Dear Friend,
Happy Fall! Summer flew by! As the leaves begin to turn, and those long
summer days get shorter and shorter, I look back on some summer highlights - including
the biggest beach (and waterway) party of the year - California Coastal Cleanup
Day. In addition to breaking our attendance record set last year, this year our
one millionth volunteer participated in the event. Since everyone arrives more
or less at the same time, we don't know who that person is, but clearly they
are in good company! This year, we also broke a record for miles cleaned - we
cleaned 2,600 linear miles and picked up more than one million pounds of trash,
including a dead cow in a bag on Putah Creek in Yolo County.
This won our most unusual item contest - you don't see those very often... Turning to a more somber subject (with all due respect to
cows), in the wake the Gulf Oil Spill, many of us have reflected on California's
risk of experiencing a disaster of this kind, and our preparedness for an oil
spill of any size. This issue of the Coast4u Quarterly features an interview
with Robin Blanchfield, the Commission's oil spill expert, as well as a coastal
steward tip on how individuals can help prevent future spills. Best, Chris Parry Public Education Program Manager
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California Coastal Cleanup Day Breaks Another Record More than 80,000 turn out for the Event
(San Francisco) California's beaches and inner waterways may be collecting spots for marine debris, but Californians have demonstrated their support for clean beaches by turning out by the tens of thousands at the 26th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. They scoured beaches, shorelines, and inland locations, picking up trash and debris this morning, covering over 800 sites and gathering hundreds of tons of trash. These volunteers took part in the California Coastal Commission's 26TH Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, part of the International Coastal Cleanup organized by Ocean Conservancy. Beach, inland waterway, and community cleanups took place up and down the California coast, from Mexico to the Oregon border, around San Francisco Bay, and at sites as far inland as Lake Tahoe and the Salton Sea.
Click here to view the results and read the full press release
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17th Annual Kids' Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup
750 kids spell out "Sustain Life" on Bolsa Chica State Beach
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Over 7,000 students participated in this year's Kids' Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup last May. In Humboldt County, the SF Bay Area, Monterey (where students traveled all the way from Fresno), Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, and San Diego, the kids had learned about the ocean and marine debris in school, and then they turned out in force to do something positive about the problem. This year, students in some locations collected trash in old milk jugs or other reusable containers, which saved an estimated 2,650 plastic bags from being used at this year's event. After their cleanups, they stood in formation to create aerial designs and "Sustain Life" messages.
Click here to see their amazing images. |
Destination Series Quiz
Can you guess this issue's featured destination?
At this north coast destination, you can find agates and jade on the beach and visit a reconstructed Yurok village. This one-square-mile state park contains 125 campsites, including family camps, group camps, and a camp for hikers and bicyclists. This park is just a few miles from California's smallest incorporated city, home to Humboldt State University Marine Laboratory. Is our destination...
a. Humboldt Redwoods State Park
b. Manila Dunes Recreation Area
c. Patrick's Point State Park
d. Tolowa Dunes State Park
Discover the answer... |
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In Every Issue
Sacramento County
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Coastal Steward Tip
Oil Spills: What Can I Do?
Environmental crises, such as the recent oil spill on the Gulf Coast motivates many of us to want to do something to help. But don't wait for the next catastrophe. Regardless of where you are, your personal actions can still have a positive impact on our coastal environment. Doing a shoreline cleanup helps to keep trash out of the ocean. Marine debris becomes hazardous material if it comes into contact with oil, and it can cause serious injury to wildlife through entanglement and ingestion. Taking steps to use less energy helps prevent future oil spills by reducing our dependence on oil. Learn More...
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About Us
The Public Education Program protects and restores California's coast and ocean by teaching, inspiring, and empowering the public to take environmentally positive action. The Program serves people of all ages and strives to be inclusive by targeting underserved communities and groups. For information on all of our Public Education Programs, click here, or contact us at California Coastal Commission 45 Fremont St, Suite 2000 San Francisco, CA 94105 (800) COAST-4U |
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Thank you for continuing to support our Public Education Programs! If you would like to make a donation, please click here. | |