Discharging sewage overboard creates environmental and human health problems, especially in a state with more than four million recreational boaters. To reduce the negative impacts of discharging sewage overboard, all boaters are encouraged to use sewage management facilities, including pumpout stations, dump stations, and mobile pumpout services. Since 2008, the San Francisco Estuary Partnership and… Continue reading Pumpout Report 2019: California Clean Vessel Act Pumpout Performance Report
Topic: Ocean
California’s Critical Kelp Forests are Disappearing in a Warming World. Can They Be Saved?
Kelp need our help. Which is why an unprecedented alliance of scientists, fishers, surfers, entrepreneurs, and experts is coming together to revive California’s vital kelp ecosystem, decimated by a warming ocean. “The California coast without kelp is like the Amazon without trees,” says Tom Ford, executive director of the Bay Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring… Continue reading California’s Critical Kelp Forests are Disappearing in a Warming World. Can They Be Saved?
L.A. Environmental Organizations Adapt to Challenges of COVID-19
On Earth Day, the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve in West Los Angeles is typically bustling with over 100 volunteers working on restoration projects as part of an annual event held by the Friends of Ballona Wetlands (FBW) organization. However, on Earth Day this week, the wetlands sat devoid of human activity as people continued to… Continue reading L.A. Environmental Organizations Adapt to Challenges of COVID-19
Holding Fast, or Failing? There Are Dozens of Confounding Elements Working Against Abalone Recovery on the California Coast.
For years, abalone have been in serious decline in California. While abalone shells persist, molded into sidewalk benches, nailed onto signposts, and laid on countless tribal gravestones, the animals themselves — seven species of which inhabit California waters — all continue to dwindle from their kelp forest homes. This stark reality is the result of… Continue reading Holding Fast, or Failing? There Are Dozens of Confounding Elements Working Against Abalone Recovery on the California Coast.
Whales are dying, but numbers are unknown. Coronavirus has stalled scientific fieldwork.
As gray whales began their northern migration along the Pacific coast, earlier this month — after a year of unusually heavy die-offs — scientists were poised to watch, ready to collect information that could help them learn what was killing them. The coronavirus outbreak, however, has largely upended that field work — and that of… Continue reading Whales are dying, but numbers are unknown. Coronavirus has stalled scientific fieldwork.
Free Eco-Education Workshops: Dockwalkers Help Boaters Keep Pollution Out of the Ocean
Free Dockwalker trainings return this spring to educate volunteers on how to promote environmentally-sound boating practices across the Southern California coast. From March to May, five free workshops will familiarize volunteers with clean boating tips and resources to bring to their local boating communities. These workshops are provided by The Bay Foundation (TBF), California Coastal… Continue reading Free Eco-Education Workshops: Dockwalkers Help Boaters Keep Pollution Out of the Ocean
The 2020 California Boater Kit Feedback Report
The California Boating Clean and Green Program (BCGP) is a statewide program whose main objectives are to educate boaters about clean and safe boating practices and to provide technical assistance to marinas and local governments to increase the availability of environmental services for boaters. The program is jointly implemented by the California State Parks and… Continue reading The 2020 California Boater Kit Feedback Report
Effects of Elevated Sea Levels and Waves on Southern California Estuaries During the 2015–2016 El Niño
The 2015–2016 El Niño provided insight into how low-inflow estuaries might respond to future climate regimes, including high sea levels and more intense waves. High waves and water levels coupled with low rainfall along the Southern California coastline provided the opportunity to examine how extreme ocean forcing impacts estuaries independently from fluvial events. From November… Continue reading Effects of Elevated Sea Levels and Waves on Southern California Estuaries During the 2015–2016 El Niño
Green Boating: An Interview with Marine Biologist Victoria Gambale from The Bay Foundation
On the heels of The Bay Foundation winning the Outstanding Service Award (with associated partners) for their involvement in the Pumpout Nav app, we thought it would be a good time to talk about so-called green boating. We spoke with marine biologist Victoria Gambale from TBF about what local boaters can do (or not do)… Continue reading Green Boating: An Interview with Marine Biologist Victoria Gambale from The Bay Foundation
PODCAST: Helping the Kelp Make a Comeback
Kelp forests, the base of marine life on the Pacific Coast, including the seafood we eat, are disappearing. The Bay Foundation’s hands-on restoration effort might be the answer. Interview with Executive Director Tom Ford. (6 min.)