La Jolla Friends of the Seals...Preserving a Unique Natural Treasure

View a Seal Pup Birth HERE!

May 15, 2013
Rope to remain at Casa Beach round the clock for three years.

Up until the last minute, we weren’t sure if the recommendation by the California Coastal Commission last July to give the rope at Casa Beach a three year trial would come into effect, but the final green light was given last week - and the rope stays up at the beach year round.

This is great news for pro seal advocates who have watched the effect of the rope during pupping season improve the safety net for the new seal mothers and young pups. Other than the two young women caught abusing a new mother and pup which caught world wide attention, most visitors have cooperated by staying behind the rope line to enjoy recreational "seal watching". Closing the beach from dusk to dawn also helped to allow a successful breeding season.

According to Jerry Horna, our past LJFS president, "Post pupping season the beach is VERY important to the recuperating mothers that have been on basically a starvation diet while they nurse, and the pups that are on their own (for the first time) Their survival depends on being able to eat and get out of the water so they can store calories as blubber. The restring period on the beach in Summer is very important to the mothers and weaned pups especially."

The retention of the rope was accompanied by a few caveats, particularly the requirement for monitoring the effects by taking periodic seal counts at least for 16 days out of each month for the three years. The count responsibility is under the guidance of the lifeguards, the ranger or their designated help.

We are continuing to help with monitoring of the earth camera which is beamed on the entire beach for 24 hours per day every day. If you live locally and are willing to volunteer for camera duty, please contact us: Info@lajollafriendsoftheseals.org.

The city is also gearing up the city sponsored docent program at Casa Beach. It will be designed to inform visitors of the unique nature of Casa Beach and the entire ecosystem. Opportunities to volunteer for this program will be announced by the city soon.

April 25 , 2013
Seal Cam Operators Honor Mayor Filner

Filner vows to ‘go further to protect’ harbor seals at Children’s Pool
Article and Photos By Ashley Mackin, La jolla Light

Hundreds gathered at the Mangelsen Gallery in La Jolla on April 25 to help the Western Alliance for Nature (WAN) Conservancy — the organization that paid for the webcam installed at Children’s Pool beach — raise funds for the camera operation and salute Mayor Bob Filner for his efforts to protect the harbor seals.

Sara Wan of the WAN Conservancy opened the benefit by thanking people involved in maintaining the camera, and then introduced former County Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, who presented an award to the mayor. In Filner’s acceptance speech, he explained his process for getting Children’s Pool to the “protected” level it is today. He also addressed seal harassment since the city closed the beach at night. READ MORE...

April 21, 2013

Click on the image for more pictures.

Much Love for the Seals at the Earth Fair!

April 19, 2013
"Seals on La Jolla beach win another court round..." LA Times

A judge Thursday turned down a request to shorten the rope barrier meant to protect the marine mammals from being harassed by the public. READ MORE

April 14, 2013
It is with a great sense of peace and happiness that I write to let you know that Animal Protection and Rescue League Attorney Bryan Pease, along with Deputy City Attorney George Schaeffer, successfully convinced Judge Joel Pressman in court on 4/12/13 to rule in favor of the year-round 152 foot rope at Casa Beach, AKA Children's Pool Beach, AKA CPB.

"All right now colony, all together: One, two, three, four, who do we appreciate: The Mayor, The Mayor, The Mayor."

This decision ensures that the 152 foot rope will remain in place until July of 2015. At that time the California Coastal Commission will review the conditions placed on the City, including monitoring. We started monitoring 8/31/12 and continue to enter data that has been sent to both NOAA and the California Coastal Commission. In 2015, if the California Coastal Commission deems that all their conditions have been met, they hopefully will approve the 152 foot year-round rope in perpetuity.

The monitoring data already shows that on weekends, there are consistently FEWER seals at CPB. The weekends are when the professional harassers, who want the seals removed from the beach, are present with their disinformation signs and umbrellas on the seaward side of the rope.

