offers.

Discover more ways to get involved with Heal the Bay.

The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.

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MPAs: An Ocean Legacy Like a String of Pearls

12.18.2012 | Dana Murray

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

It’s been a long road – more than 12 years – but, California’s statewide network of coastal marine protected areas (MPAs) is now complete. As of Dec. 19, 2012, the final piece of the coastal MPA network (along the North Coast) is effective.

Our state’s marine life will now have safe haven along about 16% of our entire California coastline, lining our 1,100 miles of coast like a string of pearls, protecting habitats, ocean ecosystems, and marine natural heritage.

California’s state legislature enacted the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) in 1999, directing the Department of Fish and Game to design and manage a statewide network of MPAs to protect marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems, and marine natural heritage. Heal the Bay was most actively involved in the effort to designate MPAs in southern California under the MLPA, and is now working with partner groups throughout the state to monitor and conduct outreach about these new underwater parks.

Through the phased “MLPA Initiative” process various interests ranging from fishing groups to conservationists designed 119 MPAs, which have been adopted off the CA coast- first in the Central Coast in 2007 and 2010, then along the Southern California coast, which entered into regulatory effect on Jan. 1, 2012.

This network of MPAs is designed to function together as an interconnected system. California’s MPAs are being monitored by state and federal agencies, researchers, citizen science groups, and others.

The North Coast MPAs going into effect marks a historic moment to be celebrated – this is the first statewide network of underwater parks in the U.S. As an investment for future generations, this system of MPAs will lead to a stronger and more resilient marine ecosystem in California.

— Dana Roeber Murray

Heal the Bay’s Marine & Coastal Scientist

Want to do more to steward our ocean environment? Join Heal the Bay’s citizen science program, MPA Watch. Training begins January 30.

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Preparing Youth for Bag-Free Future

12.13.2012 | Heal the Bay

California Bag Ban Marine Protected Areas

As Angelenos head toward a reusable future, with L.A. City Council moving forward on an ordinance banning plastic single-use bags that’s expected to be approved in spring 2013, Heal the Bay staff decided it was time to refresh our approach to our sixth annual Day Without a Bag (DWAB) campaign.

Held the third Thursday in December, DWAB gives Southland shoppers an early holiday present, courtesy of a reusable bag giveaway at locations throughout Los Angeles County.

Taking a page from marketers everywhere, this year we’ve focused on youth to advocate for change in their own communities, training them on how to build support for the ban all over the city.

On December 1 we organized the Day Without a Bag Youth Summit, bringing together 35 students and teachers from eight different schools to train them on the skills necessary for recruiting business partners from their local community into the campaign.

“We wanted to support teachers seeking hands-on ways to teach civic engagement and environmental stewardship,” said Meredith McCarthy, Heal the Bay’s Director of Programs. To that end, students learned how to shape their own campaign tasks, manage team members, and speak with local businesses about their support.

One of Heal the Bay’s strongest advocate partners, 15-year-old Zola Berger-Schmidt joined us as our keynote speaker, telling of her success as a student leader in the environmental movement, and how important students are in effecting change. Zola was instrumental in our campaign for Marine Protected Areas in California.

The day was filled with empowering ‘a-ha!’ moments and excitement and students became charged with the task of bringing those ideas back to their community to garner support for the ban.

Now as we approach Day Without a Bag on December 20, students are reporting back in impressive form, with stores all over the city handing out bags and joining in support of the ban. From grocery stores, to the East Hollywood farmers market, to Amoeba’s Hollywood location and mom-and-pop shops,retailers are taking part in A Day Without a Bag, and the students have made sure their communities are counted.

Students from the following schools attended the youth summit:

–Edward Murphy

Secondary Education Coordinator

Join us on December 20 throughout Los Angeles, as we celebrate going bag-free on A Day Without a Bag.

