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Volunteers
train for Beach Watch |
Beach
Watch, acknowledged for its outstanding achievements, trains citizen-scientists
to survey and document the resources of the Sanctuaries.
A long-term, volunteer beach monitoring program, the goals of Beach Watch
are to help protect and understand our coastal resources by:
- Creating
a long-term data set of the bird and mammal resources for each beach
from Bodega Head to Point Ano Nuevo
- Assisting
the Sanctuary in early detection of natural or human-caused disturbances,
such as oil spills
- Developing
a network of local stewards that document and exchange information on
the biological and physical changes a particular beach may undergo throughout
the various seasons over several years
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Common
Murres are released near the Sanctuary office after being cleaned
of oil by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network.
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Since the
Fall of 1993 Beach Watch volunteers have conducted bi-monthly surveys
of over 150 miles of coastal beaches from Point Ano Nuevo in San Mateo
County north to Bodega Head in Sonoma County.
- More
than 100 volunteers from all walks of life participate in the Beach
Watch program with an annual retention rate of 85%.
- In 2000,
Beach Watch volunteers donated 12,000 hours to the program for an equivalent
value of $204,000
- Beach
Watch surveyors conduct oil spill sampling and tar ball retrieval to
assist the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response to detect
and analyze the source of oil on coastal beaches. Surveyors with special
training participated in a multi-agency response to oil spills in the
San Francisco Bay, Point Reyes National Seashore and along the San Mateo
coast.
- Several
specimens of rare and endangered wildlife have been discovered and documented
by Beach Watch volunteers, including a rare Cuvier's beaked whale, a
species little known to the scientific community.
- The evidence
gathered by Beach Watch volunteers helps the Federal government document
the damage to wildlife and habitat from oil spills. In 1996, this resulted
in a $7.7 million settlement from a spill within the San Francisco Bay
and Gulf of the Farallones. In 1998, this resulted in a $9.4 million
settlement from an oil spill along the Central California Coast
To
find out more about this program and how to volunteer visit the Farallones
Marine Sanctuary Association at http://www.farallones.org/volunteer/beach_watch.htm
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