Plastic Obsession . . .

This shouldn't give us more excuses to use single-use plastic, but I love Levi's strategy of marketing our mindless use of plastic. 

Click on this link for the YouTube video ~     
8 bottles. 1 jean. Waste less.

Blue Sway . . .

sea stars ~ photo, db Nelson

waiting for high tide . . . ~ photo, db Nelson

tide pooling ~ photographer, Barbara Denham

National Geographic ~ Bodega Bay Tidepools

'Brimming Pools' is a featured article in National Geographic this month. Along with beautiful photographs by David Liittschwager, writer Mel White takes us on a journey of Bodega Head Tidepoos. Guided by Sarah Ann Thompson, a marine biologist from the Farallon Institute in Petaluma, White describes his experience:

The rocks and pools here create an abundance of opportunities and host a diversity of life to rival any rain forest. Pisaster is just one of scores of species that have adapted to innumerable micro-habitats with a seemingly endless variety of physical shapes and lifestyles. One little worm can shoot a harpoon out of its head to stab its prey. A limpet tends and guards its own farm plot. A seaweed releases acid for defense when it's injured. A nudibranch (which looks like a gussied-up slug) eats poisonous creatures and implants stinging cells under its own skin to repel predators.
Why all the aggression? It's simply the result of lots of plants and animals competing for resources in a highly productive but limited space. In nature, as in real estate, location is everything, and the intertidal zone is Park Avenue.

White also gets an education about sea creatures from Erik Sanford, a biologist with the Bodega Marine Lab. White tells us:

So there's the magic. Eric Sanford is holding, in one hand, representatives of more than one-fourth of all the animal life on Earth: nine phyla on one rock. In comparison, the entire land surface of the planet, from Poles to Equator, is home to only about a dozen phyla.

Sanford is actually a little crestfallen because he can't find a peanut worm, an odd thing in the phylum Sipuncula that would give us an even ten. The thrill would have been strictly numerical, though. I've already seen a peanut worm, and it has all the aesthetic appeal of used chewing gum. (I must admit, however, that the one thing it does, it does very well: extending a hydraulically powered, tentacle-tipped proboscis several times the length of its body to grab tiny bits of drifting dead stuff. Sanford calls it "this crazy sort of Dr. Seuss-like thing.")

This article is a great way to learn a bit more about our precious and unique coast. For more information contact the Bodega Marine Lab for a tour. Public drop in tours are available Fridays, 2-4 for groups less than 10 people. 

Thank you to our own (future) Bodega Bay Veterinary Hospital for bringing this to our attention.



Previously Unreleased track, 'Blue Sway' Written Nearly 20 Years Ago Dedicated to Linda McCartney . . .

'Blue Sway' music video

Paul McCartney recruited award-winning surf filmmaker Jack McCoy to create a music video for his previously unreleased track "Blue Sway." Written nearly 20 years ago, McCartney's never-before released song, "Blue Sway," is available for the first time on the bonus audio disc of the special edition of McCartney II. The music video created by McCoy is also featured on the bonus DVD included in the set. McCartney II will be released on June 14th by MPL and Concord Music Group.

Jack McCoy has been capturing the surfing vision in a truly unique way. Using a high powered underwater jet ski, the filmmaker found that he was able to travel behind a wave, creating underwater images that have never been seen before.

Over the past couple of years, McCoy set out to capture footage for his surf film, A Deeper Shade of Blue. During the editing process, McCoy put one of his surfing sequences to a song off McCartney's The Fireman album. A mutual friend, Chris Thomas, saw the footage while visiting McCoy in Australia, and when he returned to the UK he gave McCartney a copy of the sequence.

"Paul was pretty stoked with what I'd created. He immediately thought my images might be suitable to go with his unreleased song "Blue Sway." said McCoy.

McCoy spent the next six weeks creating the music video, while also working full days on making A Deeper Shade of Blue. McCoy compiled and edited footage that he filmed off Tahiti's Teahupoo reef to create what became the "Blue Sway" video.

"When I saw Jack McCoy's underwater surfing footage put to the soundtrack of "Blue Sway" I was blown away," said McCartney.

"Blue Sway" won 'Best Music Video' at NYC BE FILM Short Festival this past May, and the video will be featured as part of Surfrider Foundation's summer PSA campaign. Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's oceans, waves and beaches.

For more information about the McCartney II : http://paulmccartney.com.
For more information on Jack McCoy's A Deeper Shade of Blue: http://adeepershadeofblue.com
For more information on Surfrider Foundation: http://surfrider.org.

Too amazing not to repost . . .

