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Thursday, April 26, 2012

Lagoon Lament

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Don't Harm Malibu Lagoon to "Save" It

The Malibu Lagoon, the wetlands at the base of Malibu Creek, is an ecosystem home to plants, fish, birds and mammals and a place we can visit and celebrate nature. The California State Parks system is planning to bulldoze and dredge the lagoon to "restore" it: they want to fix what they perceive as broken. They plan to commence June 1, during bird nesting season.

Many of us see the Malibu lagoon as a thriving nature habitat that needs to be nurtured and protected. We all want the Lagoon to be healthy, but we can help it thrive without disrupting the things living in it. Tell California officials not to destroy Malibu Lagoon in an attempt to save it! http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/136/334/131/

Monday, April 9, 2012

Malibu Lagoon: Bulldozers? Really?

Malibu has gained international fame for its residents’ love of the ocean, the beach and the surf. The Malibu Lagoon is centrally located in Malibu and is one of the final refuges for the animals that patrol our coastline. This area serves as a nursery and as a safe roost for hundreds of birds and other animals. The tidewater goby, listed on the federal endangered list, calls this area home. Other threatened animals live here also.

We should celebrate, that amidst the Malibu hubbub, paparazzi, traffic and development that this small corner is still rich in animal life. We should applaud the fact that we can still see throngs of pelicans, gulls and myriad other migratory and resident birds nestling in every night. We should delight in the fact that a tide goby has been able to flourish in this spot, one of only three spots in the world it has been able to survive. How will we celebrate this treasure? How will we show the world that Malibu has yet one more beauty to share?

Well, if we cannot change the current plan, we will celebrate by welcoming a league of bulldozers on June 1. They will “carefully” plow this irreplaceable habitat into trucks to be hauled away. The bulldozers will capture the gobys which live in the muddy substrate in their massive buckets, lift them high in the air and then plop the endangered animals into the awaiting vehicles. The gobys will be killed in the process, as will with countless other resident animals.

The destruction is slated to begin in the spring. Nesting season will be greeted with the rumble of dozers and the destruction of countless nests. Why is this happening?

California State Parks deem the lagoon unhealthy. There have been studies that show the lagoon is oxygen depleted. The current lagoon sprung from a faulty 1983 design, when the engineers thought they knew how to “fix” nature. They were wrong. They are wrong again now.

Malibu Lagoon has passed the pioneering stage and now supports a mature ecosystem. Nature has righted itself. Please join us tonight at Malibu City Hall, or by writing to Governor Jerry Brown asking him to stop this act of fiscal irresponsibility and environmental terrorism. Does the lagoon need help? Sure. But the problems which challenge this rich area can be remedied by a few shovels, volunteers, a cleanup day and simultaneous government attention focused on the upstream sewage processing plan which has been speculated to be a major culprit in the lagoon’s low oxygen levels.

Let’s use a little common sense. Much of Malibu’s wildlife call this area home, this is nesting season, the lagoon hosts one endangered and several threatened animals. Bulldozers? Really?

Georgienne Bradley
Director
Sea Save Foundation

Sunday, April 1, 2012

New Shark Species, Resembling Great White, Discovered at Cocos Island - April, 1 2012

Cocos Island, Costa Rica - April 1, 2012 - Even in waters as well visited as those surrounding Cocos Island, UNESCO World Heritage site, biologists can discover new species. The latest? A remarkable new shark measuring over 15-feet in length. Previously unknown, this shark joins the long list of cartilaginous fish inhabiting the waters surrounding this Costa Rica Island.

New Species Demonstrates Novel Camouflaging Abilities

Carcharodon chameleonarias is a large apex predator that has evaded divers and scientists, until now, due to its uncanny camouflaging abilities. While thought to inhabit deep water, this shark’s defenses enable it to patrol shallower waters under the protective cloak of a highly developed camouflage system. Dentricles, typical of other shark species, have been replaced by a system of color receptor and morphing cells, enabling the fish to blend perfectly with its ever-changing depth and topographical background.

Nemo Johnson, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, discovered the impressive fish while participating in a Sea Save Foundation Expedition. “We know that there are many still undescribed species of flora and fauna in the water surrounding Cocos Island, but we were never expecting to find something of this size and biological significance.”

Carcharodon chameleonarias is probably most closely related to the Carcharodon carcharias, better known as the Great White Shark. While more study is needed, the new species is thought to be an expert predator and potential holds many clues to shark evolution and adaptability. DNA analysis is still needed, as scientists were unable to recover tissue samples.

The discovery was described in “The Journal of Chondrichthyes” A follow-up Sea Save Foundation expedition is being planned. Be sure to add your name to the SeaSave.org newsletter for future updates.

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