Pacifica Riptide

Quest for Fear Benefit Sold-Out Socko Success

Pacifica Beach Coalition Quest For Fear/Surf Music evening a BIG SUCCESS

Sanchez Concert Hall rides a monster wave of good vibes for Earth Day

The Sanchez was buzzing Friday night in a rollicking, hugely successful benefit for next month’s Earth Day events. The show, which was sponsored by the Pacifica Beach Coalition, featured a showing of Grant Washburn’s remarkable new surfing film, Quest For Fear; as well as the music of The Wander-Ins, the psychedelic images of Steve Austin, and the good humor of host Ian Butler. The only people who weren’t thoroughly entertained were the unfortunate souls that got turned away at the door of this sold out event.

As the crowd arrived, an award-winning program about last year’s Earth Day clean-up was projected on the screen. The show, which was made for PCT 26 by Steve Brown and Bob Twigg, featured many of the audience members. Over 600 volunteers collected over 12,000 pounds of trash in 2 hours on that day.

Ian kicked things off with “The South End of the Beach” a tongue in cheek song about surfing the easy waves at Linda Mar.  This was followed, appropriately enough, by the Wander-Ins, a local surf band that got it’s name from the Wander Inn, Linda Mar’s legendary beach bar that closed down years ago. The band’s rocking surf sound was accentuated by the colorful, swirling images that Steve Austin projected above their heads. More than one audience member remarked that the combination reminded them of the Fillmore in the 60’s.

Pacifica Mayor Jim Vreeland, Beach Coalition President Lynn Adams, and Pedro Point Surf Club president Greg Cochran all spoke movingly about the importance of keeping our beaches and ocean clean.  Sue Pemberton of the Marine Mammal Rescue Center raffled off exciting prizes donated by Pacifica’s surf shops.

But the main event was Grant Washburn’s movie, “Quest for Fear” which he had generously donated free of charge. The crowd was riveted right from the opening shot of a surfer flying down the face of an enormous wave at Maverick’s, the world’s premier big wave surf spot, which is located just down highway one. 

The movie chronicles Grant’s annual migrations to South Africa, searching for an elusive wave rumored to equal Maverick’s in size and power. There is nothing like watching a surfing movie in a sold out theater, with everyone oohing and ahhing in unison as the surfers tackle monster waves, especially when the waves do the tackling.

Grant graciously answered questions for the audience after the showing, which earned over $2,000 for Pacifica’s Earth Day cleanup on April 19th. This year we hope to get over 1,000 volunteers helping to clean up our beaches, creeks, parks and streets. If you are interested in getting involved call Lynn Adams at 355-1688.

Special thanks to the city of Pacifica, Pedro Point Surf Club, Coastside Scavenger, Parks Beach & Rec., and Pacifica’s Environmental Family for their generous contributions.

Earth Day Volunteers Cleaned Up Beaches, Parks

Check out a 10-minute compilation of what happened last year for Pacifica Earth Day 2007, when 600 people in Pacifica removed 12,000 pounds of  litter and recyclables in just two hours. To order the whole 30-minute DVD,  please email AdoptTheBeach@gmail.com

Here is the the 2007 EARTH DAY IN PACIFICA video on YouTube.

Please join us year-round in cleaning up the beaches, streets, parks, or city sites in need. Bags and gloves will be provided and a needy site of meaning to you or your group will be arranged. Or develop your own beautification project in Pacifica not limited to beach restoration: nonnative-plant removal,  native-garden plantings, park restoration, creek cleanup. We are blessed to live in this amazing seaside city. Let's join together to put litter in its place, connecting all of us to the earth and saving wildlife all at the same time!

Earth Day Pacifica 2007 had 600 volunteers, 45 community groups, and 13 businesses that collected 12,000 pounds of litter/recyclables and 4,000 pounds of greenwaste from six beaches, five creeks, 20 streets, and 40 sites in just two hours.

Pacifica Kid Helps Take Care of Our Beaches

Pacifica student Matt McLaughlin raises money and teaches others about the Pacifica Beach Coalition. Here he collects litter with IBL at Sharp Park Beach cleanup on March 1. READ THE WHOLE STORY HERE   

LYNN ADAMS
Pacifica Beach Coalition

11th Annual Beach Planting: Riptide Helped PR

Dear Riptide:

On Saturday, January 19 Pacifica's Environmental Family conducted its 11th Annual Beach Planting. Over 30 volunteers donated their time and effort to this event. The number of volunteers was a little less than in previous years, but the volunteers worked extra hard and accomplished a great deal during their two hours on the beach.  Also, in previous years, Go Native Nursery and the City of Pacifica provided native plants for the beach planting.  This year plants from those sources were not available.

