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The
official California Beach site has
spent over 10 years mapping,
photographing and document life at
California's beaches. Its aim is to
provide the most accurate, reliable
sources of information for those
using and journeying to California
beaches. Money is never collected
for providing information or
coverage of issues surrounding
California Beaches.
Some
beaches are not readily accessible
to the public--many are privately
owned. While laws generally support
the concept that California beaches
should be made available to all,
exceptions exist. Private beaches in
Avalon, on Vandenberg Base and along
the Central coast are but a few of
the locations where you won't be
welcome.
There
are nearly 1000 miles of California
Beaches ranging from flat sand
expanses to deep, rocky cliffs set
above small shores almost beyond
reach. California Beaches are
largely public land. You will
usually find the waters beyond the
land annexed as portions of cities
or governments.
Several groups such as the CoastWalk
seek to gain access to land
easements along the entire
California coast. In an effort to
create walking paths from one beach
to the next the entire distance of
the state, agreements come slowly as
lawsuits, ownership issues and
purchase of lands by public trusts
continue into the 21st century.
Among
groups who've taken to task the
issues surrounding California
Beaches are California Coastal
Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation
and Heal the Bay. Most advocate
monitoring of water quality,
legislative action to improve public
health and preserve the oceans and
beaches as a sustainable elements of
the earth.
The
Channel Islands off the coast of
Ventura permits day use and limited
tent camping with a caveat. Whatever
you carry in should leave with you
as well. If visitors maintained
their beaches with that approach it
would help.
Larger
issue loom over the horizon however.
The coastal waters between Los
Angeles and Catalina Island were for
many years used as a toxic dump
site. And even today, raw sewage
seeps into the ocean at millions of
gallons per day. Five miles off the
coast of Huntington Beach a pipeline
extends from the Orange County
Sanitation District pumping millions
of gallons of partially treated
sewage into the water regularly. In
most California beach cities,
children and adults who swim and
surf regularly in the ocean get
hepatitis shots. It's not a secret.
But unsuspecting tourists visiting
often wonder why they become sick
after entering the water--one place
to look as a cause may be the water
quality.
No
accurate numbers have been obtained
as to how many people visit
California Beaches annually. One
educated guess would put the number
at several hundred million. Not all
who visit California Beaches enter
the water. Many do not. But for
safety's sake, check the water
quality and issues about water
safety at the beaches before you go.
The best source to date is
www.healthebay.org though the
inherent problem with their water
testing is that there's usually a
delay in reporting and problems are
often posted after the water has
improved.
If you
love the beach and ocean, one of the
best sources for environmental
education is the Monterey Bay
Aquarium within the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary. The
Monterey Bay region, with its
complex geologic setting and
diversity of marine life, has become
a treasured marine environment of
national importance. This importance
was recognized in 1992, with the
establishment of the Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary, the
largest of the U.S. marine
sanctuaries.
As the
California population continues to
grow and to migrate to coastal
regions such as Monterey Bay, the
ability to accommodate such growth
while maintaining high living
standards and protecting the natural
ecosystems depends on man's ability
to understand the marine ecosystems.
The cradle for these ecosystems -
the geology, morphology, and active
geologic processes of the seafloor -
are still largely unknown.
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