It's official: the lineup for HTO's Annual Celebration has been set: Marilyn Monroe & Liza Minnelli, impersonated by the same actress - will join Frank Sinatra (Monty Aidem) on October 22, 2016 at HTO's Annual celebration at the El Paseo Restaurant. With Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the honorary chair of this event, HTO continues its tradition of being "the funnest party of the year”. . .

Heal the Ocean is asking that you help a massive letter-writing campaign to the State of California to support the designation of state funds to cap the leaking Becker Oil well in Summerland!

After you read this message, please click on the sample letter, fill it out and/or personalize it as you will, and e-mail it back to us so that we can put all the letters together to go to the appropriate office in Sacramento in April.

Heal the Ocean is very excited to announce that our own Heather Hudson, HTO Board Member and Events director, has produced a film,“Women and the Waves 2” that is an official selection at the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival in the Central Coast Filmmakers Showcase!

We at Heal the Ocean have read the March 7, 2016 Los Angeles Times article “Deadly superbugs from hospitals get strong in the sewers and could end up in the Pacific Ocean.” We have also read the repeat of this story in the March 9, 2016 Santa Barbara News-Press with the headline “Superbug in sewage puts surfers’ health at risk.”

Heal the Ocean and the City of Santa Barbara are partnering in a mammoth cleanup of both the City and Santa Barbara south County coastline, being organized by EF International Language School, Santa Barbara campus. EF International has organized a Ocean & Environmental Awareness campaign that features a widespread annual beach cleanup on Earth Day, April 22, 2016. . .

After Heal the Ocean met with State Lands Commission staff and other stakeholders in August 2015 on a plan of action to cap the leaking Becker onshore oil well, we engaged Dudek Engineering and Environmental consultants to apply to the Ocean Protection Council for $900,000 in Proposition 1 funding for the project. . .

As a part of our work on sustainable water initiatives, including recycled water, stormwater, and groundwater protection, Heal the Ocean is closely following both short-term and long-term water supply planning efforts and as a part of these efforts we recently met with Santa Barbara County Public Works Deputy Director for Water Resources and staff to request a number of changes to the “Long Term Supplemental Water Supply Alternatives Report.” The Report was initiated at the direction of the County Board of Supervisors in order to develop information on potential sources that could supplement existing water supplies. . .

As millions in state water bond (“Proposition 1”) funds continue to be released, Heal the Ocean is wasting no time in helping secure funding that fights the drought and ensures the sustainable development of local water supplies. We are working with public agencies and professional consultants to achieve progress in recycled water, stormwater capture, and cleaning up groundwater supplies. . .

Heal the Ocean's Doggy Bag Program has had a hugely successful year. We have raised $17k so far in 2015 for the County Doggy Bag Program, representing 75% of the County program's budget.

We are incredibly grateful to the following sponsors who advertise through the Doggy Bag Program to fund biodegradable dog bags for dispensers in south Santa Barbara County. . .

After years of effort, Heal the Ocean (HTO) succeeded on Friday, November 20, 2015 in helping win the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s approval of Santa Barbara County’s plan to regulate septic systems in its jurisdiction. . .

Heal the Ocean’s campaign for potable reuse (advanced water recycling) on the Santa Barbara County South Coast and beyond continues to gain momentum. We are pushing for potable reuse, which utilizes advanced treatment technologies to produce a safe source of purified water, as a locally controlled and drought proof water supply for the entire region. . .

There was never a party like this one! 200 guests at the El Paseo on October 17, designed by HTO Board Member Heather Hudson, who also created all the prizes for the Auction – auctioned by Russ “The Rocktioneer” Stolnack with gusto. Mexican cuisine, good vibes – and a lot of love in the crowd.

Please check out our Facebook page for the entire montage of photos from the evening’s festivities.

A HUGE Thanks to Our Incredible Event Sponsors!

During a three-hour meeting at Heal the Ocean’s (HTO) office in Santa Barbara on Thursday morning, August 27, 2015, HTO led a discussion between officials from the State Lands Commission (SLC), the County, New Orleans-based offshore diving contractor Aqueos, and Dudek environmental consulting to establish a collaborative approach to address historic oil contamination at Summerland beach. The developing framework, which comes only days after significant oil contamination closed Summerland beach, will pave the way for a deliberate and accelerated solution to leaking Summerland oil wells. . .