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Thank You Thursday – 12.6.12

12.06.2012 | Heal the Bay

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

Today we celebrate how hard work does pay off. Nineteen marine protected areas (MPAs) will become effective December 19, completing the statewide network of MPAs in California’s coastal regions. Last year we rejoiced as the MPAs along the south coast became effective, and now the state will boast a suite of MPAs all the way up to the Oregon border.

Heal the Bay staff and partners worked for years to designate these MPAs, which protect entire ecosystems, allowing animals living in these areas to repopulate.

We extend our thanks to the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation for their ongoing support of our ocean conservation work, especially for establishing these Marine Protected Areas in Southern California!

In addition, we thank Sempra Energy and the Southern California Gas Company for their generous support of our Key to the Sea program and commitment to volunteerism. We are also grateful to the John W. Carson Foundation —established by Tonight Show host Johnny Carson in 1988 — for their longtime support of our beach cleanup and educational programs.

This week Heal the Bay staff got to ring in some festive cheer at our annual holiday party. It was a day to celebrate each other and the hard work and dedication that goes into protecting Southern California’s coastal waters.

Heal the Bay Holiday Party 2012

We had a wonderful time and it would not have been the rockin’ party it was without the help and generosity of some amazing people and businesses:

Huge thank you to our awesome board member Barry Gribbon who graciously let us use his home to host our party. You rock, Barry!
Our party was so sweet thanks to the incredibly moist and delicious bundtinis from Nothing Bundt Cakes.
Tru Protection not only continues to donate 15% of the proceeds from the Abel Art series of Iphone cases, but they also generously donated a few to raffle off to staff!
And finally, Alchemie Spa helped us feel pampered when one lucky staffer got to walk away with a gift certificate for an organic manicure. Come treat yourself for a good cause on December 18 when Alchemie throws a party for us, complete with food, drinks, mini-treatments and so much more. All of the proceeds from the evening’s $10 entrance charge, raffle tickets, silent auction and a portion of spa treatments will go to protecting what we all love…the ocean!

We’d also like to thank surfwear retailer O’Neill, which has offered a special edition Heal the Bay surfer t-shirt at their Santa Monica store since September 2011. We appreciate the ongoing support!

More: Visit the Heal the Bay holiday gift guide for the ocean lovers on your list.

Want do more to protect the ocean? Heal the Bay offers myriad ways to get involved—from our citizen science program MPA Watch to beach cleanups.

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A Seismic Victory for Marine Life

11.20.2012 | Heal the Bay

About Us Malibu / Pacific Palisades Marine Protected Areas More Ways to Give Palos Verdes Peninsula

Good news from last week’s California Coastal Commission hearing, as the commissioners unanimously denied Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s proposal for seismic testing in the Point Buchon State Marine Reserve.

About 200 people filled the hearing room — environmentalists, fishermen, tribes, local residents, and others – all speaking out with concerns about the proposed testing. Everyone in the room agreed that when it comes to nuclear energy, safety is a huge priority. But the questions and discussion centered on whether the tests would provide new information, as much that is already known about the fault activity offshore – PG&E had already completed onshore seismic surveys and offshore tests that were less threatening to marine life.

After hours of public comment, the commissioners were not convinced that there would be enough benefit to doing the research in comparison to the environmental harm posed to porpoise, whales, sea otters and other marine life in the area associated with the high-intensity sound waves (nearly continuous shooting of 250 decibel air guns for weeks).

Of particular concern was the threat PG&E’s proposed action would have on the adjacent Point Buchon State Marine Reserve and State Marine Conservation Area. Ultimately this was a test case for proposed projects within the relatively new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that may be environmentally harmful. The marine reserve prohibits activities that injure or kill marine life, and this testing could have seriously undermined these protections.

“After working for years to designate MPAs in California, as stewards, we now need to actively protect them,” said Heal the Bay’s Coastal Resources Director Sarah Sikich. “I’m glad the Commission sent a strong signal that the lives of marine animals along California’s coast and within these MPAs are valued.”

The Coastal Commission’s decision makes it unlikely the testing will happen any time soon.