Beach Watch Volunteer Recognized Nationally

Cleaning the beach after 2007 oil spill. Credt: Jamie Hall

By Shannon Lyday

At a June 3rd ceremony in Washington, DC, Beach Watch volunteer Mary Cantini was named Volunteer of the Year by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation for her efforts during the Cosco Busan oil spill.

Mary was invaluable to the Sanctuary’s response to the spill that devastated wildlife and fouled beaches in November 2007.  Starting the day after the spill, she conducted daily dawn surveys at China Beach in San Francisco, one of the beaches most affected by the disastrous oil spill.

The special surveys provided Unified Command with data on the extent and location of the oil and oiled wildlife.   Mary used her training as a Beach Watch volunteer to collect oil samples and dead oiled birds to be used for damage assessment.

“She contributed first, by providing a baseline of data on coastal wildlife before the spill.  And then, during the spill response, her special surveys helped to inform the Unified Command where to deploy cleanup crews on re-fouled beaches,” stated Farallones Sanctuary Superintendent Maria Brown.  Mary carried out these surveys into mid-January, logging 76 spill hours, driving 295 miles at her own expense, and patrolling 23.5 km of beaches during this one oil spill alone.

Since 1999, Mary Cantini, a resident of San Francisco, has contributed to the science and resource protection of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary by volunteering for the SEALS and Beach Watch programs. In 2005, Mary began systematic monthly surveys of China Beach and Ocean Beach under the Beach Watch volunteer program, establishing a baseline of data for these sites.

Beach Watch's 15th Anniversary

Now celebrating its fifteenth year, the Beach Watch program consistently monitors wildlife and the overall health of 41 beaches along the coasts of Sonoma, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties.  The Beach Watch program was developed in 1993 following a series of lethal oil spills in the 1980s that killed thousands of seabirds.

The Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary needed baseline data on live and dead birds and marine mammals, visitor use patterns, and a program to detect chronic and catastrophic oil pollution. During bi-monthly beach surveys, volunteers count, identify and document marine life and human activity along 241 kilometers of coastline, establishing a baseline data set for California’s coast.

On May 31, the spring 2008 class graduated from Beach Watch training, adding 28 new volunteers to the cadre of dedicated citizen scientists.  The 80-hour course trains volunteers in survey protocols, bird and mammal identification and oil documentation and sampling. The extensive training prepares the surveyors for year-round shoreline assessment as well as for responding during coastal disasters such as the Cosco Busan oil spill.