Celebrate Earth Day April 22nd

 

Yellowtail at Cordell Bank. Credit: NOAA

By Linda Hunter - Adapted from 50 Ways to Save the Ocean by David Helvarg, founder of the Blue Frontier

This Earth Day, consider giving back to our marine environment and connecting with your marine sanctuary in the following ways:

1)  Visit a tidepool. The rocky intertidal zone where land and ocean meet is a window into the sea and a chance to discover some of its unique and complex life up close. The rocky intertidal on the west coast of North America is one of the richest and most diverse habitats in the world. The plants and animals living in the rocky intertidal are well adapted to the waves, tides, and other harsh conditions that make this environment unique.

2) Go on a Whale-Watching Trip. The Farallones marine Sanctuary Association offers whale and wildlife watching trips throughout the year. Come experience the wildness and the magic of the Farallon Islands up close!

3) Eat seafood that’s healthy and sustainable.  Ensure a future with fish. Avoid eating fish that are endangered. Your seafood choices really do make a difference! Use the Seafood Watch card from the Monterey Bay Aquarium as a guide.

4) Conserve water.   The less water flowing into local septic, sewage and storm-drain systems, the better our waste facilities can process their loads and reduce polluted runoff into our bays and oceans.

5) Become a marine sanctuary volunteer. Volunteers gain an intimate appreciation of the nature of the Sanctuary while significantly contributing to our ongoing conservation and education efforts—it's all about actively participating in making a difference! FMSA's volunteer programs depend on the energy, generosity, and dedication of individuals like you who care about our marine environment. By joining us, you help protect the Sanctuary from pollution, loss of marine wildlife, and loss of breeding habitat.

6) Use less plastic. Plastic objects make up about 60% of the trash found on the beaches and about 90% of the debris found floating in the oceans worldwide. If you take plastic to the beach, take it home with you. Buy from bulk bins and reuse containers. Use canvas tote bags instead of shopping bags.

7) Join a coastal cleanup.  Beach cleanups and Adopt-A-Beach programs are great ways to protect the marine environment while getting some exercise in a beautiful setting. Interested in joining FMSA in a beach cleanup? Contact Joanne Mohr at jmohr@farallones.org

8) Support your local wetlands. Wetlands are key habitat for migratory birds and wildlife, a nursery for 75 percent of our marine fisheries, a filtration system for pollution, a recharger of subterranean aquifers, and a protective barrier against damage from coastal storms and hurricanes.

9) Keep oil off our shore. Offshore drilling has been a flash point in California since a ruinous oil well blowout and spill off Santa Barbara blackened 30 miles of coastline in 1969. The spill spurred passage of California's 1972 coastal protection initiative and to later state and federal moratoriums on new coastal drilling.

10) Support marine education in our schools The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association's education programs are designed to inspire and inform students about the Sanctuary's unique wildlife and diverse habitats. Through education, the Sanctuary hopes to support a new generation of ocean stewards.