World Oceans Day is this week and a chance to celebrate and bring awareness to a part of Mother Earth that covers 71% of our world and holds 97% of all the water on Earth. The oceans on our planet are the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Indian and Southern or Antarctic Oceans. These five large, interconnected bodies of water contribute at least 50% of the oxygen in our atmosphere and are home to approximately 80% of the Earth’s organisms. In addition, there are more than 5000 active undersea volcanoes and the longest continuous mountain chain. This chain is the Mid-Ocean Ridge, stretching more than 40,000 miles, most of it residing underwater, deep in the ocean floor. Despite the high salt content of ocean waters, without these beautiful, mysterious deep blue bodies of liquid, our world would not be habitable for humans, animals, or plants.
Read moreMake Earth Day Every Day in 2023
The first Earth Day was celebrated 53 years ago, on April 22, 1970, and has its roots in Santa Barbara. Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin, founded it after witnessing the impact of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. At that time, it was the largest oil spill in US history and still ranks at number three, behind only the Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez oil spills. Mr. Gaylord’s vision was to have a “national teach-in on the environment” and energize the public to protect the environment by addressing water and air pollution concerns. Over 20 million Americans participated in that first Earth Day celebration, uniting many in a common cause that had been previously fragmented over several specific environmental concerns.
This year, Earth Day celebrations span the month of April and focus on how we can celebrate and protect our beautiful planet every day, making each day Earth Day. Earth Day can no longer be just a single day dedicated to cleaning up our oceans and reducing plastic use, but rather lifestyle changes that include educating ourselves on our choices. There are opportunities to learn about climate change, protecting public lands, as well as ongoing conservation and biodiversity projects. Or discover how everyday choices, including what we wear, eat, choose to throw away, and how we travel, affect our environment.
Earth Day is also an opportunity to begin having discussions with our family, friends, and neighbors and come together in cooperation. To discuss ideas of how change might look for everyone and how it can happen, even if only one step at a time. Some of these discussions may be challenging, and some choices difficult, but it is necessary to make the time to have the conversations, become educated and make the choices. The reality is we have been blessed to live in a world we have been gifted with its many natural wonders and incredible resources. With that gift, we have also been given a responsibility. The responsibility to take care of it so that our grandchildren’s great-grandchildren will have a place to call home. No matter where you are, we ask you to join us in this effort because you can make a difference with your choices, and together we can save our beautiful home we call Earth.
Here are a few of the local opportunities to celebrate and learn. AAUW is hosting a conversation with Land Trust of Santa Barbara County Director, Meredith Hendricks, on Monday, 4/17/23, 7PM at the Lompoc Library Grossman Gallery, with plans to post a recording of the presentation for those not able to attend. On Wednesday, April 19, Cabrillo High School Aquarium will have activities from 6PM-8PM, showcasing how each of us can make our home a better place for all living things. Additionally, Saturday, April 22, from 2PM-8PM, Route One Farmers Market is sponsoring an Earth Day celebration at Cold Coast Brewing Company. You can also visit sbearthday.org to learn more about the events in Santa Barbara County, including the Earth Day Festival scheduled for 4/27/22 at Alameda Park in Santa Barbara, or earthday.org to see what is happening worldwide. We invite you to attend at least one of these many opportunities via the links below to learn how you can make a difference for Mother Earth every day because together, we can.
Sources-
https://lompocvandenberg-ca.aauw.net
https://www.cabrillohighschoolaquarium.org/open-house-dates
https://healthylompoc.org/post/March-2023-Healthy-Happenings-Newsletter-exist
Together We Can Restore Our Earth-Make Every Day Earth Day
The first Earth Day was celebrated 50 years ago on April 22, 1970. It was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin, after he witnessed the impact of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. At that time it was the largest oil spill in US history and still ranks at number 3, behind only the Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez oil spills. It was Mr. Gaylord’s vision to have a “national teach-in on the environment” and energize the public to protect the environment by addressing water and air pollution concerns. Over 20 million Americans participated in that first Earth Day celebration uniting many in a common cause that had been previously fragmented over several specific environmental concerns.