You can let the city government know of your support by sending an email to Mayor Bob Filner: bobfilner@sandiego.gov congratulating him on the positive outcome for the City in this court decision. Please copy your email to your city council member and also to me: jreldan@san.rr.com

District 1
Council President Pro Tem Sherri Lightner
Email: sherrilightner@sandiego.gov

District 2
Councilmember Kevin Faulconer
Email: kevinfaulconer@sandiego.gov

District 3
Council President Todd Gloria
Email: toddgloria@sandiego.gov

District 4
Vacant pending special runoff election due to resignation of former Councilmember Tony Young, who left January 1, 2013 to head the local chapter of the Red Cross

District 5
Councilmember Mark Kersey
Email: markkersey@sandiego.gov

District 6
Councilmember Lorie Zapf
Email: loriezapf@sandiego.gov

District 7
Councilmember Scott Sherman
Email: scottsherman@sandiego.gov

District 8
Councilmember David Alvarez
Email: davidalvarez@sandiego.gov

District 9
Councilmember Marti Emerald
Email: martiemerald@sandiego.gov

Thank you for all of your support!

Gratefully yours,
Jane Reldan MD
La Jolla Friends of the Seals

March 30, 2013
Why We Need Help for the Seals!
It has been a hard day down the beach! I'm glad there was someone else there besides myself to monitor the situation. If I have to be honest I would have been scared to be by myself because it was really crazy.

It was so sad... So selfish... ARE there not enough beaches in San Diego that everybody has to come to this little one where those wonderful animals rest??! I wanted to make a big poster and put it on the sand because I did not know what to do. We talked to many people. We also talked to the police and ranger but It was not enough.

I told the Ranger that some man was splashing the seals and at least the police got closer and the guy stopped. The forms have been filled out.

On the other side of the beach there were around 60 people (the one with no rope). We stayed for a long time trying to protect a zone so the seals could come out and rest but it was so difficult. There are too many people coming all the time and the seals were not brave enough to come on to the beach although they to wanted because they were swimming around looking the sand all the time.

YOU CAN HELP protect the seals! As always, we are looking for new Docents. We provide excellent training and have been active in educating the public and protecting the seals.

March 26, 2013
Dear Friends
San Diego finally has a mayor who cares about protecting marine mammals! Mayor Bob Filner has issued an emergency order closing Children's Pool Beach at night during pupping season to protect nursing seal pups, after witnessing harassment on the newly installed webcam. The San Diego Union Tribune is conducting a poll.

Please take 5 seconds to call 619-293-2506 and hit 1 for YES to log your support for the mayor's action on this issue!

The small but vocal group wishing to get rid of the seals has filed a lawsuit challenging this action, and there will be a preliminary injunction hearing open to the public at 1:30pm on Friday, April 12 in Dept. 66 of the San Diego Superior Court, 330 W. Broadway, before Judge Joel Pressman. Please attend if you are able.

March 19, 2013
Mayor Bob Filner Protects the Seals and Closes the Children's Pool at Night! Read about it HERE! Let's all email Mayor Filner to THANK him: bobfilner@sandiego.gov

February 21, 2013
Year Round Rope Finally A Reality
Yesterday the City of San Diego stated that its Planning Commission erred in rejecting a permit for a year-round rope at the Children's Pool Beach in La Jolla. We would like to thank the City Council and the City Attorney for their decision to uphold the rope and provide meaningful shared access at the beach. Historically this beach was used by seals but as they were hunted to near extinction they disappeared from La Jolla and most other locations. After the passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972, the seals started to re-appear at CPB in the 1980's. For the last decade people who have wanted to extirpate the seals from CPB and "return it to use by people" have made it their mission to violate City, State and federal law by deliberately attempting to flush the seals from the beach.  With this decision the City has made it clear that this beach belongs to all the people, not to just a few, and to the seals as well. By supporting the decision to maintain a year-round rope, both people and seals will be able to enjoy this national treasure.

