There are somber and sobering times when I feel that my efforts and all of our combined efforts to keep a healthy shoreline and nearshore seascape are miniaturized by massive sources of trash and pollutants. The greatest of these is the combination of the first few winter storms of the season when all the seasonal evils of a population come flowing down to the sea.
In recent years we have had our first rainstorms in October. As of the middle of November, we haven’t yet had a single real storm. It is coming and when Ma Nature aims her frigid winter jet stream at us, we may be in store for a series of wet storms that stress our creeks.
Sadly, from my decades of experience at sea, navigating, sightseeing and fishing along the coast, I know that when those storms come, I will be aghast at the deluge of trash and pollutants that come flooding down to the sea. Beaches will be strewn with trash, fecal bacterial levels will skyrocket and surfing winter waves will be risking serious infection and poisoning. The mess will be disgusting.
A coastal community like ours here on the Gold Coast should care about our neighbor the sea. Agree? We recreate, work and volunteer to help our coastal habitat, flora and fauna. This season we will again, clean up what trash we can, but we’ll know inside that we are again asking the overstressed ocean to clean up our mess.
How many times can it do that, now that our messes are becoming bigger?
A decade ago, I put together a wish list of what I would love to see us coastal community residents, volunteer organizations and agencies do to help minimize the evils that wash down with the first storms. That wish list deserves to be seen so I’m sharing it here:
My wish list:
» Stop dumping debris into our creek beds.
» Use fewer pesticides, herbicides etc., and never pour out any excess.
» Homeless campers leave their campsites clean.
» More trash/recycle cans throughout our town to make it easier to discard stuff.
» Larger campaigns for creek cleanup (we have many great creeks in our community).
» A public awareness campaign to keep the problem on our social radar.
» Expand “community service” cleanup efforts from roadsides to creeks and canyons.
» Create financial incentives perhaps including supervised programs for homeless and low-income folks to pick up and turn in roadside and creekside debris to earn money or supplies.
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
