California Beach Bums is the term describing beach destinations with water unfit for humans to enjoy. Symptoms of bad beach water in the Pacific Ocean include gastro-intestinal problems, sore throats, and worse. With a number of agencies taking measurements and monitoring water quality, there are few beaches immune for things in the water that are bad for you.
While some of the beaches are consistently poor in measurements of quality, the time it takes to alert the public of such water doesn’t always get to the Internet before you get to the beach. Best advice is to recognize that any water can create illness and problems when you dive in. Healthebay.org is one of our favorite sources for spotting consistent, long-term water quality problems at our Calif. beaches!
California Beach receive a special cleanup during Earth Day (and Earth Month) in April. While such efforts to improve the state of the beaches themselves, the sources from which the trash originates are unfortunately the ocean, bays, drain pipers, rivers, and cargo ships that transport goods to and from several of America’s busiest ports in California. Not much can be done to mitigate such damage, though there are some efforts that are helping.
But when it comes to passion for the beaches, one couple single-handedly has organized beach cleanups each month, and in a recent Saturday event in Seal Beach, Kim and Steve Masoner managed to get a whopping 700 people to help out! If you know the size of the parking lot and the beach itself, you’ll find that number is simply incredible. By day this volunteers work in the business world but they always carry the passion for the beach with them. You may know this couple for their previous efforts in the annual Seal Beach Sandcastle Festival, a wonderful event that no longer exists, due to the time and hard work required to carry out such a major event.
What Steve and Kim put into their passion for clean beaches requires some marketing. They have made their cleanup program friendly and inviting, allowing students to get approved certificates for volunteer hours when they show up at the beach.
What can you do to participate? You simply show up on a beach cleanup Saturday, and Steve and Kim supply the bags, gloves, and even some sponsor items from time to time such as water to drink. For more information 2009 Beach Cleanup Schedule updates, see saveourbeach.org
SEAL BEACH
4th SAT
1st Street & Ocean Avenue
Apr 25, 2009-11 to 2
**In celebration of Earth Day**
May 23, 2009-11 to 2
Jun 27, 2009-11 to 2
Jul 25, 2009-11 to 2
Aug 22, 2009-11 to 2
Sep 19, 2009-9 to 2
**CA Coastal Cleanup Day**
2 locations:
1st & Ocean
AND
1st & PCH (Riverbed)
Oct 24, 2009-11 to 2
Nov 21, 2009-11 to 2
Dec 19, 2009-11 to 2
BEACH CLEAN-UP DIRECTIONS
Take the 405 FWY to Seal Beach Blvd, go South off of the freeway to Pacific Coast Highway (a little more than 2 miles) and make a right on PCH. Take PCH to 1st Street (a little less than a mile) and make a left onto 1st Street. Take 1st Street until it ends in a parking lot and that’s where we’ll be! If you get lost, please call Kim’s cell phone at (562) 884-6764. Map to Beach Clean Up.
Kim Masoner
Founder
Save Our Beach
email kim@saveourbeach.org
562 884-6764