2010 So Far....

2010 so far for me has been full of time spent with family (including a now 1-year old son), friends, and work. Sound familiar? If you're like me, who lives and play near the ocean, it has been rare for you to find time to fulfill your volunteer commitments to the beach. That's ok! Because together we are making a difference in our community and on the environment! Thanks to the following teams for cleaning the beach in 2010 so far...

The Beach Master; The Joe Zoller Team

The Lemly Family; Team F.I.S.H.

Lasuens Boardriders Club; Team Fun

Keller Williams, OC Coastal Realty; The Chapman Family

New Leaf America; Jack & Ryan Baker

Sunrise Rotary; The Miller & Pelham Families

SMES Environmentality

There have been many exciting events in 2010 so far for Adopt-a-Beach:

• The City of San Clemente Commondation - see document on website


• The Earth Day Beach Cleanup - over 200 volunteers through the Disney program and 2 dumpsters of trash picked up!



• Earth Day Festival - Blue Water Business Awards & I received the Stephanie Dorey Award - Thank You!


• The 5th of July "Morning After" Beach Cleanup - over 50 volunteers & 1 dumpster of trash picked up!

Upcoming events in 2010 include:

• September 10 - 5th Annual Live Art Auction!!! 6:00 pm @ San Clemente Art Gallery (the community center on Ave. Del Mar). $10 per person (refunded with purchase). Complimentary Food and Beverages! To reserve a spot, email info@scwatersheds.com


• September 25 - California Coastal Cleanup Day!!! We need volunteers. Please email info@scwatersheds.com


• More beach cleanups to be announced...

JULY 2010 ADOPT-A-BEACH NEWS

City of San Clemente - Styrofoam Ordinance

The City of San Clemente has prepared a Negative Declaration for the Draft Ordinance Prohibiting the Use of Expanded Polystyrene Disposable Food Service Ware, which is available for public review and comments through September 9, 2010. Available through the city website are resources to assist food service businesses with finding alternative products and a list of vendors that supply these products. Click here for more information.

State of California AB 1998 - Plastic Bag Ban

This month we have a real opportunity to adopt legislation in California to ban single use plastic grocery bags once and for all. But the plastics industry is spending thousands of dollars on a misleading campaign to derail the proposal. We need your immediate help if we're going to put a stop to the 36,000 plastic bags disposed in California every minute:
Fax/Email your State Senator and Urge their Support for AB 1998;
Sign-up to receive daily updates and action alerts on the legislation;
Make an online contribution today to support our campaign.
In the next four weeks the California legislature will take final votes on AB 1998 (Brownley), legislation that will promote a shift to reusable bags and prohibit grocery, liquor and convenience stores from distributing single-use plastic bags.Think about what that means: 52 million plastic bags a day eliminated! What does that mean for you? We would still be able to "purchase" plastic bags, and this type of legislation is proven to reduce the occurence of plastic bag use and disposal very quickly!

Poche Beach Bacteria Study

The City of San Clemente has partnered with Weston Solutions of Carlsbad to implement a bacteria-source study for the Prima Deshecha watershed? Poche Beach is the point of the largest amount of run-off drainage within the San Clemente watershed, and because a large amount of bacteria is associated with the run-off, Poche Beach is often rated F for water quality. This means that it is unsafe for swimming, which is the #1 designated use for all waters of the United States! In an effort to improve water quality to Poche Beach, this bacteria-source study will consist of discrete sampling points in the Prima Deschecha watershed to identify the areas where the most bacteria is coming from.

Corps of Engineers Beach Erosion Study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is nearing completion of a beach erosion study and proposed sand replenishment project. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report is available for public review through September 23, 2010. The report is available at the San Clemente Public Library or through the City’s website via the link below. A public workshop will be held on August 19 at 910 Calle Negocio at 7pm.

Graffiti Hotline

Did you know that there is a San Clemente Grafitti Hotline? If you see grafitti in your neighborhood, please call (949) 361-8385. Response within 24-hours!

