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La Jolla Friends of the Seals...Preserving a Unique Natural Treasure View a Seal Pup Birth HERE! May 15, 2013 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 Filner vows to ‘go further to protect’ harbor seals at Children’s Pool
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
April 19, 2013 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
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. District 2 March 30, 2013
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 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 February 21, 2013 February 2, 2013
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 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: 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 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 April 2, 2011 February 3, 2011 December 15, 2010 Please VOLUNTEER on Weekends
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