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SOS News for January, 2012
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Highlights from 2011 - a Year of Grassroots Victories and Pollution Prevention
Thanks to your continuous support, we had a very successful 2011! Here's a glimpse of what YOU helped accomplish:
* Single-use plastic bags banned in Santa Cruz County and the City of Monterey! Plastic water bottles banned in City of Santa Cruz offices.
* Styrofoam take-out containers banned in the cities of Salinas, Marina, and Half Moon Bay - huge wins in the advocacy arena!
* Our first full year of monthly beach cleanups in Monterey County.
* 28 Adopt-a-Beach Groups protected SC County beaches.
* 25 New Sanctuary Stewards volunteered over 800 hours in 2011!
* Over 11,500 total cleanup volunteers - a new SOS record!
* 133 clean boating DockWalker kits distributed, 242 boaters reached.
* 5,065 students benefited from the SOS Marine Education Program.
* 34,926 lbs. of pollution were prevented from entering our Sanctuary this year. Included were:
- 91, 357 cigarette butts
- 36,719 plastic pieces and 28,717 plastic food wrappers
- 16,012 styrofoam pieces
- 13,424 plastic bottle caps or rings and 7,663 plastic cups, lids, plates, utensils
- 8,270 plastic bags
- 6,043 plastic fishing lines, nets, lures, and floats
We look forward to your continued enthusiasm throughout 2012!
Creating a Healthy Ocean Community in 2012
 It's not too late for YOU to help us reclaim the $100,000 in state and federal funding cut from Save Our Shores programs for 2012.
Start the year off right.
Help us meet the California Challenge - DONATE today!
At our current level of funding, we simply won't be able to pull off a 2012 as successful as last year. Your support will ensure that local pollution prevention, marine education, and beach cleanups remain strong.
Make 2012 Your Year for the Ocean
Apply to the Sanctuary Steward Program today!
Our Stewards are the volunteer leaders of Save Our Shores.
The first of the Steward courses will begin on Tuesday, Feb. 21 in Santa Cruz, and continue through April 10. Participants receive a professional-level education from industry leaders and in turn make a pledge to volunteer at least 50 hours in 2012.
An alternate Monterey training will be held in April and May for those of you interested in participating without making the drive to Santa Cruz.
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Save Our Shores Volunteers Needed!
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- Saturday, January 21, 10am - Noon: Monterey Monthly Beach Cleanup at Del Monte Beach at Municipal Wharf #2
- Saturday, January 21, 10 am - Noon: Santa Cruz Monthly Beach Cleanup at Seacliff State Beach
- Saturday, January 28, 10am - Noon: Soquel Creek cleanup near Ripsin Mansion and Perry Park, Capitola
Visit our Cleanup & Event Calendar for more information...
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Take Action!
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Tell Congress to Stop Overfishing in our Oceans
After centuries of overfishing, Congress recently stepped up to manage fisheries more carefully and now some overfished populations are coming back. But Congress is thinking about erasing all this progress by weakening laws that combat overfishing!
We've barely just begun to revitalize our oceans. We should be combating overfishing more than ever, not turning a blind eye.
Tell Congress to fight overfishing before it's too late!
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Thank You to our
Year-End Donors!
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A huge thank you to all of those who donated to the California Challenge this December! Your support helped SOS raise $4,000 toward our goal!
We started the California Challenge in late 2011 with the goal of raising $100,000 from community support - the same amount of state and federal funding cut from SOS programs for 2012.
DONATE today to fund beach cleanups, pollution prevention advocacy, and marine education around Monterey Bay in 2012.
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Dive the Coast on January 21st
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The next outing for Dive the Coast will take place on Sat, Jan 21st. Get in the water to prepare for 'Dive the Bay' coming up on June 8th, as well as the larger, state-wide Dive the Coast slated for 2013.
SOS participated in the first test-dive with Raj, Kim, and the rest of the crew out of Monterey Harbor last October. We had tons of fun exploring our beautiful Sanctuary.
Through Dive the Coast, SOS will raise awareness about California's Marine Protected Areas, our underwater State Parks.
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Thank You |
| Save Our Shores thanks our many volunteers, sponsors, partners, and contributors for helping Save Our Shores continue our work of caring for the marine environment through Ocean Awareness, Advocacy, and Citizen Action!
The ocean and its inhabitants thank you, too.
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| SOS: Winner of Best Non-Profit of 2011! | 
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| SOS: Winner of Best Non-Profit of 2010! | 
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