Youth Groups help Adopt-a-Beach after Big Storms hit San Clemente

On Sunday, January 24, two different San Clemente youth groups came together with Adopt-a-Beach to clean up the beaches around the San Clemente pier after last week's series of 5 pacific storms left San Clemente beaches full of trash. The groups met at Linda Lane park because we'd had reports that this area was especially bad due to the construction materials that had been ripped off the pier by big waves. However, upon arrival, it became clear that because the City's subcontractors had cleared the area of the construction debris, their help was needed between Marine Safety and T-Street, which was covered in tiny styrofoam bits and all those other pieces of trash that Adopt-a-Beach team members are very familiar with! This cleanup was organized by Planning Commissioner Brenda Miller and Rose Velasquez from OC Human Relations and included 23 San Clemente kids from the Mary Erickson Tutoring Center and the San Clemente Presbyterian Church Hispanic youth groups. Also participating were Mike Dobbles, Isobel Pelham, Brenda Miller, Rose Velasquez, and Colleen, Jake, and Adam Canfield.

Happy Holidays!

On behalf of the San Clemente Watershed Task Force, I'd like to wish all our Adopt-a-Beachers a Happy Holiday!

So, what did Santa bring us?

A Commendation by the San Clemente City Council!!!! Please join Sherry Johnson and I at the City Council meeting on January 5, 2010 to accept this wonderful award and share in the recognition of all your hard work for Adopt-a-Beach! The meeting is at 6pm at 100 Avenida Presidio.

Summer Cleanup Totals

The Summer (July and August) Beach Cleanup totals are in!


http://scwatersheds.com/reports.htm


While items such as glass, plastic, and styrofoam are sometimes too numerous to count, it seems that you all, like me, loooove to count those cigarette butts! In July and August almost 9,000 butts were collected and counted. Adopt a Beach members Isabel Pelham and Brenda Miller has been saving the butts she picked up...take a look! All of these butts were picked up between Mariposa Point and Linda Lane along the beach, beach trail, and street. Thanks Brenda & Isabel!

Thanks to the following teams!:

Beach Master

Hodson Family

Joe Zoller Team

Miller/Wood Family

Jefferson Family

Our Savior Lutheran Church (one-time event)

Lemley Family

Lausens Boardrider Club

Citro Family

Chapman Family

F.I.S.H.

SC Sunrise Rotary Club (shown on right)

Team Fun

Why is the Adopt-a-Beach program so important?

There are many reasons why the Adopt-a-Beach members clean up San Clemente beaches. The reasons range from the protection of marine animals to pollution education for their children to a sense of fulfillment by giving back to our community. Whatever your reason(s) are, it's also important to remember to motivate ourselves to keep up with the task at hand. I too have had a hard time motivating myself this summer; however, the heat of summer and the inundation of tourists to our San Clemente beaches only give us more reason to get out there and pick up the trash!

Personally, I find motivation in the effects of pollution on our environment, one of which is the huge patch of plastic floating in the Pacific Ocean, known as:

The "Great Pacific Garbage Patch"

Last month the Scripps Insitute of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, launched a three week investigation of the Garbage Patch. What they found was that it is roughly the size of Texas, and instead of being a solid island of plastic, it is composed of millions of tiny pieces of plastic that float just under the surface of the ocean! One nsource of the plastic is thought to be the west coast of the United States! To read more about the Garbage Patch and the Scripps Institute investigation, please click on the links below:

http://sio.ucsd.edu/Expeditions/Seaplex/

http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org/

http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/patch.html

Sept. 18 Art Auction

SAVE THE DATE!!! The Sept. 18 Art Auction is our BIGGEST event of the year, and we expect all our teams to participate! Please check your email for your personal invite to this event!

Sept. 19 Coastal Cleanup Day

The perfect way to spend a beautiful Saturday morning in San Clemente! Please help out by either (1) cleaning up your section of San Clemente coastline or (2) come down to the pier and help the San Clemente Watershed Task Force by cleaning the beach, pier, or trail!

Monthly Reports: The monthly reports can now be found at: http://www.scwatersheds.com/reports.htm

Contact information update: I want to make sure that our members are getting the most up-to-date Adopt-a-Beach information! Please email me at colleenmcanfield@hotmail.com with your current phone number, email address, list of team members, and preferred beach section.

Personal Note: Please excuse my absence from the Sept. 3 party! I am currently on doctor ordered bed-rest, but I will be back in action as soon as possible! I am hoping I will be able to make it to the Art Auction!

Summer's Here!

