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Heal the Bay Blog

Category: News

Thank You Thursday – 2.7.13

02.07.2013 |

California SharksNews

What better time to thank the First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald, than Valentine week. Find a recording of Ella singing “My Funny Valentine,” you’ll soon discover what we mean….

But we love Ella for more than just her three-octave range. We also love Ella because a few years before she passed away in 1996, she formed the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation to help create educational opportunities for children.

Her foundation recently funded resources for our “Lunch ‘n Learn” field trip program (pictured left) to help foster a love of the ocean in students from regional schools. Each year, Heal the Bay provides marine education through Lunch ‘n Learn to 500 underserved Title 1 students, bussing them to Duke’s Malibu for a day of beach exploration and learning games.

Although we live in Southern California, winter mornings at the shore can still be chilly. We’d like to thank Venice Ale House owner Tom Elliot for serving free hot coffee to our Nothin’ But Sand volunteers who’d gathered in January to clean up Venice Beach.( Some of us at Heal the Bay also appreciate the spirit-warming benefits of Venice Ale House’s selection of craft beers… one pint at a time!)

White sharks off our California coast are safer now, thanks to your advocacy efforts. We are grateful to all of you who signed and shared our petition supporting the listing of the Northeastern Pacific population of white sharks as endangered or threatened. Yesterday, the Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted this population of white shark to candidacy under the CA Endangered Species Act. This is an exciting decision! Thank you for your support!

Learn more about our science-based educational efforts. Lunch’ n Learn is just the beginning!

Warm your heart and come to our next Nothin But Sand beach cleanup on Saturday, February 16, 10 a.m.-Noon at Will Rogers State Beach.

 

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California's White Sharks Head for Safety

02.07.2013 |

About UsCalifornia SharksNews

In a step towards better understanding whether our local white shark population needs protection, the Fish and Game Commission unanimously advanced the Northeastern Pacific population of white shark to candidacy on February 6 under the California Endangered Species Act. This means that Department of Fish and Wildlife staff will spend the next year collecting data and assessing whether a threatened or endangered species listing is merited for this species.

As a wide-roaming, apex predator, it’s hard to get a strong understanding of white shark population estimates and trends. Some studies estimate that the adult population count in the Northeastern Pacific is in the hundreds of individuals, while other research shows that numbers may be on the increase in the past few years. White sharks are slow to mature and reproduce, so changes at the population level can take time.

Southern California is an important spot for juvenile white sharks. They’ve been spotted off Redondo and Sunset Beaches as well as Malibu, and some have even been caught by anglers in the Bay – most recently off Venice Pier and Manhattan Beach Pier. But, they are vulnerable to ongoing threats, such as incidental catch, pollution, and other issues along our coast, and we don’t have a comprehensive sense of how their population is faring.  This effort over the next year will help better understand how these sharks are doing in our local waters and throughout their range, and identify any protection that may be needed.

Stay tuned for updates and how you can engage. Meanwhile, keep your eyes on the water – you might just be lucky enough to spot one of these elusive elasmobranchs.

–– Sarah Sikich

Coastal Resources Director, Heal the Bay

Want to learn more about these mysterious creatures? Join us for Shark Sundays at our Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.

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Way to Go, Glendale!

01.24.2013 |

About UsCalifornia Bag BanNews

It’s official: The Glendale City Council just voted to adopt a single-use bag ordinance. With this unanimous vote, Glendale becomes one of the largest inland communities to ban plastic bags in California.

Modeled after the 2011 L.A. County ordinance, Glendale’s version will become effective on Jan. 1, 2014, and applies to grocery stores, large pharmacies, and most convenience stores. Farmer’s markets, city-sponsored events or any event held on city property will also be prohibited from distributing single-use plastic bags.

Learn more about the ordinance.

Why are plastic bags so bad? Read our Plastic Bag 101 to find out.

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Signs of Progress Along Our Coast

01.17.2013 |

About UsCalifornia GrunionMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarine Protected AreasNewsPalos 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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L.A. Clean Water, Clean Beaches Update

01.16.2013 |

News

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Jan. 15 to postpone a vote on placing a stormwater parcel fee on the ballot. After hearing public comment, the board directed Public Works staff to offer revisions to the proposed measure, which aims to raise nearly $200 million annually to fund multi-benefit stormwater infrastructure projects and programs. L.A. County property owners would be assessed an annual fee based on the amount of runoff their parcel generates.

Board directed staff to report back within 60 days on the duration of the parcel fee, effects on local school districts and credit programs for property owners who already have implemented stormwater mitigation improvements, among other issues. Heal the Bay staff will continue to consult with Public Works staff and our environmental partners to make improvements to the measure and bring it to voters as soon as possible.

Stay up-to-date on our clean water advocacy work, follow us on Twitter.

