Heal the Bay Blog

Artist Erik Abel first volunteered with Heal the Bay at a Nothin’ But Sand beach cleanup in January 2012 where he was treated to a special tour of our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. There, he found inspiration in the Aquarium’s “shark eggs and funky jellyfish” and realized he wanted to get more involved with our organization. Clean and healthy oceans have always been important to the California native, so partnering with Heal the Bay seemed an obvious choice.

“The ocean is my sanctuary, and I want to do my part to help it stay healthy,” Abel said. “Heal the Bay is a great organization that makes a difference. I’m stoked to work with them and contribute to their cause as a Heal the Bay 2013 Partner Artist.”

As our partner artist, Abel has created stunning artwork accompanying our Bring Back the Beach gala, including the invitation and a mural on display at the event. He will also donate an original painting to the gala’s silent auction and release prints after the event in May. 

Katherine Pease, Heal the Bay’s Watershed Scientist, reflects on publishing and presenting Stream Team data from the Malibu Creek Watershed to the public.

Last week we received a box containing the much-anticipated and limited print copies of the Malibu Creek Watershed report. Holding the weighty report —140 pages! — in hand was extremely satisfying knowing all the hard work that was put into its creation over the last 15 years.

Despite that satisfaction, we also know that with the completion of this physical report only begins the next steps in its lifespan. We don’t want the report to sit on a shelf and gather dust or be downloaded and never examined. Our goal for the report is to share our findings far and wide and to use it to enact positive change.

We kicked off the process Tuesday night at a public workshop about the report. We saw an amazing turnout (over 80 people)! Clearly the topic resonated among community members who are actively engaged in protecting this watershed.

All in all, it was a great evening at National Park Service’s Diamond X Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains. Sarah Sikich (Heal the Bay’s Coastal Resources Director), Shelley Luce (Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission’s Executive Director), and I  presented the major findings and recommendations of the report along with ways for the public to get involved. A question and answer panel followed the presentation and two of our dedicated Stream Team volunteers joined us for that.

Attendees also had the chance to visit informational booths hosted by organizations working in the watershed and greater Santa Monica Mountains, including Mountains Restoration Trust, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, LA Waterkeeper, California Wildlife Center, Malibu Creek State Park Docents, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission & Foundation, and California Native Plant Society.

Moving forward, we will continue the watershed monitoring we’ve been conducting since 1998. If you’re interested in participating in monthly water quality monitoring, we will be training Stream Team volunteers (pictured here) on May 11, 2013 – please apply online.

We will also be meeting and working with the public, stakeholders, public officials, and decision-makers to begin to advance implementation of some of our recommendations. Some great ideas for moving forward were proposed on Tuesday night at the public workshop and we will follow up on those ideas for working together to protect and improve a watershed that we all care deeply about.

Read our State of the Watershed Report.

Get Involved: Join us for an Earth Month restoration event in Malibu Creek State Park.

“Water is the driving force in nature.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

Tomorrow we celebrate the global importance of clean, fresh water as part of World Water Day. In most of the world, people don’t have access to safe drinking water, while here in Los Angeles protecting our water remains an ongoing challenge.

Which is why we are so grateful to our partners and friends who support our work to maintain a locally sustainable water supply and to protect what we all love and value—clean water!

Just this Tuesday we hosted a workshop focused on the Malibu Creek Watershed and our work to understand this vast clean water resource in our own backyard. We’d like to thank our partners who came out that evening to share their expertise about animals and native plants, scenic hiking spots and restoration activities in the area: Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation, Mountains Restoration Trust, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, LA Waterkeeper, California Wildlife Center, Malibu Creek State Park Docents, and California Native Plant Society.

We are also thankful to the 715 volunteers who joined us to pick up 371 pounds of trash at Nothin’ But Sand last Saturday at Venice Pier. Plus, as part of our ongoing Zero Waste initiative, we only used a handful of plastic bags, as most folks either brought their own buckets, or borrowed one of ours! A special shout out to Jason Holland and the Credit Suisse team, whose volunteer hours translated into donation dollars, ensuring that our effective pollution prevention programs such as Nothin’ But Sand keep running and keep our local waters clean.