Summer officially began last weekend, but at San Clemente beaches, it looked like Summer began with the Memorial Day weekend! The Adopt-a-Beach teams are off to a great start, with over 90 hours of logged cleanup time on the beaches in May. However, I'm sure you've noticed that there is an increase in the number of people and the amount of trash on the beach recently! We'll have a tough job for the next few months, but we'll all have a little fun at the same time.





May 2009 Monthly Report: http://members.cox.net/rockgirl14/2009_06_AaB%20Monthly%20Report.htm

Thanks to the following teams for cleaning up in May!
Joe Zoller Team
Miller/Wood Family
Jefferson Family
F.I.S.H.
Canfield Family
SC Sunrise Rotary Club
Wicks Family
Lemly Family
Lausen's Boardrider Club
Seaview Pharmacy
Chapman Family
Beach Master
Eads & Others Team


Introducing....

Welcome to the new teams joining us this summer:

Hodson Family
Nonaca Family
Winkelmann Family (shown on right)

We now have many openings available for new teams, so if you know of anyone who may want to join us in adopting a beach, please have them contact me at colleenmcanfield@hotmail.com!



Coming up...

Summer time is full of exciting events in San Clemente!


July 4th - Independence Day: A big day for all of us, and the day after is one of the best times to get all the good trash ;) Have fun & please plan on hitting the beach post-4th of July!


July 18th & 19th - 2009 Ocean Festival: Come visit us at the festival!


September 3rd - Adopt-a-Beach Team Party: Our last party was a great success, so we've decided to have another one. On Sept. 3, please join us at the Community Center on Del Mar Avenue for another evening full of food, drinks, good times...and a bit of business.


September 18th - Art Auction: Mark your calendars for the biggest Adopt-a-Beach/San Clemente Watershed Task Force event of the year, the Annual Art Auction! This event keeps our program going, so invite your friends! As usual, it will be held at the Community Center on Del Mar Ave.


September 19th - California Coastal Cleanup Day: As if you needed an official day to cleanup! The Adopt-a-Beach program is sponsoring a special cleanup day in conjunction with this state-wide event to bring awareness to the San Clemente community. On this day, ask a friend to join you in a beach or neighborhood cleanup!


Summer Beach/Train Cleanups: There will be various scheduled community cleanups taking place this summer. As they come up, I will forward the details to you via email! Keep those bags and buckets close by!

Introducing Colleen Canfield!

GREAT news! The talent search is over – I have found my replacement.

Please join me in welcoming Colleen Canfield as the new Adopt a Beach Program Manager/Volunteer Coordinator.

After interviewing five applicants (three of them strong contenders) I determined that Colleen was the best choice for the position. She meets all of the requirements we were looking for – and more.

Colleen is a professional geologist with an MS in geology from SDSU. She is a new resident of San Clemente, recently moving here from San Diego. She is an active member of Surfrider and has participated in beach cleanup events. Of particular interest is her experience working with databases – a skill set which will be key in achieving our goal of automating the data tracking process. She is organized, energetic, highly personable, and a clear communicator. She is also willing to commit a minimum of 1 year to the position and to recruit and train her replacement when the time comes. I believe that Colleen has the passion, the experience and the skill set we need to take the Adopt a Beach program to the next level.

You'll be hearing directly from Colleen in future blog postings and will have a chance to meet her in person at the upcoming kick off/team social meeting. (Nothing has been announced yet, but it keep your calendar clear for early June). I plan to remain an active member of the Watershed Task Force and will be on hand to support Colleen during the training and transition period.

In the meantime, please start faxing your data collection sheets to Colleen at 714-371-1852.

This is an exciting new chapter for the Adopt a Beach Program. I can't wait to see your new initiatives and progress in the months ahead! Speaking of progress...

News Flash!

SDSU has just completed a study on the impact of cigarette butts. Based on the results of their findings (one cigarette butt can kill a fish in a liter of water within 96 hours) they are pushing to get filtered cigarette butts classified as toxic waste with strict rules for disposal. Given the large number of cigarette butts you all find each month, I know this is a topic of great interest. Thanks to Mary Vondrak with Environmental Programs for bringing this to my attention.

Here's a link to the article if you'd like to read it yourself:

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2009/may/01/sdsu-study-says-cigarette-butts-kill-fish/