May E-Letter
In this E-Letter:
HTO's Latest Scientific Gear Propels Big Ocean Work Forward
Check Out the Annual Isla Vista Move-out!
Don’t Miss the Star-Studded Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival – June 9 & 10
Community Effort Removes Beached Whale at Padaro Beach
HTO's Latest Scientific Gear Propels Ocean Work Forward
Harry Rabin with the ROV
HTO announces our acquisition of a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)—that will revolutionize our monitoring of Summerland's oil wells. This underwater scientific vehicle can reach depths of 200 meters (650ft), and provide us with accurate monitoring data for leaks and seeps. Equipped with navigational sonar and a USBL system, the ROV offers real-time GPS location information, enabling precise monitoring of environmental changes over time. This advantage is crucial for identifying and addressing leaking oil wellheads. The ROV is an invaluable tool for sediment testing and all types of underwater monitoring, including wastewater outfall assessment. The data HTO gathers from this advanced equipment is intended to be shared with other agencies.
HTO thanks our generous sponsors for making the purchase of this equipment possible. Heal the Ocean intends to make the information gathered from this high-technology available to all who are working in the ocean, to promote its health and the health of our coastal environment!
Get Involved with the Isla Vista Cleanup!
Click on the Image to Register as a volunteer
The students are moving out! They’ve graduated, and are moving on to their next steps – and their apartments are emptying…. of everything. Furniture, clothes, kitchenware – the whole lot – is out the window! There is not a lot of time for this massive population of young people to switch gears.
In light of this, significant waste is generated each year as UCSB and SBCC vacate their leases. It is during this time that the Isla Vista CSD steps into address approximately 1 million pounds of waste generated during this massive exodus.
To remedy this problem - and turn this lemon into lemonade - the Isla Vista CSD organizes its annual Give Benefit Sale. During this event, items are collected from UCSB dorms and the streets of Isla Vista. After undergoing thorough sorting and organization, these items are made available for sale back to the community. This approach not only reduces waste but also significantly promotes reuse, resulting in numerous attractive deals for everyone involved.
If you are interested in helping, CLICK HERE to be a volunteer for the Give Benefit Sale between June 14-23, 2023! As a volunteer, you will be helping the Give Benefit Sale by sorting through & organizing donations.
Jenna Norton, Isla Vista Beautiful Program Manager, has contracted 4 fulltime Earthcomb workers to clean up Isla Vista from June 8th to July 8th of this year. For those who don’t know the fabled Earthcomb hero, Andrew Velikanje, it is time to acquaint yourselves with him. Andrew, along with his team of dedicated Earthcomb workers, is committed to ensuring that Isla Vista is left impeccably clean, tidy, and spotless, preparing it for the arrival of the next wave of students at UCSB.
Get Stoked for the Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival
Click on the flyer for ticket information
As the main non-profit sponsor of the Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival, June 9-10, 2023, Heal the Ocean invites you to join us for this 3rd annual festival, at the historic Lobero Theatre in downtown Santa Barbara, CA.
In addition to the great films is an outdoor Block Party you won’t want to miss!
Festival-goers will get to celebrate Santa Barbara's surf history and the contributions of filmmakers, artists, shapers, and surfers. The 2-day program features a short film by Morgan Maasen on Friday, together with “Mind Surfing: The Conner Coffin Story,” directed by Keith Malloy, and a Q&A with surfing’s world champion Shaun Tomson; Saturday lineup includes “6 Pack,” by George Greenough. the Block Party offers exhibitors, local artisans, live music (by Glenn Annie on Friday), and a wide selection of food and drinks that will be ongoing all-day long on Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.
We look forward to seeing you at the Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival, where we can come together to celebrate the beauty and joy of the ocean, and rub elbows with the surfing Greats! CLICK HERE for VIP tickets to the exclusive 21+ Lounge in the Lobero Courtyard.
Community Effort Removes Beached Whale at Padaro Beach
Photogrammetric Image of Juvenile Whale on Padaro Beach
On May 22, 2023, we received a call from Kaye Walters of Padaro Beach Club of a deceased juvenile humpback whale drifting at sea near Padaro Beach. Upon receiving this news, HTO notified Michelle Berman of CICRU (Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit) and NOAA as HTO Program Director Harry Rabin headed to survey the whale using our aerial drone. The drone footage created a 3D photogrammetric image, a method of obtaining accurate measurements from video, valuable data provided to CICRU and NOAA.
At 7 a.m. the morning of May 25, 2023, the whale was removed from the beach. Giffin Equiptment provided to Heal the Ocean the use of an excavator, with Brian Borgatello of MarBorg Industries overseeing operations. The costs for the excavator drop-off, pickup, and fuel is being covered by Das Williams, 1st District Supervisor of Santa Barbara County, while HTO coordinated the entire operation. Michelle from the Channel Islands Cetacean Research Unit (CICRU) was present to oversee the process.
During the whole episode, beach-goers were seen putting flowers on the whale, and we at Heal the Ocean wish that beautiful ocean creature Godspeed.
From all of us at Heal the Ocean to all of you, thank you, and please stay safe!
Hillary Hauser, Executive Director
HTO thanks the Poehler-Stremel Charitable Trust
for providing funds to publish our newsletters and e-letters!