Save our Tomales Bay – 34 King sized tides, king sized mess

Posted on November 27, 2015 by Coastodian

Please click on the above text “Save our Tomales Bay – 34 King sized tides, king sized mess” to see this entire post

Wednesday was the King Tide of the year. A full moon, aligned with sun and earth create conditions that produce the highest and lowest tides of the year. With a near non-existent swell, a perfect day to be on Tomales Bay.

Looking west across Tomales Bay at Inverness Ridge during the King Tide of 25 Nov 2015.

These high tides allow me and my boat to easily access areas with high concentrations of plastic trash.

On my way south while in the Tomales Bay Ecological Preserve [where ducks must be careful], I spotted what I thought was a white plastic bag. Grounding my boat on the mud near one of the “blinds” used by duck hunters, I waded across knee deep water in my wetsuit towards the item of interest, taking care to lift my large padded camera bag strapped to my chest away from the splashing saltwater.

Alas, as I neared the bright white item, it became clear it was only a raft of pure white foam, drifting south with the flood tide. Laughing at myself, I turned back towards the boat to continue my venture to the south. As I got to my boat and maneuvered myself to drop my butt into the seat, I stepped off the submerged mudflat, into the channel. I bobbed up and down, a champagne cork, my feet gaining no purchase on the bottom. I cried out in alarm as the water reached halfway up the black appendage strapped to my front, cradling my baby, the camera. Up and down I bobbed, more and more alarmed I became that my camera would be reduced to junk. Pushing upward on the black blob to keep at bay the watery tentacles splashing all around, I had to let go of the boat, toss the paddle to higher ground and pull myself ashore. Which I did without problem. The immediate danger of a swamped camera handled, I grabbed the paddle and started sloshing south to track my now drifting boat as it carried on towards Bolinas without me.

Splashing as I ran in calf deep water, occasionally jumping over deep sub-channels, I put 30 meters between myself and the approaching boat. This gave me time to remove most of my wet upper garments and the camera bag. I was preparing to go for a swim and haul the boat ashore. As I disassembled the camera bag and all the hydrophobic items therein, it became clear that the boat would soon come to me, within reach of the shore. So I continued to get all parts precious laid out in the sun on the bird-pellet, fox dung festooned log that would be my rest stop for the next hour. As the sun dried my camera, jacket and bag, the boat came right to me and was soon tied to my drying log, where it bobbed and tried to get away more than once as the wind buffeted it, me and my drying items.

Lessons learned from this: have more dry towels in dry bags, watch were I walk, bring a wind-shell always.

Have a look below at what I plucked from the southern corners of Tomales Bay.

Four more tires!

One, only one oyster grow out bag [me thinks the growers are paying more attention and losing less gear!]

Plus the usual assortment of plastic wrappers, cans, bottles, tennis balls, shotgun paraphernalia.

These images are presented not for self-promotion. Rather, they are to show people who think of Tomales Bay as this untarnished jewel [jewel yes, untarnished, hardly], that our planet is being trashed by us, some of us much more than others. If we are to slow down the yearly flow of 8 million metric tons of plastic that enters the oceans each year, we need to radically change how we live our lives. So Mr. Green Airstream, please continue to pocket your butts, I’ll continue sharing what I find in Tomales Bay, whether that is abandoned oyster gear, cigarette butts, or Common Snipe and Leopard Sharks. See this comment for background on why I felt compelled to write this last paragraph.

As always, click on an image to see a larger version.

Debris removed from Southern Tomales Bay on 25 Nov. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

Three tires is a full load it seems. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

Four tires is indeed a full load. All on the rim, meaning very heavy. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

Placed within easy reach, awaiting pickup, hopfully by the owner of that grow-out bag….Tod. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

Speaking of tires, still waiting to hear from someone on who to contact to remove the hundreds of tires blighting Marconi Cove. A big shout out to Hog Island Oyster Company for pulling out dozens from the boat ramp area!

©Richard James – coastodian.org

Debris removed from Southern Tomales Bay on 25 Nov. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

How about biodegradable corn starch shotgun shells and shot cups (AKA wads). ©Richard James – coastodian.org

How about recycling containers, or, using a reusable water container? ©Richard James – coastodian.org

Hope the party was happy. Wildlife has another thought on this senseless tradition of releasing balloons. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

©Richard James – coastodian.org

Lots of unhappy (or lazy) dogs that failed to retrieve these balls. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

No shots were fired in the taking of this Pintail. ©Richard James – coastodian.org

Next relate post may be found here.