February 2, 2013
Announcement
We are pleased to announce that the Western Alliance for Nature has installed a seal cam at Children's Pool Beach in La Jolla.  It operates 24/7.

You can go to www.wanconservancy.org to view it. You can also go to www.sandiego.gov and then go to the Mayor's home page on the upper right hand corner and then go to the seal cam.

Mayor Filner has been very supportive of the seal cam and we would appreciate it if you would write to him and thank him at bobfilner@sandiego.gov Ask him for more enforcement of the 50 foot separation between people and seals. Let him know that the 152 foot rope works if it is supported. Remind him that this is pupping season, and in past years the first births took place at the end of January. If the seals are kept off the beach by people sitting at the waterline, the seals will not haul out and have no place to deliver their pups.

Unfortunately the professional harassers and their provocateur friends continue to do everything they can to force the seals off the beach, which is why there are so few seals present. Thank you!

January 8, 2013
We hope you have thanked Mayor Filner for showing the seals the love they deserve. There is another way you can play an important role in helping the La Jolla Seals.

The "professional harassers" who want to rid the beach of the seals are a very vocal minority, actively bombarding the Mayor and the press with their propaganda right now!

The opposition does not hide their intentions, as you can see in this Facebook post from 10/25/2012:
"Some group calling themselves the SEALBOMBS have emailed me and told me that if the seal activists at the Children's Pool leave for good, the seals will be left in peace. If the seal activists stay at the Children's Pool members of the SEALBOMBS will be visiting the seals at 3 to 4 AM every morning to disperse them off the beach." Roger Teasman of Voice of San Diego

We need seal supporters like you to counter their venomous propaganda with statements that tell the truth about seals.

Please click HERE to view the comments that follow these recent news stories and editorials and more ways you can help.

December 15, 2012
Mayor Filner promises increased monitoring at La Jolla Children’s Pool, says rope should be up year-round. If you are a friend of the seals of La Jolla (not only a member of our organization) please write an email to our new Mayor: bobfilner@sandiego.gov. Tell him you appreciate his backing for the year round rope and finding a resource to increase monitoring at the beach. Read more HERE.

The Casa Beach (or Children's Pool) is a rich, natural setting with harbor seals on the beach, gray whales and bottlenose dolphins offshore, brown pelicans on the rocks, cliff swallows darting about, ground squirrels on the bluffs, a wealth of invertebrate life in the tidepools and even an occasional sea lion or elephant seal making an appearance on the beach. This all makes for an abundant experience of coastal wildlife, right on our doorstep - and it's free! Casa Beach is located at the corner of Coast Blvd. and Jenner Street; here's a MAP and directions.

La Jolla Friends of the Seals (LJFS) is a non-profit all-volunteer organization that was established in 1999 to offer protection to the La Jolla Harbor Seal Colony and education to the public through its Naturalist-Docent Program, 'Friends of the Seals'. Docents volunteer their time to educate visitors about the harbor seals and other natural treasures in the area. Look for their turquoise shirts and jackets at Casa Beach!

LJFS is a non-profit organization funded by small grants from philanthropic organizations and donations from the local community and the general public. It was awarded the Environmental Hero Award 2000 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for its efforts in protecting the seals and educating the public about them.

Thanks LocalWally for your support and explaining the Seal issues in a unique way.

May 21, 2011
Join our Seal-A-Bration! A great free event for the whole family!

April 2, 2011
Diary of a Seal Watcher by Colleen Cochran

February 3, 2011
The first pup of 2011 was born on February 3 and named Little Peril. The pup is light silver. The baby seems very strong: it swam in the shallow water most of the day coming on shore only for a brief moment of nursing. The mom is very attentive, and the pup can often be seen riding on its mom's back while swimming. For more information on the rest of the pups born in 2011, click HERE.

December 15, 2010
Rope line placed on beach for pupping season and will remain until May 15, 2011. Possibility of a full-time Park Ranger with “city-sponsored docent program” could be initiated soon.