The leader of the beach planting for all 11 years has been Mary Petrilli.  Through all these years, Mary's expertise  and experience in native plant botany and ecology has been brought to bear on this project. Mary has been very careful to use only native plants that are suited to Pacifica State Beach.  This year, Mary selected native dune grass from areas on the beach where the dune grass had become very thick.  By doing this Mary was able to locate 300 dune grass plants which volunteers removed from the areas where dune grass was thriving and installed it on bare areas of sand. The same strategy was applied to  native beach strawberry.

Additionally, volunteers removed non native ice plant, an exotic pest plant which blankets some of the beach areas creating a monoculture which prevents native plants from growing. A second exotic pest plant which volunteers removed was Caltrans buckwheat.  This non native pest plant is now growing and proliferating on many areas on the beach. Some of the Caltrans buckwheat is growing right next to the highway.  This growth should be removed by the city because seeds from these plants blow onto the beach and grow new bushes.  This is a serious problem which needs abatement as soon as possible.  The invasive, yellow flowered oxalis is also active on the beach at this time.  Some of the oxalis was removed.

I wish to give special thanks to Mr. Ray Biagini, who provided shovels, bags and a table for our project. Thanks also to Debbie Gehret and Lizzie Claycomb who also provided guidance and encouragment.

I hope you will have an opportunity soon to survey the work that has been done by Pacifica's Environmental Family.  In 11 years, close to 15,000 native plants have been installed on Pacifica State Beach.  These plants beautify and stabilize the beach and provide areas that are hospitable to shore birds and fauna and other native plants. The value of these contributions is probably at least $100,000. The good will that the volunteers have created is priceless.

    Pacifica Riptide by publicizing the beach planting was an important partner in the beach planting.
    Thank you very much for your help.

In addition to this annual planting, Pacifica's Environmental Family also conducts a monthly beach restoration.

Sincerely,

Clark Natwick

Pacifica Beach Coalition Seeks Volunteers

Pacifica Beach Coalition seeks volunteers to help with beach cleanup, restoration, and protection programs. We are a fun group of beach stewards who have committed a couple of hours a month or more to keep Pacifica's beaches clean and to promote public awareness for beach and ocean conservation. More beach cleanup coordinators are needed. We also need help with our Web site, media relations, and planning special events. Please contact lynn4promos@aol.com for more details and visit BEACH COALITION for more about us.

Plastic Is Not Pacifica's Bag: Save Marine Life

Now that San Francisco and Oakland have implemented a ban on plastic bags and styrofoam containers, it is time for Pacifica to get in on the act. Paris, London, and the entire nations of China, Ireland, and South Africa have enacted similar bans as the world wakes up to the damage that millions of these non-biodegradable containers can do. San Francisco expects to save $8 million annually in cleanup and other costs by eliminating pesky plastic bags. California wastes 3 million barrels of oil making the billions of bags it consumes each year. Anyone interested in working on this issue can email Ian Butler at ianbutler@netzero.net

One Flew Over the Plover's Nest

Serenity's freshly picked ice plant flies over the head of debonair dad Ian Butler, who continues harvesting unaware of the soaring succulent. Pacifica's Environmental Family and Pacifica Beach Coalition had a big planting and weeding day on Linda Mar Beach today, getting rid of nonnative nasties like ice plant and helping restore snowy plover habitat. To get involved in future beach work, cliquez ici: PACIFICA BEACH COALITION/ENVIRONMENTAL FAMILY

[Clark Natwick photo]

Pacifica Beach Coalition & Environmental Family

Pacifica Beach Coalition (PBC) is committed to helping preserve the beaches, the ocean, and the wildlife of Pacifica. PBC educates and engages the community in the fight against litter so that our waters will be safe for all creatures, great and small. If you are interested in stewarding the beaches, advocating for birds and wildlife, and reducing litter, your help and expertise would be welcome.