Previous related post may be found here.

See the first post in this series “Save our Tomales Bay” here.

Save our Tomales Bay – Part 33 Litter, litter everywhere, not a bite to eat

Posted on November 21, 2015 by Coastodian

Please click on the above text “Litter, litter everywhere, not a bite to eat” to see this entire post

Gorgeous day to be out on Tomales Bay.

Tomales Bay – looking south. Please pardon iphone image on rocking boat. ©Richard James coastodian.org

Flat water and light wind made for delicious paddling. The water was pretty turbid from the recent winds, so visibility down below was poor, even with polarized glasses. So I only saw clouds of mud kicked up by rays and sharks, instead of seeing actual rays and sharks.

Did see eight common snipe (or at least that is what they looked like to me). Have not seen many of this bird, they like to keep a low profile. I’ll bring a long lens next time I head over to this area of the bay and try to record some images to share.

Found three tires, two of them on the rim, one of which was pretty well ensconced in poison oak (so I left it for later). Speaking of tires, a big shout out to Hogi Island Oyster Company for collecting dozens of abandoned tires from the boat launch at Marconi Cove. It looks a lot better there. Thank you. Don’t de-spare, there are still plenty of tires despoiling the shore at the south end of Marconi Cove. Perhaps 150 or more.

tires littering Tomales Bay at Marconi Cove.

Two oyster bags, full of medium oysters, all dead. As well as a shellfish purse full of mussels. I think somebody must have “borrowed” this from up by Walker Creek and moved it south for a personal mussel farm, as it had a custom float attached.

Also found my second paddle which I plan to give to a friend.

Find of the day was an intact vintage Pepsi Cola bottle.

See below for the sadly large haul for a short day on the water.

As always, click on an image to see a larger version.

Litter from southern Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

oyster farmers litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

car owners litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

oyster farmers litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

dog owners and bottle smashers litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

Drugstore shoppers and skin protectors litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

Duck hunters litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

Rope owners and junkfood eaters littter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

Shoeless people litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

plastic lovers and frisbee throwers litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

Thirsty people litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

oyster farmers and foam lovers litter in Tomales Bay ©Richard James coastodian.org

New signage in Tomales Bay ©RIchard James coastodian.org

Next related post may be found here.

Previous related post may be found here.

See the first post in this series “Save our Tomales Bay” here.

Save our Tomales Bay – Part 32 roadside fishermen trashing Tomales Bay continues

Posted on November 15, 2015 by Coastodian

Please click on the words above “Save our Tomales Bay – Part 32 roadside fishermen trashing Tomales Bay continues” to see this entire post.

Two months ago I wrote about the mess left by roadside fisher-people along route 1 near Tony’s Seafood.

Since then the place has been pretty clean, no large bait boxes or smashed beer bottles to speak of, a great improvement.

Last weekend on my way north to document the removal of the unpermitted structures built by oyster farmers in the Bay, I stopped and went after the small, but no less toxic items, cigarette butts and fishing line.

Picked up 346 butts or filters and enough line and hardware to hook a striped bass (I did not say land one).

If you know people that fish in the area, please ask them kindly to be sure and take away all the items they bring with them to enjoy our lovely coastal environment. Leaving it on the shore is disrespectful, illegal and pretty damn rude. Shall we visit their home and dump trash on their cherished spaces? Ok then!

Leaving this mess degrades the very beauty they come for, and causes great harm to the non-human animals that call Tomales Bay home.

This same logic applies to the boat launch area at Miller Park (Nick’s Cove).

There are thousands of pieces of micro-trash left behind by fishermen, boaters and others who use this public space to recreate.

See what happens to small pieces of plastic that humans dump in the sea, or litter the land with, only to be washed to the sea….

Dead Albatross, killed by ingesting plastic – by Chris Jordan – where disposable lighters end up.

The dumpster area is routinely besieged by ravens, crows and raccoons who scour the open dumpster for food, then paint the hillside with plastic bags, food wrappers, fish bait etc.

As always, click on an image to see a lager version.

