Ocean Acidification - a plan and a call for action

Governor Gregoire left another legacy for Washington today when she signed an executive order calling for action on ocean acidification. The order acts on the recommendations of the Governor's Blue Ribbon Panel on Ocean Acidification who released their final scientific report and recommended actions this morning. 

One of the most visible impacts of ocean acidification is the corrosive effects on shellfish. In Washington, shellfish growers have seen these impacts firsthand, witnessing the die off of juvenile oysters because their shells could not form properly in increasingly acidic waters.

The Blue Ribbon Panel recommends 42 actions to address ocean acidification, including efforts to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, to minimize sources of local land-based pollution, including storm water, to invest more in research and monitoring, and to increase public awareness.

Washington State has fast become a national leader on responding to ocean acidification.  Learn more about State efforts.

Swimming Beaches in Puget Sound get a failing grade

In 2011, one quarter of the beaches monitored around Puget Sound were found to be unsafe for swimming because they failed to meet water quality standards. Since monitoring water quality at popular recreation beaches began in 2004, the number of unsafe beaches has increased by 12 percent.

The Puget Sound Partnership just released their 2012 State of the Sound report. In the report, swimming Beaches is just one of many indicators that suggests Puget Sound is imperiled and not improving. However, the report is not all bad news - over one thousand shellfish beds have been reopened to harvest and over two thousand acres of habitat have been restored. For more details, read the press release.

Celebrate Raptober!

Plastic trash is rapidly becoming one of the top threats to our ocean environments. Each year over one million seabirds and one hundred thousand marine mammals die from ingestion of, or entanglement in, plastic.  Even worse, in some areas of the ocean the amount of suspended plastic particles now outnumbers the ambient plankton!

For the entire month of October the Surfrider Foundation and our friends at Rusty will be celebrating Raptober.  We’ll be sharing plastic related facts as well as tips on how to reduce your individual plastic footprint.  Plus, special membership deals are available for a limited time. Learn more at http://bit.ly/RAPtober.

Report your surfing illnesses

Surfrider Foundation has just released our newest online reporting tool! Have you ever gotten sick after visiting the beach?  Now there’s a place to share your story and see where others are getting sick? Water pollution is the number one threat to surfer’s health in the ocean and we need your help tracking those potential sources. Check out our new tool to report an illness and read more on our coastal blog!

The Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project

The Seattle Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and Barefoot Wine Presents

The Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project
Saturday, August 11, 2012 at Alki Beach, West Seattle

The Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project, now in its sixth year, helps keep beaches, rivers, parks and lakes across America “barefoot friendly.”  In 2012, Barefoot Wine and the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches, along with community volunteers, are embarking on a tour of 25 cleanups nationwide, stopping in Seattle, WA.  Look for the Surfrider tent and join us to help keep our beaches clean.  See you Saturday.

Beach Cleanup  - All Ages Welcome                                          
11:00 am – 1:00 pm                      
Across from Slices Pizza
2600 Marine Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98116
look for the Surfrider tent!

Volunteers are also invited to attend a celebration, organized by the Surfrider Foundation, featuring surf-inspired fare.  Tickets for the celebration will be distributed at the cleanup.

Celebration - 21 and over only
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Slices on Alki
2600 Marine Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98116

Hello from Brice Boland

Hello Surfrider members! My name is Brice Boland and I’ve recently been hired as the new Washington State Field Coordinator. Being an avid outdoor enthusiast and advocate I feel incredibly lucky to be working with the Surfrider Foundation. As a born and raised Idahoan I spent the bulk of my life fishing the Clearwater River, hiking in the Bitterroot Mountains of Northern Idaho, and skiing throughout the Northwest. Through it all I developed a deep appreciation for the environment. About six years ago this passion led me to take a position as a community organizer working on water contamination issues resulting from phosphate mining. As a result, I learned the basic tools and tactics to be a successful organizer. Since then, I have run campaigns for candidates and issues from rural Idaho to metropolitan Pittsburgh. I take with me the experience and dedication to work with chapters and individuals to advance Surfrider campaigns and programs. I am at your call so if you would like to speak with me please contact me with any questions or ideas. I look forward to working with you all, to supporting chapter initiatives, and to restoring and protecting our coasts so that we can all enjoy clean water, healthy beaches, and rich ocean ecosystems.

Looking Forward to Meeting You,

Brice Boland
(253) 442-3743
bboland@surfrider.org

New toll-free line to report marine debris

Photo by Stiv Wilson

State announces toll-free line to report marine debris on beaches

Washington State has a new toll-free reporting and information line – 1-855-WACOAST (1-855-922-6278) – to report marine debris on our coastal beaches.

People who call 1-855-WACOAST can:

·       Report oil and hazardous items to the National Response Center and Ecology by pressing “1.”
·       Report large floating debris items that might pose a boating or navigation hazard by pressing “2.”
·       Get instructions for reporting debris that is not large or hazardous.

The State is encouraging everyone visiting coastal beaches to remove and dispose of small debris items such as Styrofoam, plastic, bottles, other synthetic materials, glass and metal.

If an item appears to have sentimental value to those who owned it, NOAA requests that people move the item to a safe place and email the information to disasterdebreis@noaa.gov.

More about tsunami debris

• Widely scattered debris has been arriving intermittently along Pacific Northwest shorelines. For more information, go to: http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/info/japanfaqs.html#FAQs. 
• Surfrider Foundation: http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/tsunami-debris-coming-to-a-beach-near-you
• NOAA is actively collecting information about tsunami debris and asks the public to report debris sightings to disasterdebris@noaa.gov.