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Coastal Commission Hearing
CleanWaterFest 2013
WHALES Tales
Volunteer Spotlight
Vote Your Thanks
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Coastkeeper in the News:

 

Garden Volunteer Docents Needed!

For more info, email 

pamela@coastkeeper.org


Nov. 9 from 9 - 11 am,
at Huntington State Beach, lifeguard tower #11. You can find more details on our website. Please send an RSVP to pamela@coastkeeper.org .
November 2013      

We need all hands on deck for the Coastal Commission meeting in Newport Beach on Nov. 13 to stop the proposed Poseidon desalination plant.

 

In case you missed our fantastic fall fundraiser, we've got a brief wrap up of the 2nd Annual CleanWaterFest.

 

Our WHALES education team gives you the latest on the 2013-2014 school year.

 

It's time for another volunteer spotlight!

 

This is the month for thanks and giving, so "Vote Your Thanks" for clean water. 

 

Don't miss out on these upcoming events in the community and at the Coastkeeper Garden.

Nov. 13 Coastal Commission Hearing
Desal- AES Plant
Proposed location next to AES power plant in Huntington Beach.

It is time to take action! Join us on Weds., Nov. 13 at Newport Beach City Hall to tell the Coastal Commission we do not need  Poseidon Water's desalination plant in Huntington Beach. We are asking members of the community to show up at 7:30 am so we can get organized, pass out signs, reserve seats and fill out speaker cards. Speaking is not required, just being there will have a big impact. We expect the meeting to take all day, so plan accordingly. 

 

This is our best chance at defeating this unnecessary, environmentally damaging and expensive project. If you cannot attend the hearing, you can still sign this petition to tell the Coastal Commission to deny Poseidon a Coastal Development Permit. Learn more about why this project is bad for Huntington Beach here.

 

You can also learn more about the proposed plant at a special town hall meeting at Eader Elementary in Huntington Beach on Thurs., Nov. 7 at 7:00 pm. Click here to get the latest news about the Coastal Commission's staff recommendations that seek to address the environmental threats this project poses. If you have any questions about participating at the Coastal Commission hearing, please call 714-850-1965.

2nd Annual CleanWaterFest a Success!
Around 200 guests attended the 2nd Annual CleanWaterFest on Oct. 19 from 1:00 - 4:00 pm at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa. Our fall fundraising event raised almost $20,000 for our clean water programs. 

We could not have had such a successful event if it wasn't for everyone who helped make it possible. There was a ton of delicious food provided by Rubio's, Slater's 50/50, Brew Hawg BBQ, and Garlic Scapes. We were able to sample K�stenbier, a special "Coastbeer" brewed by Noble Ale Works just for this event. Thank you to the following breweries for bringing amazing beers to share: Beachwood, The Bruery, Ballast Point, Cismontane, Hangar 24, Haven Brewing, Pizza Port, Tustin Brewing Company, and Stone Brewing Co
 
UnEARTH Music Hub provided music by local artists, and created a short event video that you can watch here. Thank you to our Grand Cru sponsor Biosynthetic! Other event sponsors include: SA Recycling, Contech Engineered Solutions,  Whittier Law School, Orange Coast Magazine, 100.3 The Sound and Mesa Water. We hope you can join us again for the 3rd Annual CleanWaterFest in 2014!
WHALES Tales

The Coastkeeper education team barely had time to stop and smell the eelgrass this summer, and somehow we're already a month into the 2013-2014 school year. Along with 18 returning schools, we've enrolled three new ones: South Junior High School (Anaheim), Bolsa Grande High School (Garden Grove), and San Clemente High School.  After our recent trip to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands with over 50 South Junior High School students, teacher Ms. Clapper shared that "the whole school was buzzing the following day with students all over campus asking me if they could go on the field trip too." In feedback on the experience, one student shared that they liked "how nature was free and the people that worked there help endangered species." Other students pledged to "invite the family to walk around there in Bolsa Chica wetlands" and "find better ways to try to protect the wetlands."  