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Supreme Court Rules on L.A. Storm Water

01.10.2013 |

Beach Report CardBeach Report Card SpanishLong Beach / AvalonLos Angeles StormwaterMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyNewsPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach

On January 8, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the suit, Los Angeles County Flood Control District v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which was initiated by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Los Angeles Waterkeeper in 2008. The suit focuses on the issue of liability for the discharge of toxic pollutants under the District’s municipal storm water permit (“MS4”). 

The Court ruled very narrowly on the case and remanded it back to the 9th Circuit Court. 

The good news is that the Clean Water Act’s enforceability has not been changed as a result of their decision.

For more information please see the NRDC and LA Waterkeeper’s press release and this blog post on the Center for Progressive Reforms Page.

Learn more about the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure which would reduce harmful pollution from getting into our waterways.

Stay up-to-date on our clean water advocacy work, follow us on Twitter.

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King Tides on the Rise at Local Beaches

01.10.2013 |

About UsClimate ChangeMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyNewsPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth Bay

You may have difficulty fulfilling your New Year’s resolution this week if it involves morning outdoor exercise, and your preferred location is the beach, especially if your go-to spot is typically narrow like Dan Blocker or Carbon Beach. Why, you wonder? Because the King Tides are upon us.

King Tides are extreme high tide events that occur when the earth, moon, and sun are aligned in such a way that their gravitational forces reinforce one another causing the highest and lowest of tides. They occur in the winter and summer, but tend to be most dramatic in the winter, as they often coincide with storm events. The rain, wind, and high surf can intensify their effects. Places like Huntington Beach and Newport Beach experienced major flooding during last month’s King Tides, which overlapped with some big surf.

These are naturally occurring and predictable, but the King Tides can also shed light on the challenges coastal California faces with the threat of climate change and sea level rise. Predicting sea level rise is not an exact science, but under moderate greenhouse gas emissions scenarios, sea level rise along the California coast is projected to rise from 1-1.4 meters by 2100 (3 to 5 feet).  The King Tides can help us visualize the impact of rising waters on the California coast.

King Tides at Carbon Beach January 8-10 2013
King Tides at Carbon Beach, January 8-10, 2013

Approximately 85% of California’s residents live or work in coastal areas.  These communities and the associated environment are threatened by sea level rise and increased storm intensity, which is likely to cause increased erosion and flooding. But the good news is that if we plan for it, we can adapt. Heal the Bay is involved in such planning efforts, through groups such as Adapt LA. And, we can look to cases like Surfers’ Point in Ventura, where climate change adaptation plans have already been implemented.

In an effort to help document King Tides throughout the state and help people visualize the threat of sea level rise, the California King Tides Initiative encourages people to photograph King Tides at their local or favorite beach and share them through Flickr. These photos will also help educate Californians about threats associated with sea level rise. If you are interested in visiting the beach to help document this unique event, Friday morning marks the highest of tides this week. Tides will top almost 7 feet at 8:15 a.m. in Santa Monica. Check out a tide chart to time your visit, and be careful exploring!

 — Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bay Coastal Resources Director

Many of Heal the Bay’s initiatives are connected to climate change. Learn how you can help turn the tide.

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Huell Howser: A Host with a Heart of Gold

01.07.2013 |

About UsCalifornia Bag BanCalifornia SharksLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyNewsPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice Beach

Veteran TV broadcaster Huell Howser passed away Sunday night. Here Communications Director Matthew King remembers his work with Heal the Bay.

If anyone could make plastic bags come alive, it’d be Huell Howser.   

As Heal the Bay’s newly hired Communications Director six years ago, I’d been grappling with how to engage the public about the environmental costs associated with society’s addiction to single-use plastic bags. I’d sent out press releases, assembled fact sheets and written earnest letters to the editors about Los Angeles County’s proposed bag ban. But something was missing. We needed some human interest.

So I sent a long email to Huell suggesting that California’s Gold spend a day on the beach taking an up-close look at what plastics were doing to our shorelines. To my surprise, he responded positively and quickly to my pitch. I’ve placed several Op Eds in the L.A Times and successfully arranged dozens of segments on local TV news programs since then, but Huell calling me back that afternoon and coordinating the filming schedule marked one of my greatest professional moments here.

Media relations professionals often lose perspective about the issues they pitch. Self-doubt naturally creeps in when success hinges on the mercurial interests of overworked journalists. Is this topic compelling to most people? Does anyone really care about this?

Huell served as bit of a gold standard. He had made a career of mining the profound in the mundane. So if he found plastic bags interesting, then by default they were interesting.

On the drive down the 405 freeway to the Manhattan Beach Pier, my colleague Kirsten James and I did our best Huell impersonations. I made a bet with Kirsten that I could get Huell to drawl the amount of plastic bags we use each year in L.A. County in dragged-out astonishment. “Noooooo, Kirsten! NINE BILL-YUN plastic bags??!!”  I won my bet.

