January 2022 E-Letter
In this E-Letter:
HTO Tackles Problem of Derelict Boats
Joining Forces to Combat Creek Pollution from Alisal Fire
Partnership for Resilient Communities Receives Prestigious Prize
Harry Rabin to Receive NOGI Award for Environment Work
Please Dispose of Face Masks Properly!
HTO Convenes Task Force to Solve Problem of Boats Wrecking on Santa Barbara Beaches
After grappling with two major boat wrecks on Santa Barbara County beaches in 2021 (and paying MarBorg Industries for the removal of one of them), Heal the Ocean has started this year working to find a solution to the problem. The HTO “Derelict Boat Task Force,” assembled by HTO Field Advisor Harry Rabin, had its first meeting on Monday, January 10, 2022, to discuss potential solutions to this persistent coastal hazard of unattended boats hitting the beach.
The task force has agreed that the issue will need to be addressed using a combination of preventative measures and enforcement. Discussion included evaluation of mooring vs. anchoring and options for non-navigable boats, development and implementation of County ordinances to work with City ordinances for non-navigable boats, need for a population survey on moored and anchored boats to determine the number of boats that serve as shelter for those who would otherwise be unhoused, potential development of an on-demand contract with a towing or vessel assist company to respond to unoccupied drifting boats, and possible installation of a third-party radar system (Protective Seas M2) that would monitor boat movement and alert officials of potentially drifting boats.
The Task Force consists of Kadie McShirley: County Supervisors Office of Sustainability; Todd Van Epps, CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife, Oil Spill Prevention & Response; Santa Barbara County Supervisor Das Williams; Paul Ricketson, Coast Guard Oil Spill Response & Planning; Erik Engebretson, City of Santa Barbara Harbor Operations Manager; Jon Menzies, Aquatics Coordinator Santa Barbara County Parks; Butch Arnoldi, County Sheriff; Harry Rabin, HTO Chair Task Force; and Hillary Hauser, Executive Director, Heal the Ocean.
HTO Joins Battle vs. Water Pollution from Alisal Fire
Straw wattle installation. Photo courtesy of Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.
HTO has joined a group effort to prevent Alisal Fire debris and toxins from going down the creek into the watershed and ocean. HTO joined hands with Santa Barbara Channelkeeper to make this happen.
The project was organized by Abe Powell, the celebrated leader of the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade, who saw that because there was no State or Federal disaster declaration for the Alisal Fire, there was no plan in place for "consolidated debris removal" which means that the residents were on their own for cleanup of the structures and vehicles that burned. Translated to no financial help, the homeowners were on their own.
Ash and debris from burned homes are highly toxic. So, to protect the soil, groundwater, creeks, and ocean, Channelkeeper volunteered physical labor, and Heal the Ocean donated the funds for the materials needed to keep the pollutants from running downhill.
Read more about the project here.
Community Activism Receives the Prize Every Time, and Particularly This Time
Geobrugg net after installation. Nets are installed with biological and engineering permits in high-risk canyons to prevent debris flow damage downstream.
Photo courtesy of The Partnership for Resilient Communities Santa Barbara.
In another effort to protect people and the environment from the ravages of fire and its aftermath, the Partnership for Resilient Communities Santa Barbara, organized by former City of Santa Barbara Fire Chief Pat McElroy, immediately went to work on the problem of debris flows by installing Geobrugg nets in high-risk canyons. Following the disastrous debris flow into the Montecito community in January 2018, McElroy knew it could happen again with the mountains so scarred by the Thomas Fire. These nets are designed to resist the velocities and pressure of debris flows to protect downstream communities, and have provided a sense of security for the Montecito community.
For its work in installing these nets in a pilot project, the Partnership has been awarded the prestigious Corporate Crisis Response Officers Association's (CCROA) 2021 National Service Award, which will be presented on March 15, 2022, in Santa Barbara, California to McElroy and other members of the Partnership for Resilient Communities. HTO Executive Director Hillary Hauser is honored to be included in the Partnership group.
Harry Rabin, HTO Field Advisor, will Receive NOGI Award for Environment
HTO's Field Advisor Harry Rabin will receive the 2022 Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences (AUAS) NOGI Award for Environment. In the underwater/diving world, the NOGI is the most prestigious award anyone can receive. Film director James Cameron once said a NOGI "is more difficult to receive than an Academy Award," (which Cameron incidentally won for his film, "Titanic"). Past NOGI awardees include notable diving pioneers Capt. Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his two sons, Jean-Michel and Philippe Cousteau, Astronaut/Aquanaut Scott Carpenter, Ernest Brooks, Mike deGruy, and a host of other ocean luminaries. HTO Executive Director Hillary Hauser received her NOGI Award for Distinguished Service in 2009.
Harry is receiving this award for his work to monitor and protect Hawaii's reefs through the organization he founded, Reef Guardians Hawaii as well as his work with Heal the Ocean, the Whale Sanctuary Project, NOAA, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and more. He will be presented with his award in November 2022 during the AUAS Banquet in Orlando, Florida.
Help Our Little Earth Friends with Proper Face Mask Disposal
Our wildlife (birds, especially) is taking a beating from our COVID-19 masks! Please, please remember to practice proper face mask disposal! If you are using single-use face masks, please cut or pull the ear loops so they are no longer connected. This will help prevent wildlife from becoming snared in the mask.
Also, please remember to throw your mask away in a trash can! Masks continue to litter parking lots, parks, and roadways because of improper disposal, and/or they are accidentally dropped. If you happen to see a littered mask and you have the ability to pick it up using a napkin, dog bag, or stick, please do so to help keep our community clean, and to help our animals. It's a small act, but if we all do it, the rewards will be significant.
Thanks, everyone! Please stay safe.
With love & appreciation,
Hillary Hauser, the Board, and Staff of Heal the Ocean
HTO thanks the Poehler-Stremel Charitable Trust
for providing funds to publish our newsletters and e-letters!
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