Midway . . . Hopeless Tragedy or Catylyst for Change . . .

 

Seeing these photographs of dead albatross full of plastic on Beth Terry's website, Fake Plastic Fish now called, My Plastic Free Life, changed my life forever. 

Chris Jordon, Photographer

Chris Jordon, Photographer

I would never again stroll on the beach without picking up trash. I would never again look at the tide break and mistake tiny pieces of plastic for sea life. I would never again buy something in plastic and feel OK about my purchase. 

I have lessened my use of plastic drastically but I have a long way to go to be plastic-free. As a matter of fact, it may never happen. Plastic is everywhere in my life. My printers, my telephone, my contact solution, the tags on my cats . . . even my camera. The list is endless. It may not be realistic for us to become truly 'plastic free' in our culture today but I do believe we can have a drastic impact just by being aware of the mess we've created thus far in the name of cheap and convenient.

If everyone of us picked up some trash every time we stepped outside it would make a difference. If everyone of us was intolerant of littering and it became an immense social stigma, it would make a difference. If everyone of us purchased an item in glass, or cardboard or something that is truly being recycled, instead of plastic, it would make a huge difference. If everyone of us was aware of the overwhelming destruction plastic has on our environment, we could make a difference.

Disconnect left lying on the beach . . .

Picturing Excess . . .

I added another video that Chris Jordon created for TED Talks. In this powerful 11 minute talk, Chris shows his photographs that represent 'excess' in our culture.

 

 

Chris gets his message of cultural excess and disconnect across beautifully using a universal language ~ pictures.  I don't see the need to expand too much here on his message as he has done such a beautiful job.

If you're enjoying this blog, consider leaving a comment, I'd love to hear from you via this blog . . . thanks! 

Livin' at the Beach . . .

tee shirt day . . .

Update on the stranded elephant seal pup . . . 'Sweet Rock'

'Sweet Rock'

Phil, the seal guy, generously sent me an email to let me know that the baby elephant seal we saw resting on the beach last week hauled out again and was taken to the Marine Mammal Center by another volunteer that lives in Bodega Bay, on March 26th. Phil and Jean were out of town when 'Sweet Rock' was spotted on Doran Beach appearing malnourished. 

Go to the Marine Mammal Center web site and click on 'Current Patients' to follow the progress of 'Sweet Rock' and other patients undergoing rehabilitation.


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beach trash

more beach trash . . . so much Styrofoam . . .

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Another movie about plastic is coming out in April, 

'Bag It'.

I'm excited to see creative, passionate film makers tackling this subject and getting the message across that we have a serious issue with plastic waste.

A pioneer blogger on the subject of plastic trash is Beth Terry.  On her blog, 'My Plastic Free Life', Beth wrote about the film 'Bag It' .

"What I LOVE about this film, as compared to films like Addicted to Plastic, which I reviewed in 2009, is its emphasis on consumer empowerment and cutting consumption. The film sums itself up with the following take-aways:
1) Reduce single-use
2) Don’t drink bottled water
3) Choose less packaging
4) Buy it used
5) Bring your own
6) Buy less stuff
7) Reduce, Reuse, then Recycle
8) Clean it up
9) Avoid #3, #6, #7PC
10) Simplify your life"


If you want to know when the film is playing in your area go to the Do Something Reel website and enter your zip code to see a list of theaters and show times in your area. 

I plan to take my son when the movie is playing in town. More than likely it will be a surprise . . .

After the Storm . . .

 3 month old (approx.) elephant seal

Phil Warren (aka, 'the seal guy') was on the beach today placing stakes in the sand cautioning beach goers to give a wide berth to the stranded elephant seal pup. He said this guy looked to be in good condition so far but he'd keep an eye on him. 

Elephant seal pups weigh about 60 to 80 pounds when they're born. They nurse for 24 to 28 days quadrupling their birth weight. The pups, called 'weaners' are weaned when their mothers abruptly head back out to sea. For about 8 to 10 weeks the 'weaners' stay behind at the rookery teaching themselves to swim. During this time of 'fasting' they will loose about a third of their body weight. It's their hunger that drives them to set out to sea and hunt for food.

Phil and his wife, Jean, are key volunteers for the Marine Mammal Center. The couple moved to Bodega Bay after retiring from Silicon Valley five years ago. After meeting a Marine Mammal Center docent on a boat trip, Phil and Jean took a drive down to Sausalito to check out the MMC facility. They both wanted to volunteer but driving down to Marin every week didn't work well with 'retirement' life. Becoming 'stranded seal' volunteers seemed to be a good fit. It's certainly a perfect fit for all of the seals they've assisted these past five years. 