This year, Earth Day celebrations will focus on restoring our Earth and the steps needed to continue on a new path. As we are returning back to activities put on hold with the pandemic, it is imperative that we explore and acknowledge how we have impacted this planet we live on. It is time to reflect and think about how we want the world we live in to look and to function. It is time to discuss ideas of how change might look for everyone and how it can happen, even if only one step at a time. It is time we come together in cooperation.
Some of these discussions may be challenging, some of the choices difficult but it is necessary to make the time, to have the discussions, to become educated and make the choices. The reality is, we have been blessed to live in this world we have been gifted, with its many natural wonders and incredible resources. With that gift, we have also been given a responsibility. The responsibility to take care of it so that our grandchildren’s great-grandchildren will have a place to call home. No matter where you are we ask you to join us in this effort because you can make a difference with your choices and together we can save our beautiful home we call Earth.
There are three days of virtual events planned to begin these discussions and explore some of the issues beginning on 4/20/21 at EarthDay.org and sbearthday.org. Locally, the Lompoc-Vandenberg chapter of AAUW is hosting a panel discussion of the impacts of climate on our valley on 4/22 via Zoom at 6:30PM. We invite you to attend at least one of these many opportunities via the links below, to learn more about how you can make a difference for Mother Earth because together we can.
Sources-
https://lompocvandenberg-ca.aauw.net
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrc-igrzooG92GTZo5trXMbyc4hhLtLeEH
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_oil_spill
Surf Beach and the Snowy Plover
Surf Beach, a beautifully untamed stretch of coastline, is our local beach and possesses a rather unique history. From race track, to train station, to city, and back to undeveloped sand dunes, it is home to many shore birds, including the Western Snowy Plover. The impact this small seemingly insignificant bird has had on Surf Beach is almost as great as the train station that is again in existence above the dunes today.
A modest, tiny shore bird, The Western Snowy Plover is approximately six inches in length with grey, brown upper plumage and white under plumage. It primarily forages for small invertebrates in wet or dry beach-sand and among tide-cast kelp. The birds nest in the dunes with a breeding season March through September and nests typically host three small eggs. The parents share in the incubation duties but unlike many other birds, within hours of the eggs hatching, the small fledglings will leave the nest in search of food.
In 1993 this unassuming, small bird was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and has since become the fulcrum point for Surf Beach visitation seven months of the year. As Surf Beach is on Federal property, strict interpretation and enforcement of the Endangered Species Act has been observed. During the nesting season of March 1st to September 30th each year, only a 1/2 mile of the coastline at Surf Beach is open to the public. No fishing, kite flying, dogs, bonfires or camping are allowed on the beach and the dunes are off limits during this time period as well. The number of violations allowed each season before the beach is closed completely to the public is limited to 50 and can be as vague as a set of footprints in the off limit areas. Thankfully beach closures and limitations are just one aspect of Vandenberg AFB’s management program for the recovery of this species. Others include predator management and habitat restoration through the removal of nonnative plant species.
With all this focus on the recovery program at Surf Beach some are surprised to find the Western Snowy Plover’s habitat extends along the West Coast from Washington through Baja Mexico and beyond. Indeed, many contend the bird is not truly threatened and cite reliable sources, information and data. An appeal has been submitted to USF&WS to delist the bird but to date no response has been received. It is not, however, our position at this time to debate the fairness or accuracy of the listing or the measurements taken by VAFB mandated through the ESA. Rather, we are asking everyone to observe the rules in place and help keep our beach open all year so that we may enjoy the beauty of this untamed area in its natural glory.
Currently, after just a little over seven weeks, violations are listed at 15 of the 50 allowed for the season. If they continue at this rate complete access to Surf Beach will be lost again prior to the end of the nesting season.
Truly, whether you believe the bird is threatened or whether you agree with the restrictions, we strongly believe we should always strive to be better stewards of our incredible planet and work to live side by side with nature everyday, not just seven months of the year.