Nearly 500 people turned out to celebrate 30 years of dedicated work for our marine environment. Volunteers, sponsors, guests and staff had a great evening discussing SOS's history and triumphs.

The evening included complimentary wine from Hallcrest Vienyards, acoustic and amplified music by Sambada, silent and live auctions, the awarding of the Packard-Panetta Ocean Protection award, and a short program presented by the Board of Directors and community members.

The staff here at Save Our Shores is deeply grateful to all those who supported us by attending, and we look forward to working with you in the future.The first Packard-Panetta Ocean Protection Award was awarded to John Laird for his lifetime of work as an elected official and citizen.

View some pictures of the event.

Save Our Shores was featured in the August 6th edition of the Santa Cruz Metro with a cover story highlighting SOS's major accomplishments in Central California.  The article came out just as SOS is celebrating it's 30th anniversary and unveiling a new logo and look for the next 30 years of ocean conservation.  Other topics in the article include SOS' resurgence over the last two years, our current and new programs, and the launch of our Bring Your Own Campaign.

On July 14th President George W. Bush lifted the executive ban on offshore oil drilling. Save Our Shores is following this issue closely and will be mobilizing its constituents to contact state and federal elected officials to protect our shores from offshores oil drilling.

If you are in the California 17th District please call U.S. Representative Sam Farr and tell him that you do not want to have the Congressional Moratorium on Offshore Oil Drilling lifted and that the Federal Government should promote better energy alternatives for two reasons: to reduce demand for imported oil, and to reduce carbon-emissions.

Surprisingly Representative Sam Farr has been recieving calls of support for Offshore Oil drilling!

SOS urges all its constituents to CALL REPRESENTATIVE SAM FARR TODAY and have your VOICE HEARD!

Board Chair Jennifer Graham invites you to celebrate our 30th Anniversary at the Toast to the Coast!

Last weekend, my husband and I packed up the car - chairs, towels, umbrella, cooler, surfboard, and our dog - and headed to Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz County. We got a somewhat early start and the fog was just clearing as we arrived. Manresa is one of my favorite beaches (and the site of my first Save Our Shores beach cleanup days). I love to take long walks there and as I walked, I noticed the many ways people enjoy our beautiful shoreline.

Save Our Shores, the leader in ocean awareness, advocacy, and action on the Central Coast, was started 30 years ago when a group of citizens of Santa Cruz banded together to fight offshore oil drilling on the Central Coast of California. As residents with a remarkably rich ocean in our backyards, we realized the urgent need to protect these important ecosystems from the environmental hazards that offshore oil drilling could cause. Stop the threat of offshore oil drilling off our coast by contacting your Representative.

Fast forward to today - June 18, 2008 - President Bush joined Senator John McCain in calling on Congress to end the ban that has protected America's most pristine coastlines from oil drilling since 1981.

We need your help!  Come be a part of the largest Marine Debris Prevention efforts all year!  Every year thousands of people pour onto Santa Cruz County beaches to celebrate our July Fourth Independence Day holiday.  Every July Fifth, thousands of pounds of trash are left behind on our beaches.

This year Save Our Shores is collaborating with the Clean Beaches Coalition and various public agencies to spread a "Pollution Prevention is Patriotic" message. We hope our efforts will mean cleaner and safer beaches and oceans for all to enjoy.

Join Save Our Shores on July 4th in the Aptos Parade or on our busiest beaches to distribute garbage bags and educate the public about the impacts of marine debris. Then come back out on the morning of July 5th to clean up the big mess left behind!

Thanks to all who attended our panel discussion on desalination. The public heard from an array of experts including Bill Kocher the Director of the Santa Cruz Water Department,  Shauna Potocky the Visitor Hall and Volunteer Services Manager for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Mike Rotkin a member of the Santa Cruz City Council and the City of Santa Cruz/Soquel Creek Water District Desalination Project Committee, Sarah Corbin the Central California Regional Manager for Surfrider Foundation,

Bring your own bag and earn money for SOS. Visit your local New Leaf Market this month and vote for Save Our Shores.  This campaign rewards customers for bringing their own bags with tokens to be given to their favorite non-profit group. Each year New Leaf holds an election  to appoint their customers favorite nonprofit to the program.  This program has become an important fundraising opportunity and we love being involved! Please visit New Leaf this month and fill out a ballot to make sure SOS can continue to recieve these important funds.

Thank you to those that participated in Save Our Shores' Ocean Leadership Conference! We received valuable feedback and hope to continue our dialogue with Coastside residents in regards to what types of Save Our Shores programs and resources would best fit your community needs.

Please take a look at the feedback that we recieved from the Conference (below). Some of the Conference participants along with Save Our Shores staff will be hosting a Creek Cleanup effort at Pilarcitos Creek on May 17th from 9am-1pm in order to address the marine derbis problem. This event  will mark the first of many collaborative efforts between Coastside residents and Save Our Shores staff.

Oceans need our help now more than ever! Declining fisheries, increasing quantities of marine debris, and oil and toxins polluting near shore waters are just a few of the threats facing our oceans today.  Save Our Shores is holding an Ocean Leadership Conference on March 12-22 for Coastside communities in the Half Moon Bay area!  Participants will learn about current marine conservation issues such as Marine Protected Areas, marine debris, and local coastal watersheds.  Presentations will be given by Bob Breen, Brenda Donald, Dan Temko and other members of the Coastside communities.

The conference will also provide hands-on tools for empowering participants to become advocates for healthy oceans.  After the conference, participants will work with Save Our Shores staff to assess the needs of Coastside communities and then design and implement activities to engage their community in ocean conservation.