ooh ooh that smell..

can't you smell that smell....

well I went into SB again to check out the Bird Refuge..the stink sitch is getting due press and publicity now... I took a closer look this time..stood on the dock and talked with the city boat mechanic...we talked about the water issue and watched the boat do its manuevers around the Bird Lake ...the smell is still strong esp at the water's edge and after about fifteen minutes I had to leave..the crap was hurting in my lungs...those guys should have a SCBA!

this could be the most polluted body of water in the world but where's Channelkeeper? why aren't they testing this water? I'm sure the numbers would go thru the roof and I know this water migrates to the beach in various ways...maybe Channelkeeper is too busy throwing fundraising parties and filing frivolous lawsuits....

and seems so many leadership changes and politics at the city Parks Dept has left the Bird Refuge in limbo..it's really silly because this area is cool and should bea tourist attraction instead of repellant...and for a bird refuge there are scant few birds here...the Parks brass pulling in over $100000/year need to get on the ball here and stop dicking around with the weeds!! the foul odors were not always here and seemed to become a problem in the 1990s when the restaurant across the street really complained the stink was hurting his business...every year since the problem has continued in summer!!

then I went over to the beach to air out the stench on my person...and I noticed some folks enjoying themselves...why should they have to endure the Bird Refuge toxic plume?? these young people..these beautiful young healthy kids?? don't you care about them too, Ms. Channelkeeper???

then I hear of some guy seemingly in a big hurry to drop some big concrete balls in the ocean as artificial reefs....I don't like artificial reefs in huge numbers and it appears a whole lot of people are dumping a whole lot of trash in the ocean to "improve" fish habitat...

apparently fishermen don't like the no-fishing zones that have become law...well I don't either..I think you should be allowed to fish anywhere anytime..some of the methods the guys use, like nets and trawling should be limited...fish like the rest of us, with a rod and reel!! but the idea to get more fish by littering the ocean with giant concrete balls is absurd!!

Washington-based Ocean Conservancy suggests that while some projects may benefit some species of fish, others represent an inexpensive way to dispose of trash, which can introduce toxins and other pollutants into the ocean. “Although most artificial reefs offer potential habitat for certain kinds of marine life, these are not always happy homes. Artificial reefs can cause damage to natural habitats during their construction and can displace naturally occurring species and habitats,” says the Ocean Conservancy web site. “They also tend to concentrate fish unnaturally, making them more vulnerable to overfishing.”

if you're out diving do you want to run into a minefield of big concrete balls on the ocean floor?? it's LITTER!!

but the guy behind the push is Chris Goldblatt, the CEO of the Fish Reef Project and according to him, droppping concrete balls in the ocean will "restore" the ocean! and he wants your money to do all this..and he even quotes the Nature Conservancy : 75% of the world's reefs are damaged or in peril. Man made reef structure is a viable solution" -- The Nature Conservancy


remember them? the Channel Islands fiasco and in bed with British Petroleum...

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All donations will be tax deductible once we receive our final IRS nonprofit approval in a few months. Donate any amount of money and receive a free Fish Reef Bumper sticker and welcome letter. If you would like us to debit your credit card for certain amount monthly please indicate this on check out.

oh shit... not another nonprofit!!!

The Fish Reef Project
News Alert: Fish Reef project will do a final raffle
drawing on July 15th with more than $7000 in prizes.
Buy tickets now at Blue Water Hunter Dive shop in
Santa Barbara harbor.

The Fish Reef Project is the next great ocean enhancement and restoration movement. The Fish Reef Project will turn empty seafloor into thriving marine ecosystems that will be home, breeding and feeding grounds to millions of marine mammals, sea birds, turtles, fish, lobster, abalone, scallops, marine algae and much more.
http://www.fishreef.org/

barren sea floors are not really empty at all....there's plenty of life beneath the sand...and there's simply no reason to fill them up with giant concrete condos for fish....the ocean is not a dump...these guys..the Fish Reef Project ...are now on my radar