 

Watershed Explorers: a new WHALES project

While most schools need to travel by bus to explore their watershed, 3 of our schools are fortunate to be located in walking distance of a creek.  This gives us the chance to bring students to the creek many times during the school year, without missed classes or expensive buses. So far, we have completed fall monitoring events with 8 AP Environmental Science classes from Godinez High School (Santa Ana), La Habra High School, and Troy High School (Fullerton). Over 300 students pulled on their rubber boots and gloves and sampled water quality, trash levels, and biodiversity in their own neighborhood.  Thanks to recent grants from Disney/CREEC and the OC Community Foundation, Coastkeeper is expanding this effort by launching the Watershed Explorers project. We are excited to help students become citizen scientists as we turn our region into a living laboratory.  

 

Stay tuned for more updates from the WHALES team, and be sure to visit our website for recaps of the past school year and summer session. 

Volunteer Spotlight
Demara during July's eelgrass restoration
This month we would like to spotlight super volunteer Demara Fletcher. Demara is an Orange County native who first heard about Coastkeeper years ago at a dive show in Long Beach. She became actively involved with us after signing up to volunteer with her Sam's Club colleagues for Kids Ocean Day 2012. 

Teaching the next generation of environmental stewards is a big deal for Demara. She decided to volunteer for Kids Ocean Day because she raised her son and his friends to pick up a bag of trash from the beach before they could play. She truly believes one person can make a difference.

Demara also helped out during our summer eelgrass restoration, and currently volunteers at the Coastkeeper Garden. "I am having the time of my life working with an organization that fulfills my diverse interests from water to land." Demara's advice to others looking for the perfect volunteer opportunity is to "find something they are passionate about, and do it."
Give Thanks for Clean Water
One of the many wonderful things about living in Orange County is our beautiful coastline. Coastkeeper works to protect our coastal and inland waters with programs that prevent pollution from traveling to our shores. In this month of thanks and giving, we need your help with an opportunity to receive a grant from the 
Orange County Community Foundation (OC-CF). 
 
The OC-CF is hosting the Vote Your Thanks competition from Nov. 19 - Dec. 3. Individuals may vote once per day through the Nonprofit Central website. The "Vote" button will be located on the top right-hand corner of our Nonprofit Central profile. The 25 nonprofit organizations receiving the most votes are eligible to be selected for a grant award.
 
Awards are granted via drawings for the following:
  • $10,000 Grant: Top 5 vote-getters eligible
  • $7,500 Grant: Top 15 vote-getters eligible
  • $5,000 Grant: Top 25 vote-getters eligible
  • $2,500 Wild Card Grants: (minimum 25 votes required)
Please mark your calendars and set your daily reminders to vote for us! Click here to view our profile and vote for us daily from Nov. 19 - Dec. 3. Thank you in advance for your commitment to swimmable, drinkable, fishable waters for Orange County.
Upcoming Events
  • Nov. 7, 2-5 pm: Wahoo's  Water & Waves
    • Join Wahoo's Fish TacoMesa Water and Coastkeeper at 1862 Placentia Ave., Costa Mesa, for the release of a limited edition reusable water bottle, available for $2 with the purchase of a kids meal. Wing Lam, founder of Wahoo's will be donating a portion of the proceeds from water bottle sales to Coastkeeper. The water bottles will be available at all 3 Costa Mesa Wahoo's locations for the month of November, while supplies last. More info available here
  • Nov. 7, 7 pm: R4RD Town Hall meeting
    • Informational meeting about the proposed HB desalination plant hosted by Residents for Responsible Desalination at Eader Elementary in Huntington Beach. HB Mayor Connie Boardman will be the main speaker. Get more info.
  • Nov. 7 - 10: Art & Nature, Laguna Beach 
    • The Laguna Art Museum presents a multidisciplinary exploration of art's many and various engagements with the natural world. Both a festival and a conference, Art & Nature will include works of art specially commissioned for the event, including a monumental sand drawing on Main Beach by Jim Denevan; panel discussions with artists, environmentalists, and scientists; events and exhibitions around town; and a free Family Festival. Kevin Starr, the renowned historian of California, will deliver this year's keynote lecture on Saturday, November 9. Get a complete list of events here.
  • Dec. 7, 10 am: Coastkeeper Garden Workshop
    • In case you missed the first workshop in our California Friendly� landscaping series, be sure to join us for our second workshop: Designing Your New Landscape. Cost: free! RSVP to garden@coastkeeper.org. 
Thank you for your continued interest in Orange County Coastkeeper and Inland Empire Waterkeeper.