“The California Coastal National Monument runs the length of the
state and is filled with offshore islands, reefs and rocks —
until now. President Obama on Tuesday will add 1,665 onshore
acres near Mendocino to the parkland said to be the most viewed
but least recognized of U.S. national monuments.”
“The Drakes Bay Oyster Co. has been granted a legal stay to allow
it to continue operations over the next 90 days while it prepares
its case for the U.S. Supreme Court.”
From the Marin Independent Journal and San Jose Mercury News:
“A federal appeals court on Tuesday ruled against a commercial
oyster farm that has drawn national attention for its battle to
continue operating at Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin
County — a critical decision that could result in the company
being forced to close.”
“A federal appeals court took a step Tuesday toward closing a
Marin County oyster farm at the center of a heated environmental
and political controversy, reaffirming its ruling that the
federal government legally refused to renew the company’s lease
in waters designated by Congress as a wilderness area.”
“California has often been a crucible for innovation. …
“In that spirit the California Coastal Commission has
unanimously put its stamp of approval on a business plan to
develop the first shellfish ranch in federal waters nearly 10
miles off the California coast near Long Beach.”
“In the latest legal setback for plastic-bag makers, a state
appeals court has issued a ruling upholding San Francisco’s ban
on single-use plastic bags as a precedent for future cases.”
“If sardines don’t recover soon, experts warn, the West Coast’s
marine mammals, seabirds and fishermen could suffer for years.
“The reason for the drop is unclear. Sardine populations are
famously volatile, but the decline is the steepest since the
collapse of the sardine fishery in the mid-20th century.”
“San Diego County and the conservation group WILDCOAST
announced a new mobile app Friday that lets beachgoers check
water quality on the go.
“The site, sdbeachinfo.com, offers interactive water quality
alerts for 80 beaches along the San Diego coast, and lets
people view water quality updates on smartphones, iPads and
tablets.”
“The highest tides of the year, known as king tides, are flowing
back into the Bay Area this week. Thanks to Northern California’s
unseasonably dry and sunny weather, the higher than normal water
levels are not expected to cause any serious flooding in
low-lying areas.
“On Wednesday, Los Angeles begins its ban on the flimsy plastic
carry-out bags with handles, and there’s no doubt that consumers
will be adjusting for a while. It takes some habit-building to
remember the bags on each trip to the market.”
“Muir Beach, one of Marin County’s small treasures, was set to
open to the public once again Saturday, just in time for a
winter’s walk along the ocean.”
“The yin and yang of the ocean will be on full display in the
next few days, with some of the lowest tides of the year set to
expose sea life at Santa Cruz County beaches.
“The King Tides also will bring some of the highest tides of
the year, which can portend what rising sea levels could look
like in the coming decades, according to researchers and
environmental groups.”
“A king tide rolled into Marin on Monday morning, flooding areas
along the county’s bay shore. But with no stormy conditions to
magnify its impact, the rising water line wasn’t the royal pain
that it has been in other years.”
“Some Los Angeles grocery store customers will have to adjust
to a lifestyle change come Jan. 1, when a ban on plastic bags
takes effect. …
“Many of the billions of bags used annually end up in the
ocean, where plastic debris kills birds, turtles and other
marine life. The thin bags also litter the urban landscape and
pose problems at landfills.”
From The Sacramento Bee, in a commentary by Stephanie Taylor:
“Water, so silent that my heart stills, stretches to the sea
and reflects a hint of a clear day. Oysters grow here. …
“This place is an estuary, where vulnerable creatures rely on
both fresh and salt water, an in and out flow with the moon.
Where salt vs. fresh poses a perpetual challenge to all kinds
of species.”
“Clues from ancient Hawaiian coral show a major shift in the
subtropic Pacific Ocean’s ecosystem around 1850.
“A research team from UC Santa Cruz has created a 1,000-year
record of how the North Pacific Subtropic Gyre, the world’s
largest ecosystem, produces organic material, said Owen
Sherwood, co-author of the study.”
“An advisory committee wants Monterey County Water Resources
Agency officials to ask the Board of Supervisors to put money
where its mouth is.
“The regional advisory committee, charged with developing a
plan to use a Salinas River water permit to battle seawater
intrusion, asked water agency officials on Thursday to consider
asking the supervisors to help pay for the effort.”