Huell became a bit of a caricature to some jaded members of L.A.’s media community, with his beefy biceps and cornpone demeanor. But that sunny afternoon in the South Bay proved to me that his TV personality wasn’t some calculated act. Off camera, he bubbled with the same Southern charm and decency as shown on screen. It could’ve been model trains or an old mill, but on this day plastic bags inspired that sense of wonder and incredulity that marked his best work.

Huell never proselytized about environmental protection, letting the sheer beauty of California’s special places speak for itself. Before you can expect people to act, you have to inspire. And inspire he did. For that, environmental organizations up and down the state owe Huell a debt of gratitude.

In subsequent years, I’d occasionally suggest other ideas to Huell: looking for great white sharks in Santa Monica Bay or exploring Compton Creek. He didn’t take the bait, but he always made a point of calling me back personally to tell me why. Most journalists don’t respond to pitches, no matter how well-crafted and personalized, either by phone or email. You get used to the rejection, but it still grates. It’s a simple thing, but Huell’s calls showed class and consideration. He didn’t have to telephone, but he did.

My last phone call from Huell came a few months ago, declining an invitation to attend a Heal the Bay event in Santa Monica celebrating African-American surf culture in Southern California. He wanted to attend, he said, but would be traveling. As we chatted on a fading Friday afternoon, he seemed a bit tired. I said goodbye and wished him well.

Huell will be remembered as the champion of the obscure. But I think of him celebrating the essential: to be kind, to be curious, to be connected. California will miss him.

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MPAs: An Ocean Legacy Like a String of Pearls

12.18.2012 |

About UsLong Beach / AvalonMalibu / Pacific PalisadesMarina del Rey / Playa del ReyMarine Protected AreasNewsPalos Verdes PeninsulaSanta MonicaSouth BayVenice 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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HtB Hero: Brandon Boyd from Incubus

11.15.2012 |

News

This week’s Heal the Bay Hero honor goes to Brandon Boyd, lead singer of the band Incubus, and their Make Yourself Foundation. Heal the Bay recently received a grant from the Make Yourself Foundation to battle marine debris, and Brandon visited Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium yesterday to discuss ocean protection and receive a behind-the-scenes tour of our facility. Here are a few things Brandon had to say about the ocean and how to protect what you love:

Q: Why is the ocean important to you?

A: The ocean has been a huge part of my life, my upbringing – the beach was essentially my babysitter. My fascination began before I started surfing; I loved to explore the cornucopia of sights and smells of tide pools. When I began surfing I started to notice there were times when I couldn’t go in the water because of pollution, my friends and I would get really sick, cuts would get badly infected, this deepened our interest in what was going on. It occurred to me that this thing we were playing in and around, borrowing and taking from, wasn’t this invincible, inexhaustible resource. It needs us. 

The ocean provided so much fun and so much spirited adventure and exercise and communion with nature. It’s the least I can do to inform myself as to what’s going on and try to inform other people of its potential fragility.

Q: Why should we care about the health of the ocean?

A: It’s strange to treat a place where you get most of your sustenance and enjoyment and your spirit from, like a toilet. There’s a general lack of consciousness about it. We see it as so big and so vast there no way we could damage it. We already have put a dent in it… it will not be sustainable to the life we know much longer, it truly needs our attention and everyone needs to educate themselves about it.

Q: How can we help?

A: There’s so much people can do to help. Start with the little things. Throw away your cigarette butts, they are the main source of beach trash. It’s incredible to see – walk along the beach after a storm along the high tide line and instead of seeing shells, it’s cigarette butts and plastic debris. I see it and it hurts, we’re hurting ourselves.

  • Minimize your use of plastic. Every little bit counts.
  • Dispose of your motor oil properly, do not put it in the stormdrain, stormdrains go straight into the water.
  • Get a really snazzy reusable bag, you look really cool, and you’ll feel good as well!
  • Something that everyone can do if you live in beach communities is organize a beach cleanup, it’s a lot of fun to hang out with your friends and neighbors, and you’re walking on the beach picking up trash and plastic debris along the way. I encourage any and all of you to… make a habit of it. It’s beautiful. It makes you feel good.  [There’s one this Saturday!]

Q: Tell us about the Make Yourself Foundation’s choice to work with Heal the Bay?

A: Incubus grew up around here, we grew up enjoying the ocean, we grew up together surfing, and we starting doing work with Heal the Bay because it felt great, felt like the right thing to do. We loved the idea that [Heal the Bay] felt as strongly as we did about these things. It gets more and more dire every day, this situation with keeping our oceans clean, and raising the consciousness around pollution needs to be continually talked about, its importance will never go away.

Thank you Brandon and the Make Yourself Foundation for supporting our work to combat marine debris and for spending the time to get to know our aquarium! Heal the Bay is honored to work by your side to keep our coastal waters, safe, healthy and clean for everyone to enjoy for generations to come.

Brandon Boyd Singer from the band Incubus at Heal the Bay's Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

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