346 cigarette butts, fishing line, beer bottle caps, food wrappers left by fishermen near Tony’s Seafood.

Fishing line left at Nick’s Cove boat launch area

Fishing line left by fishermen near Tony’s Seafood along route 1.

Comfy, though questionable seating installed at Marconi Cove, along with beer can and oyster shucker packaging. C’mon people, pick up after yerselves!

Next related post may be found here.

Previous related post may be found here.

See the first post in this series “Save our Tomales Bay” here.

Save our planet – Nestle pays next to nothing to take your water and make millions!

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Coastodian

Click on the words above “Save our planet – Nestle pays next to nothing to take your water and make millions!” to see this entire post.

In the midst of California’s historic drought, Nestle Waters—the largest bottler of water in the world—is drawing millions of gallons of water a year from the San Bernardino National Forest. Nestle’s permit to remove this precious resource expired in 1988, at which point the Forest Service should have turned off the spigot.

In this four-minute documentary, experts and activists explain the impact Nestle’s operation is having on the forest and demand that the company and our government ensure this shared public resource is protected for future generations.

Visit the folks at The story of stuff, who made this video here

Nestlé’s permit to transport water through a pipeline across southern California’s San Bernardino National Forest expired in 1988. But the U.S. Forest Service, which is charged with ensuring public land resources are well managed, has bowed to pressure from Nestlé to allow the corporation to continue pumping water.

Every year, Nestlé has paid $524 to the Forest Service to operate its pipeline, nowhere near what the water it removes is worth. Nestlé then turns around and sells that water back to Californians and others in plastic bottles, making millions in the process.

And while California residents and businesses have significantly reduced their water use to combat the drought, Nestlé has refused to do its part. In fact, when asked if Nestlé Waters would consider stopping its bottling operations in California, CEO Tim Brown told KPCC public radio, “Absolutely not…In fact, if I could increase it, I would.”

Nestlé is feeling the pressure from the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who’ve spoken out through petitions and other actions. Now it’s time to up the stakes, and send a message to Nestlé’s corporate headquarters. That’s why we’ve filed suit: to force the Forest Service to stop Nestlé’s illegal operation and undertake a full review of its permit once and for all.

Birds of Tomales Bay – Remembering Nate Knight

Posted on October 3, 2015 by Coastodian

Click on the words above “Birds of Tomales Bay – Remembering Nate Knight” to see this entire post

This morning I paddled from Chicken Ranch to Hearts Desire so I could pay respect to a fine person that left us too soon.

The sky was completely obscured by fog as I carried my gear to the waters’ edge at Chicken Ranch.

Calm wind and a following ebb tide ushered me northward to my destination.

With each pull of the paddle, the warmth from above evaporated the mist that cloaked the beauty that is Tomales Bay.

The usual suspects accompanied me on my journey to pay respect and show support for Jill and her adorable children.

Feast your eyes on the pelicans, cormorants, egret and heron I was blessed to observe today.

If you’d care to help out a fine family, follow this link and donate what you can.
NOTE: funding campaign has concluded.

As always, click on an image to see a larger version.

Slip to a landing

cleared for the option

Rotate

Save our Tomales Bay – Part 31 Tires do NOT belong in the bay

Posted on September 19, 2015 by Coastodian

Click on the text above “Save our Tomales Bay – Part 31 Tires do NOT belong in the bay” to see this entire post.

Today is coastal cleanup day. Good to see people getting out and taking care of the planet.

I usually take this day off from picking up trash.

It would be better if this event took place in December, or January, when the beaches are covered with garbage. Having it in September gives people a false sense of the situation. There is relatively little trash on California beaches in September.

I know, having the masses out on beaches during the stormy months is more hazardous. Well, life, when you live it, is hazardous. So I vote for this event to be on January 19th instead.

We could celebrate my late friend BZM’s birthday too, as opposed to his death on this day in ’99. caaw caaw!

Last week I pulled 4 tires (still on the rim) and one model T style tire (30″ white wall, no rim) out of the bay.

Plus two oyster grow out bags, courtesy Tomales Bay Oyster Company.

A joyful lunch was then enjoyed, thanks to Monica. Thanks Monica.

It sure would be great if people stopped tossing their engines, tires, couches and TV’s into Tomales Bay.

Wouldn’t you agree?

