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://www.earthday.org

https://sbearthday.org

https://lompocvandenberg-ca.aauw.net

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrc-igrzooG92GTZo5trXMbyc4hhLtLeEH

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_oil_spill

California Brown Pelicans

One of my favorite things to do at Jalama is watch the brown pelicans as they soar overhead or skim along the surface of the water, rarely flapping a wing.  They are majestic in their flight, powerful in their dives, and rarely a visit goes by without witnessing several groups of these magnificent birds as they go about their lives.  Not that long ago, however, their very existence was tenuous and this is perhaps why I have such an affinity for them.  

It was many years ago when I first became acquainted with this magnificent bird while researching a paper that was to address conservation efforts for a species that was at the time on the USF&W Endangered Species List.  The California Brown Pelican had found its way to the list as its population was drastically waning due to reproductive failures caused by environmental pollutants.  Specifically, DDT, an insecticide widely used throughout the US, had infiltrated the food chain through water drainage finding its way to the fish in the ocean.  Unknowing pelicans were eating contaminated fish, primarily mackerel, sardines and anchovies, which altered the calcium levels in their physiology, resulting in weakened shells in the eggs being laid.  The weakened shells meant much fewer chicks were hatching each year and the result was decimating to the pelican population leading to its listing in 1970 as an endangered species.  Fortunately, with the ban on the use of DDT as well as other intervention policies put into place, the California Brown Pelican made a slow but dramatic recovery and was delisted as a stable species in November 2009. 

Thus my fascination began with this beautiful bird many years ago.  I have since learned that it’s large pouch  (which can hold 3 gallons of water!) is used not only to catch fish, but also for temperature regulation and as a feeding trough for young chicks.   Often brown pelicans catch their meals by plunge diving 20-60 feet after spotting the fish with their keen eyesight while in flight.  During the dive the pelican hits the water with so much force that fish up to 6 feet under water can be stunned.  The Brown Pelican is one of only two types of pelicans that fish this way, the other being the Peruvian Pelican, and both species have a network of air sacs throughout their body that serve as protection from the impact of these magnificent dives. 

While the California Brown Pelican ranges from Central Mexico to Vancouver, currently in the US, the only breeding colonies are in California on West Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands.   Breeding season is winter through spring and nests are built by the female, often beginning with an indentation on the ground or a spot chosen by the male.  The male also gathers the materials for the nest which may include feathers, dirt and various vegetation.   Two to four eggs are laid each nesting season and incubation duration is 29-35 days.  The young are ready to leave the nest after approximately three months but do not reach sexual maturity for 3-5 years.  

Pelicans are social birds, living together in flocks and often flying together as well.  They will sometimes fly in a V formation but it is more common to see them fly in a single line.  And when they are skimming the water I always thought it was to catch fish, but alas, it is more often to make flying easier using nature’s physics of air in what is commonly referred to as ‘ground effect’ by pilots.  

While the California Brown Pelican is no longer threatened by extinction, the species does have other concerns.  Brown pelicans are hunted for their feathers which are prized decorations, nests are raided for the eggs and they are also slaughtered as they are seen as competition to fishermen.  For now, I am grateful for their recovery and for the opportunity to witness their grace in flight, hoping that we can continue to live together, respectful of the gifts we each bring to this world.  

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Pelican/lifehistory

https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/brown-pelican

http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/california_brown_pelican/

https://www.fws.gov/arcata/es/birds/brnpelican/b_pelican.html

https://www.fws.gov/arcata/es/birds/brnpelican/documents/1986%20Recovery%20Plan%20for%20the%20Brown%20Pelican.pdf

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/pelican

It's A Wrap!

With the reality of current environmental challenges, I have begun to make more mindful choices about purchases and how I do things, trying to mitigate my personal impact on our beloved planet as best I can.  With gift giving and all its embellishments now officially on the calendar, I began to wonder if there was a way I could diminish the pile of wrapping paper, gift boxes and ribbon that annually make the trek from my house to the landfill.  Here are some alternatives that I have either used in the past or came across in my research and daydreaming.

Holiday gift bags, for me, are a perfect way to reduce the amount of debris after a round of gift opening and also make for an easy wrap job.  I find I am able to reuse the bags for many years, preferring to use either unbleached or recycled tissue paper in the wrapping process instead of taping the top edges closed. Packaging peanuts and shredded paper that I have saved from other gifts are great alternatives to tissue paper or for filling out a large bag that conceals a much smaller gift.  Final benefit, the bags fold up and are easy to store for future use!

