October E-Letter
In this E-Letter:
Take Part in HTO’s Biggest Fundraiser of the Year!
California Coastal Cleanup Day Was HUGE – and HTO was there
Earthcomb Springs into Action on Creeks
Lobster Season is Here! How to Report Beached Traps
Boat Task Force is Gearing up for Winter
Join Our Biggest Fundraiser of the Year!
The fundraiser for Heal the Ocean’s Imaginary Gala 2023 is turning out to be our most successful call to action yet. This Gala is celebrating our 25th Anniversary, and the public is responding with an enthusiasm we love to see! There’s still time to participate (and join our Thank You Party)!
Please let us hear from you by October 20, 2023.
All donors who donate to HTO’s 2023 Gala will have their names published in the Montecito Journal and the Santa Barbara Independent. Our Donor Happy Hour Thank You Party will be held at the Santa Barbara FisHouse on the evening of November 9. We thank Adam & Tom White for donating this party and venue for our Thank You Happy Hour.
We would be honored to have every donor who contributed to our Gala join us!
Please contact info@healtheocean.org or call 805-965-7570 with any questions.
California Coastal Cleanup Day Recap
On California Coastal Cleanup Day, there were smiles all around from the HTO Team
(left to right: Rosemary Alden, Andrew Velikanje, Drake Rabin, Heather Hudson, and Henry Swanson)
Heal the Ocean thanks everyone around the state who volunteered for California Coastal Cleanup Day, held on September 23, 2023. It is the largest annual volunteer effort in California to clean up our magnificent coastline, bordered by the Pacific Ocean.
The Heal the Ocean team served as site captains for the More Mesa Bluffs in Santa Barbara. In total, sixteen (16) volunteers showed up, and collectively picked up 94 lbs of trash and removed a hazardous lobster trap from the beach.
This statewide campaign always produces enormous results: The collective statistics for California on this Coastal Cleanup Day shows that a total of 25,570 volunteers picked up 126,605 lbs of trash and 7,041 lbs of recyclables along our shores. What a huge feat to preventing pollution from entering the ocean!
Earthcomb Springs into Action on Creeks
Before and After photo of Toro Canyon Creek
After receiving reports of an abandoned homeless encampment in Toro Canyon from Ben Sandu of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, Andrew Velikanje and his Earthcomb team jumped into action to clean up the mess. Andrew Velikanje, the founder of Earthcomb, facilitates these cleanups by hiring a team of homeless individuals to help him. This giant cleanup operation kept all of the debris from falling into the nearby creeks – and thereby keeping the waste out of the ocean.
Lobster Season is Here!
How to Report Found Traps
Tim Kirschner Clearing Lobster Traps from a Montecito Beach in January 2023
During the January 2023 storms, many lobster traps washed ashore, creating a hazard for beachgoers as well as a giant nuisance for the fishermen. In an effort to benefit both fishermen and the environment, Heal the Ocean collaborated with Ava Schulenberg from Commercial Fishermen of Santa Barbarato create instructions on how to report lost lobster traps. We encourage you to use this guide to assist local fishermen in recovering their traps throughout the lobster season.
Boat Task Force: Gearing up for the Winter
Aerial View of Boats off East Beach Winter of 2023. Photo by Harry Rabin
HTO’s Executive Director Hillary Hauser and HTO Program Director Harry Rabin had a meeting with the Santa Barbara Waterfront Director, Mike Wiltshire and interim Harbor Operations Manager, Jeanette Prusinski to review an action plan for inadequately anchored boats that wash ashore during winter storms.
During the storms of January 2023, several unattended and uninsured boats broke anchor off Santa Barbara beaches and crashed. Most of the wrecked boats were located near the “Graveyards” area just east of the East Beach volleyball courts in the City of Santa Barbara.
The new Waterfront team reported its plan to HTO for fast response in removing crashed boats from the beach to prevent coastal pollution caused by fuels, waste, and debris.
HTO will continue to collaborate with members of the Boat Task Force, which was established in 2022 to address the numerous boats that have run aground, requiring joint cleanup efforts involving HTO, the City of Santa Barbara, and the County of Santa Barbara.
Furthermore, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department has obtained state grant funds to bolster boat cleanup initiatives.
Happy Halloween to All!
Halloween is around the corner. Lighted pumpkins are going onto front porches, and the witches and hobgoblins are scooting about Santa Barbara parks and sidewalks! HTO wishes one and all a Happy Halloween! Enjoy the festivities and please stay safe.
With lots of treats (no tricks!) from us at Heal the Ocean, Thank You.
Hillary Hauser, Executive Director
HTO thanks the Poehler-Stremel Charitable Trust
for providing funds to publish our newsletters and e-letters!