Please, when you read this, go find the person nearest you, look them in the eye and say “Please don’t toss any engines, tires, couches or TV’s into Tomales Bay.”

Thanks.

Speaking of tires in Tomales Bay

Who else thinks Tomales Bay would be better off if this garbage at Marconi Cove were removed? By my count there are over 200 tires at this site.

Have a look below, then let me know who we should write to ask about cleaning up this disgraceful situation.

Tomales Bay deserves better than this!

Thanks again.

tires littering Tomales Bay at Marconi Cove.

Next related post may be found here.

Previous related post may be found here.

See the first post in this series “Save our Tomales Bay” here.

Save our Tomales Bay – Part 30 roadside fishermen trashing the shoreline

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Coastodian

Click on the words above “Save our Tomales Bay – Part 30 roadside fishermen trashing our shoreline” to see this entire post.

If you hadn’t noticed already, I take umbrage when people mindlessly (or mindfully) leave trash in or around Tomales Bay.

Out of town people (no locals would do this, would they?) like to set up camp alongside route 1 just South of Tony’s Seafood and fish. No problem with that.

But I have a big problem when they leave their beer cans, surgical gloves, bait, bait boxes etc on the rocks, in the water along the road.

If you know who is doing this, please ask them to stop leaving their trash along the bay.

If it keeps happening, these fisher-folk will need to find another place to try their luck.

I’ve twice spoken with a group that comes down from Sebastopol, explaining the situation as I see it. They said they would spread the word, as well as pick up trash they find.

The same goes for the fishing shack further south. If I keep finding that place covered with trash left by fishermen (likely local people), I’ll lobby hard for it to be removed.

If you folks love coming out to enjoy Tomales Bay, then damnit, stop trashing the place! Or you may find the welcome wagons circling and not so welcoming.

The images below show what I recovered from the same two locations just south of Tony’s the past two weekends.

Garbage left along Tomales Bay by fishermen - just south of Tony's Seafood. ©Richard James - coastodian.org

Next related post may be found here.

Previous related post may be found here.

See the first post in this series “Save our Tomales Bay” here.

Save our Tomales Bay – Part 29 Littering is against the law

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Coastodian

Click on the text above “Save our Tomales Bay – Part 29 Stakeholders meeting recap” to see this entire post

A public meeting to discuss oyster farming’s impact on Tomales Bay happened!

On Thursday 6 August at the Marconi Conference Center in Marshall CA, perhaps thirty people representing many perspectives on oyster farming in Tomales Bay gathered and talked in a civil forum about the debris left by oyster farming in and around Tomales bay over the past 80 years.

A partial listing of who was there:

California Fish & Game Commission [FGC]
California Department of Fish & Wildlife [CDFW]
—Marine Region Coordinator
—Fisheries Division, Shellfish Initiative
—Law Enforcement Division

California Coastal Commission [CCC]
County Health Department

Hog Island Oyster Company
Marin Oyster Company
Point Reyes Oyster Company
Tomales Bay Oyster Company

Numerous local citizens

Media representatives

Sonke Mastrup, Executive Director of the FGC set the ground rules for the meeting.

I gave a presentation explaining what I’ve been finding in the bay and along the shore over the past 2+ years which you can watch below.

A group discussion followed.

Important items that I came home with:

Many agencies have a say over what happens in Tomales Bay. Clearly, not all agencies exercise their voice.

The past few months some growers have been hard at work patrolling the shores and bay, redesigning gear to reduce loss (more on this in a future post) and removing legacy debris from the leases they run. ( I hope this continues indefinitely)

Some growers would like to see the people from the FGC and CDFW come visit Tomales Bay and perform their oversight duties more often and on a regular basis. Something that has NOT been happening for some time, if ever.

Sonke Mastrup (FGC Executive Director) pointed out that littering is against the law.

This was in response to questions about what laws are on the books to explicitly prohibit the growers from leaving the messes they have been leaving for a long time.

At this time, I am offering a bounty of 2 dozen fresh oysters [small or medium] to the first person that can show me proof positive of a Tomales Bay oyster grower being cited for littering in the last 10 years.

I’ve heard Sonke state that littering is against the law in Marshall at this meeting, and back in April at the FGC meeting in Santa Rosa.