During 2009 there was a surge of seal births from the estimated 20,000, to 60,000 seals born that year. There was not enough food to sustain them all and many starved to death. My husband and I made several calls about dead, starving, emaciated seals that year, mostly along Salmon Creek South. Phil said there were days when he and Jean were bringing in stranded seals several times in one day. Doesn't sound like retirement to me . . . 

taking a breather . . .

The warm calmness of the beach was a nice break from the gale force winds and stormy seas last night. We were surprised how many people ventured out to the coast given the gloomy weather reports.

My husband met Susannah and Ben while picking up trash. We're often thanked by beach goers who appreciate our efforts at keeping the beach clean. My husband (he's a sweetie!) offered a bag  and gloves to Susannah and Ben which they eagerly accepted and headed down the beach to collect trash. My guess is we'll be seeing more of them out at the beach with bag in hand . . .

nice haul!

Susannah was concerned about all of the glass on the beach

many thanks you two, it was very fun (and inspiring) meeting you!

our morning haul

lots of water bottles and Styrofoam

tangled piles washed up along the beach

my hero . . .

the white plastic piece is about 2' by 3' and is trash I found on the beach ~
 my genius husband rigged up a 'leash' for me to pull this puppy along  . . .

afternoon haul . . .

a closer look . . . lots of bottle tops

several plastic tips from cigars . . . lots of empty shotgun cartridges too

I've read that most of the beach trash comes from storm drains that eventually empty into streams then oceans . . .  and then as we all know, end up in the stomachs of wild life . . . 

migrating white pelican ~ Thomas Reynolds, photographer

dead pelican ~ Doran Beach, Sonoma Coast

baby albatross, Midway Atoll Island ~ Chris Jordan, photographer

baby albatross, Midway Island ~ Chris Jordan, photographer

 

Please watch this video . . . Captain Charles Moore tells us that we're in a crisis . . . we must act NOW . . .

Gull Gluttony . . .

 Thursday, March 3rd 

Sunshine and warm temps keep me hiking the beach grateful for Autumn-like days.   

 

 

 trash haul

Friday, March 4th

TGIF, but not for this guy . . . . I just don't see how this is going to turn out well . . . .

California Gull eating starfish

Yes, it is an entire starfish stuffed in his mouth. I watched this gull for 20 minutes and the poor creature he tried to consume never moved beyond this point in the bird's beak.

Ahhhhhhhhh . . . . .

The gull kept looking at me as if to say, "damn!, now what do I do?"  I called bird rescue to find out if this was going to turn out well for the gull or the starfish . . . haven't heard back yet.

It's amazing how many cell phones I find on the beach. Now bear with me, this looks like a pretty nice phone to me. It would have been a good trade for my old Motorola flip phone had it not been buried in sand and saturated with sea water.

beach trash

Friday's haul

Every day on the beach is a good day but these winter days have been spectacular! I'll be back tomorrow to see how my gull friend has fared through the night . . . gives me indigestion just thinking about him . . .

it’s what I can do . . .

It makes my stomach hurt when I see blue plastic dog poop bags flying around at the beach. What’s worse is to find a bag full of poop lying in the sand. I know that if I don’t pick it up it will most likely be snatched by the next high tide and taken out to sea to eventually join the rest of the plastic soup. So hesitantly, I pick it up.

Following the lead of my mentor, Beth Terry, from her blog, ‘My Plastic Free Life’, http://myplasticfreelife.com. I contacted Sonoma County Regional Park Service and began an email conversation with ‘James’. At first, 'James' politely gave me the brush-off with all sorts of facts about why they used the little blue plastic bags and that these bags are ‘biodegradable,’ and “thank you for your concern”, and have a nice day, leave me alone . . . that sort of email conversation.

But ‘James’ doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know that I’ve taken these blue plastic bags on as a personal mission. He doesn’t know that I walk the beach where I live several times a week and that I’ve developed a sort-of ‘ownership’ about this beach. He doesn’t know that it was not only my livelihood but my passion that had me doing years of research, writing, and educating about environmental destruction and animal welfare. He doesn’t know that I set up a ‘Rethinking Plastics’ table for CoastWalk, http://www.coastwalk.org/index.htm during Coastal Cleanup Day at one of our local beaches last September, and it was a huge success because people care about our beaches. He didn’t know all this but I think he’s getting it.

After my third or fourth email reply to ‘James’ his last response was enthusiastic and encouraging. He sees the possibility for change and I am thrilled!