We’d also like to thank Canehill Glass Ranch for donating to our clean water cause, including lovely repurposed glass “thank you items” to some of our top supporters.

Do you value clean water? Learn more about our work to maintain a healthy local water supply .

Join us on Earth Day (April 20) for our next Nothin’ But Sand cleanup.

“You survived! It wasn’t the end of the world in 2012, as the Mayans presumably predicted, so we celebrated in big ways on Tuesday with our Not the End of the World Volunteer Party. There are many people to thank for making this party so successful.

First, we want to give a big thank you to Greg Seares and his team at Bodega Wine Bar for hosting our party! This swanky venue worked out perfectly, with its crooks and crannies well suited for various activities, from crafts to photos to raffle entries. And the food was amazing, as always.

We also have a long list of shout-outs geared to our generous sponsors who graciously donated fun raffle prizes to our dedicated volunteers. Arbor Collective donated a beautiful swallowtail skateboard, our neighbors at Starbucks gave their famous Pikes roast with a reusable tumbler, while Dive N Surf provided a beautiful Body Glove wetsuit as well as two beach towel/mat sets! 

We had some generous friends at the pier with Pacific Park donating a pair of unlimited ride passes and Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle coming through with gift certificates for four fishing poles and bait for a day.

REI was honored as a Super Healer for their huge support to HtB in 2012, and continued the tradition by donating multiple chances to win their camping cookware set of plates and bowls. A big thanks to Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Huckleberry Cafe for the gift cards, Yoga Works for the complimentary one-week passes, Magicopolis for their very generous 10-ticket package to a show, and Planet Bike for the LED bicycle lighting system set. 

Not to be out-done, our crafty staffers Tara Treiber (Education Director) and Amanda Jones (Education Specialist) shared their appreciation to our cadre of volunteers, by donating prizes that they made themselves!

Thanks to our amazing volunteers for the work you do for cleaner watersheds and healthier, informed communities. Thank, thank, thank you to the sponsors who donated the space and great prizes to honor our volunteers!

Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but it’s not too late to let us know about your love for the ocean. Post a photo, make a YouTube video, create a Vine, or write on our timeline about your love for the ocean.

We’ll send the most creative poster a pair of matching Heal the Bay T-shirts! To enter include @HealTheBay and the hashtag #ProtectWhatYouLove on your post or put it on our Facebook timeline.

Meanwhile, flowers and candy are typical Valentine’s gifts. Why not let your loved one know that you care about what they care about: The ocean.

Here’s a selection of gifts to help you show your love:

• A Heal the Bay Membership: Like the human heart, our members fuel our activity—from ensuring that our beaches and local waters are clean to educating tens of thousands of kids on the hows and whys of combating pollution.
• A Clean Beach: Bring your sweetie to our next Nothin’ But Sand, conveniently scheduled for the Saturday after Valentine’s at Will Rogers State Beach.
• Whale of a Weekend: How big is your love? Celebrate the annual migration of the Pacific gray whale, which completes one of the longest migrations of any species. The migration can sometimes be seen from the west end of the Santa Monica Pier. Festivities take place at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium all weekend. 
• Moonjelly TLC: “Adopt” a moonjelly  (or select another of our nine animal options) in your beloved’s name, via our Aquarium’s Aquadoption program.



• A swanky reusable water bottle: Artist Erik Abel continues to support us, adding U.S.-made “Kelpafornia” aluminum water bottles to the collection of items he’s designed just for us. Fifteen percent of sales benefit Heal the Bay. 
•  A Heartwarming View: Take a walk along the shoreline or favorite waterway, confident in knowing that you’re supporting a clean and healthy ocean.

Don’t see anything quite right for Valentine’s? Visit our Shop page for a wider selection.