September 2024 E-Letter
Heal the Ocean to the Rescue: Removing Tar from the Beach!
Let’s Jump into Coastal Cleanup Day – Sept 21
Get Your Passport to HTO’s Annual Fundraiser!
Last but not Least
Heal the Ocean Tackling Tar on the Beach
Photo by Harry Rabin
Santa Barbara beaches have been hit hard with large gobs of tar washing ashore, creating a mess that is tough on both marine life and people. Heal the Ocean has received numerous calls about the black gunk that regularly lands on the sand and floats in the water. Most complaints are about Butterfly and Miramar Beach in Montecito, and East Beach.
TO THE RESCUE – Andrew Velikanje and Earthcomb! After receiving so many reports of this environmental disaster, HTO contacted Andrew, who tackled Miramar Beach the very same day. This week, Andrew and his Earthcomb operation are cleaning up the other beaches, and will continue patrolling the coast to address any additional tar problems. Since tar can’t be disposed of in regular trash bins, the collected tar is being taken to the Hazardous Waste Collection Center at UCSB.
Thank you, Andrew!
Join HTO for Coastal Cleanup Day– Sept 21
Click image to learn more
Heal the Ocean is proud to be a site captain for Coastal Cleanup Day, an annual state-wide volunteer beach cleanup event. Started by the California Coastal Commission 40 years ago, it is the largest single-day volunteer initiative happening in California, with over 1,000 cleanup sites. Join Heal the Ocean Team on Carpinteria State Beach on Saturday, September 21, from 9 am to 12 pm.
Last year, Santa Barbara County produced 1,273 volunteers, who collectively removed 2.87 tons of litter. This statewide cleanup is a great public project with a big, positive outcome. Please join us on September 21 in Carpinteria!
What you need to know:
What: Join Heal the Ocean at Carpinteria State Beach for a beach cleanup.
Where: Carpinteria State Beach – you will see our Heal the Ocean tent at the end of Linden Avenue.
Parking: There is plenty of free parking on Linden Avenue. If you see a State Park Ranger, let them know you are there for the cleanup.
What to prepare: HTO will provide all cleanup supplies and instructions (i.e. reusable gloves and bags). Please come prepared with comfortable shoes, water, sun protection, and above all, be ready to have fun!
RSVP for our cleanup by signing up on Eventbrite (here).
We look forward to seeing you!
Support HTO’s Annual Imaginary Gala Fundraiser!
Click the watch the HTO 2024 Promotional Video.
Heal the Ocean's Annual Gala Fundraiser is taking place again this year, and we invite you to join us by donating as a Sponsor or Supporter for a Passport to a Clean Ocean! Respond with a donation by October 18, so you can be in time to receive a complimentary invitation for HTO’s now-famous Happy Hour Thank You Party on November 14 at the Santa Barbara FisHouse on Cabrillo Blvd. (HTO thanks the owners of FisHouse, Board Member Tom White and his son Adam White, for donating this generous party!) Heal the Ocean also thanks our beloved Honorary Chair of all our events, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who joins us in inviting you to this celebratory occasion. By contributing to this event, 100% of your donation goes directly to support programs that focus on HTO’s mission for a clean ocean.
All donors will be saluted in the Montecito Journal and the Santa Barbara Independent in November –Thanksgiving month, and we are most honored to thank all who help us!
Please contact info@healtheocean.org or call 805-965-7570 with any questions.
Last but not Least…
Heal the Ocean extends a heartfelt thanks to our amazing volunteers, state park rangers, and County and City Parks and Recreation staff who consistently restock the bio-dog bag dispensers in our parks, trails, bike paths, and beach areas that are heavily used by the public - and their dogs. Started in 2020, the HTO Doggy Bag Program is a great example of how a public/private collective effort can produce great results for the community, as well as the ocean.
From all of us at HTO to all of you, thank you. Please stay safe.
Hillary Hauser, Executive Director
HTO thanks the Poehler-Stremel Charitable Trust
for providing funds to publish our newsletters and e-letters!