Over the past two+ years of picking up the mess left by Tomales Bay growers, I’ve packed out several hundred pounds of grow-out bags, thousands of zip-ties, hundreds of yards of rope and rope scraps, plastic foam, PVC pipes, shards of PVC pipes, retail oyster bags, remnants of retail oyster bags, gloves, tools, parts of tools, lumber and myriad other items left by growers in Tomales Bay.

Not once have I seen a CDFW game warden, or any other “landlord” of state lands on patrol.

A list of loopholes in the leases signed by the growers “renters” and fish & game commission “landlord” was presented. If you care about Tomales Bay and would like to see the agency tasked with protecting your planet from activities the same agency promotes, please write the Executive Director of the Fish & Game Commission and tell him.

Sonke Mastrup, the Executive Director of the California Fish & Game Commission

Mr. Sonke Mastrup
Executive Director, Fish and Game Commission
fgc@fgc.ca.gov
phone 916-653-4899

California Fish and Game Commission P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090

Next related post may be found here.

Previous related post may be found here.

See the first post in this series “Save our Tomales Bay” here.

Save our planet – say no to Nestle privatizing our water

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Coastodian

This came to me recently and is important enough to share with you all.

Please take action and sign this petition.

Don’t let a private company take control of the world’s water.

—

Nestlé is locking up local sources of water around the world, pumping them dry to get rich at locals’ expense.

Across the globe, Nestlé is pushing to privatize and control public water resources.
Nestlé’s Chairman of the Board, Peter Brabeck, has explained his philosophy with “The one opinion, which I think is extreme, is represented by the NGOs, who bang on about declaring water a public right. That means as a human being you should have a right to water. That’s an extreme solution.”

Since that quote has gotten widespread attention, Brabeck has backtracked, but his company has not. Nestlé is bullying communities around the world into giving up control of their water. It’s time we took a stand for public water sources.

Tell Nestlé that we have a right to water. Stop locking up our resources!

At the World Water Forum in 2000, Nestlé successfully lobbied to stop water from being declared a universal right — declaring open hunting season on our local water resources by the multinational corporations looking to control them. For Nestlé, this means billions of dollars in profits. For us, it means paying up to 2,000 percent more for drinking water because it comes from a plastic bottle.

Now, in countries around the world, Nestlé is promoting bottled water as a status symbol. As it pumps out fresh water at high volume, water tables lower and local wells become degraded. Safe water becomes a privilege only affordable for the wealthy.

In our story, clean water is a resource that should be available to all. It should be something we look after for the public good, to keep safe for generations, not something we pump out by billions of gallons to fuel short-term private profits. Nestlé thinks our opinion is “extreme”, but we have to make a stand for public resources. Please join us today in telling Nestlé that it’s not “extreme” to treat water like a public right.

Tell Nestlé to start treating water like a public right, not a source for private profits!
Thanks for all you do!

Emma Cape, Campaigns Manager, on behalf of The Story of Stuff team

———————————————————————-
Sources and further reading:
Nestlé: The Global Search for Liquid Gold, Urban Times, June 11th, 2013
Bottled Water Costs 2000 Times As Much As Tap Water, Business Insider, July 12th, 2013

Save our Tomales Bay – Part 28 Stakeholders meeting

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Coastodian

Click the above text “Save our Tomales Bay – Part 28 Stakeholders meeting” to see this entire post

The following was sent to me on 20 July by the Department of Fish & Wildlife. Presented to you as received (with minor edits for clarity).

I hope you can join us for an informative and productive gathering.

Join agencies, shellfish growers, and resident stakeholders in identifying concerns unique to Tomales Bay shellfish cultivation and discuss solutions, including proposed best management practices and clean-up efforts.

CA Dept Fish & Wildlife and the State Aquaculture Coordinator invite interested stakeholders for a discussion on:

Tomales Bay – Keeping It Free of Debris – Stakeholders Meeting

SAVE THE DATE:

Thur, Aug 6th, 2015 (1pm)

Marconi Conference Center – Pine Lodge

18500 Shoreline Hwy (SR 1)

Marshall, CA

See attached map for directions and parking

please confirm your interest by sending and RSVP to: aquaculturematters@wildlife.ca.gov

[gview file=”https://coastodian.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Pine-Lodge-map.pdf”]

Next related post may be found here.

Previous related post may be found here.

See the first post in this series “Save our Tomales Bay” here.