Heal the Bay's 2015 Action Plan

Since 1985, Heal the Bay has worked with a committed network of activists, volunteers, donors, educators and community groups to keep our watersheds, neighborhoods, beaches and oceans safe healthy and clean.

Be it hosting cleanups, monitoring dischargers or operating our Aquarium, we have a number of proven programs that make a big impact. Beyond our recurring programs, we have several special initiatives next year that we’d like to share with you:

Keeping Big Oil out of Santa Monica Bay. A public vote in Hermosa Beach will be held in March to determine the fate of a proposed slant-drilling operation underneath Hermosa’s seafloor. Heal the Bay is leading the campaign to halt this dangerous proposal and keep oil drilling out of our local waters.

Making Southern California more water self-sufficient. The record drought has called into question the wisdom of importing 80% of L.A.’s water supply. Heal the Bay will push regional municipalities to fund projects that capture stormwater, recycle wastewater and clean up contaminated local aquifers. The projects will improve beach water quality while creating a more reliable, less costly source of water.

Developing a predictive beach water-quality model. Heal the Bay plans to better protect the health of millions of ocean goers by predicting potential bacterial pollution days before swimmers hit the shoreline. Using statistical models developed with Stanford University, we will begin piloting the new tool at selected beaches this summer.

Building an amazing park. Heal the Bay is developing WAYS Park, a multiple-benefit project in the Avalon Gardens area of South L.A. that will open next fall and include green space with exercise amenities, reading areas, native habitat, and water quality capture and infiltration features. Fully funded through a Prop. 84 grant, WAYS Park will serve as a model for future community projects that benefit the environment throughout greater L.A.

Preparing L.A. for climate change. Our science staff helped support a sea level rise vulnerability study last year for the City of L.A., identifying the most vulnerable areas as Venice, Wilmington, and San Pedro. Next year we will be conducting research on how so-called Living Streets can help cities become more resilient in a changing climate, advocating for policies that protect sensitive coastal habitats against a rising sea, and helping educate people to better understand what can be done to help prepare local communities for climate change.

Inspiring the next generation of stewards. We are forming a coalition of STEM and environmental science educators whose mission is to provide youth with the environmental know-how to create healthy communities, from watersheds to the ocean.  Heal the Bay’s educational programs run in classrooms and at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium will support our local teachers’ needs for content knowledge and practical hands-on application.

If this work is important to you, please join thousands of other ocean lovers in becoming a member of Heal the Bay.