In addition to organizing beach cleanups and Adopt a Beach programs all year long, PBC organizes citywide work projects for Earth Day and California Coastal Cleanup Day. In 2007, two citywide cleanups with 1,000 volunteers removed more than 20,000 pounds of litter, recyclables, and greenwaste from Pacifica's beaches, streets, parks, and parking lots. 

The oil spill on Nov. 7 reinforced how important it is for local organizations to mobilize and be ready to help in case of emergency. PBC wants people trained in bird and sea mammal rescue and oil spill response, and people to help with policy changes so that we do not have to wait for federal authorities to act in Pacifica in case of future incidents. If you want to be part of PBC to make these things happen, please call Lynn Adams at 650-355-1668.

PACIFICA BEACH COALITION/ENVIRONMENTAL FAMILY

Thank You, Oil Spotters

A BIG thank you to all of the Oil Spotters over the Thanksgiving weekend from me, Captain Realyvasquez, and the City of Pacifica. Thanks to you, each of the Pacifica beaches was monitored daily from Thanksgiving through Sunday. For a while longer, they will continue to be monitored by the Public Works Dept. There were small instances of oil or tar balls reported two or three of the four days on Linda Mar beach and Sharp Park beach. Rockaway had one instance on one day and no other reports.  Esplanade had no reports of oil. Two to three dead birds were reported on each day from the beaches combined. They were scattered on each of the beaches. Few of the birds had outward evidence of oil. Sharp Park, Rockaway, and Linda Mar each had oil sightings, although they were very minor, unlike the week before when the Haz Mat Teams cleaned all of Pacifica's beaches both Sunday and Monday (November 20-21). See photos below.

LYNN ADAMS
Pacifica Beach Coalition

HazMat Notes from Beach Cleanup Training

A man who attended the training in Pacifica on Tuesday took notes and summarized the HazMat training: ONE MAN'S HAZMAT JOURNEY. This is by no means in place of getting the training.  Without the training, you will not be able to go on the beaches to work with the oil spill legally. Everyone should also know the harms of the toxicity, which is why we thought this info might be valuable.

Lynn Adams
Pacifica Beach Coalition

Sign Up for Pacifica Beach Cleanup Teams

Our creeks leading to the ocean are full of lots of floating bottles, balls, and plastic in the water and the beaches will soon have much of this litter that washes out and back onto the sand with the tides. The photo (below) taken by Ian Butler shows litter on a small creek on the north side of Esplanade beach to the north by Mussel Rock. To get there, go down Esplanade Beach stairs and walk north about 1/2 mile (low tides necessary for safety). Ian has been stewarding this site since Coastal Cleanup Day and had this site perfectly clean, but he says at least 15 bags of litter washed down this creek (near the Fish and Bowl site), and this litter is on its way to the ocean. Can you help collect this before it goes into the ocean? Simply help by collecting a bagful when walking there!

Linda Mar State Beach Cleanup can use reinforcements. This beach can always use your help, the third Saturday of every month from 9 to 11 a.m. If any of your groups would like to join one of these cleanups, the Linda Mar team would be so thankful. Just show up and join the fun.

Schedule a cleanup for your group, any beach, anytime! If your group would like to target the Esplanade creek or another beach, feel free to call me (Lynn @ 355-1668) to arrange for bags and gloves. Every beach can use your help before the litter from the drains gets washed out to sea. The Pacifica Beach Coalition will happily outfit you for a cleanup and provide a leader if we can find someone to cover.

Adopt A Beach - today! We also are signing up groups for the Adopt A Beach program with the California Coastal Commission. If your group or team or class would like to Adopt A Beach, please contact me. It involves signing on to clean up a beach of your choice three or more times in a year. Again, the Pacifica Beach Coalition will provide all of the bags and gloves and some leadership if one of us is available.                                           

Join Pacifica Beach Coalition. Help however you can. Pacifica Beach Coalition needs your help. We need new members who can help in any way to steward the beaches, educate the public, continue community outreach, help with Web design, plan for Earth Day and Coastal Cleanup Day. If you or anyone you know might like to be involved further, please call or let me know.

                           

Thank you so much for your continued support in saving wildlife, cleaning our streets and beaches, and ending litter so we can enjoy our natural beauty, naturally! Together we are making a difference and we can win the battle against pollution! 

Please remember: If not me, who? If not now, when?

LYNN ADAMS
Pacifica Beach Coalition, President
650-355-1668
PACIFICA BEACH COALITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL FAMILY