Day 57 - Sept 14

Lifeguard Tower 26 - Ocean Park, Santa Monica CA

trash collected for 20 minutes

estimated pounds collected today - 1.6 - YES!! low low count today.

estimated pounds collected to date - 298.6
Today was all about the plastic bottle tops. I found half a dozen in 20 minutes. Team Marine of Santa Monica High took roughly 34,727 of these plastic bottle tops and constructed a GIANT sign saying, "RETHINK" which they put up in the super busy area of Santa Monica, the 3rd St. Promenade. SO COOL!!
Do you know what MPA stands for? Marine Protected Areas.

These areas of ocean are to be set aside for stressed marine ecosystems to regenerate and stabilize. This idea comes out of the Marine Life Protection Act.

It is a rather big deal that is happening RIGHT NOW that will determine areas off the Southern California Coast to be protected. Meaning -

What are MPAs and how do they work?

Marine Protected Areas have been scientifically proven to protect and enhance degraded ecosystems, including kelp forests and fish communities. They are basically areas of the ocean set aside as safehavens from fishing to protect and conserve marine life and habitat.

The information above was taken from Heal the Bays website, click here for the link.

MPA's continued: Surfrider is also spreading the word. In fact at our next local chapter meeting on Sept. 29th the focus will be all about MPA's

When: September 29, 7:00 pm Where: Santa Monica Public Library Ocean Park Branch This meeting is dedicated to everything you ever wanted to know about the Marine Life Protection Act and what it means. Before the Fish and Game Commission 'gets the maps', we are holding community forums to inform you. Stefanie Sekich from Surfrider Global Headquarters will be presenting. Please plan to attend this informative event!

And finally, I got an email from Charlotte Stevenson, Staff Scientist of Heal the Bay this morning with great news!

Great news! The year-long stakeholder MPA design process is complete.

The three subgroups (one conservation-oriented, one fishing-oriented, and one cross-interest) each successfully generated a map…so now we are down to the final three maps! Best of all, the key habitats in Santa Monica Bay, including parts of east Point Dume and northwestern Palos Verdes, were represented on two out of three maps!

These proposals will now undergo their final scientific review, and be presented to the Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting in Long Beach, where the BRTF will choose a preferred map. This is an exciting time for the Southern California coast!

So, PLEASE mark your calendars and tell your friends and family to attend the October 20-22 meeting, as we’ll need to fill the room with BLUE.

please leave me a comment or send me an email if you want me to inform you of events and

progress relating to MPA, you can also sign up for updates at Heal the Bay.