Newspaper, once upon a time, was an easy go to if something needed to be wrapped in a traditional box. Add some ribbon and a card and the appearance would rival any traditional wrap job. Now I may use old wrapping paper that I have recycled (not everyone impatiently rips wrapping paper off a gift, some us us savor the anticipation as we slowly peel the tape carefully up and literally unwrap the item), outdated maps and calendars or colorful magazine pictures.  Again, add some ribbon or a bow and you have a beautiful gift.  Bonus points to me if I am able to match the ‘wrapping’ paper to the gift or individual in some personal way, say tickets to an event wrapped in a map of the area.  

I don’t know about you, but I have an abundance of reusable totes.  Using one of these to wrap a gift in is akin to giving two gifts in one.  The hardest aspect of receiving a tote for me is remembering to take it with me when shopping, thus my overflowing inventory of reusable totes.  Along those same lines are the merchandise bags from some stores, particularly the plain white or brown paper ones.  Add some tissue paper, tie the handles together with a bit of ribbon and you have an instant gift bag.

Other alternatives to gift wrap are bags made of fabric, mesh or hemp, as well as baskets and tins. I love the added texture and dimension the fabric gives to the appearance of the gift as well as how easy it is to use.  Most of the bags have drawstring openings and for those that don’t I use a bit of ribbon for the closure, gathering the material together at the opening and securing it.  In repurposing baskets and tins, just adding some ribbon or tissue paper makes for a unique and festive package. 

One suggestion I came across recently that I am looking forward to trying, is the use of clay flower pots.  Purchasing the basic terra cotta allows you to personalize the ‘wrapping’ with markers or paint as you wish.  Alternatively, simply purchasing a pot that is already glazed can make for a spectacular statement with little effort. Just invert the dish used to collect water on which the pot sits and use it as a lid, concealing the gift inside.  Secure with ribbon, twine or raffia. 

Finally, the icing on the gift.  Beautiful, colorful ribbon.  I had quit using it because of my concerns for the environment but missed the finished look it brings to a gift.  If you want to continue putting that final touch on your packages, fabric ribbon and/or old scarves are wonderful options and may be reused.  They can be tied in bows or wrapped around the package and, depending on the size of the package and width of the ribbon, may reduce the need to use tape.   

There are so many ways we impact the environment in our everyday actions and change is difficult.  I get it.  It is a challenge to do things differently, to not be on autopilot.  But I believe even small changes like how gifts are wrapped are important.  Start with one gift at Christmas this year if this seems overwhelming and challenge others to do the same.  Because the reality is if we each do a little, we all do a lot.  

We each do a little. We all do a lot.

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. 

Celebrate Earth Day 2019 With Us!

Celebrate Earth Day 2019 with us!

The first Earth Day was celebrated over 40 years ago on April 22, 1970.  It was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator from Wisconsin, after seeing 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 community volunteer clean ups world wide.  Green spaces, urban spaces, waterways, beaches and more will be patrolled by volunteers looking to pick up trash and dispose of it correctly.  Most of these clean ups are scheduled for Saturday, April 20th but Earth Day is officially April 22nd.  I couldn’t find an organized clean up for our area scheduled so I challenge everyone to take some time during the month of April, while walking down the sidewalk, through a parking lot, along a walking trail or beach to stop and notice what is in the environment.  Appreciate the plants, trees and flowers you see, the birdsong you may hear but also take note of any trash that may be present and pick it up to dispose of properly.  It only takes a moment and it is a way of sharing some love with Mother Nature.  If you would like to share with us on Facebook or Instagram your contribution to Earth Day, take a pic and post it to our Facebook page or DM us on Instagram and we will choose a picture at random on April 23rd.  The winner will receive a Final Straw collapsible travel straw worth $24.50!

Lastly, consider making every day an Earth Day.  Join us here at the store as we strive to continue reducing the number of single use bags that are used by saying ‘No’ and entering for a chance to win a $25 Gift Certificate back to the store.  A winner is drawn each month from all the entries!  Also, think of ways to reduce other plastics you use, like single use water bottles, straws, plastic lids, plastic wrap and many other items that have become an integral part of our lives.  Many times there are alternatives and when there aren’t please consider reusing, recycling or repurposing the item.  Together we can make a change!

Sources-

https://www.earthday.org/about/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Santa_Barbara_oil_spill

https://cleanup.earthday.org