List of Closed Beaches as of Wed 11.14.07

Source: US Coast Guard SF   http://www.uscgsanfrancisco.com/go/doc/823/182034

Bay Area Beach Closures Nov. 14, 2007

• Clipper Cove Beach, T.I.
• Aquatic Park (Booms in place)
• SF Municipal Pier
• Ft. Point
• Baker Beach (Heavy Oil)
• China Beach (Light Oil)
• Ft. Baker
• Mile Rock Beach
• Kirby Cove (Heavy  Oil)
• Rodeo Beach (Heavy Oil)
• Tennesee Valley
• Muir Beach (Heavy Oil)
• Angel Island (Heavy Oil)
• Keller Beach
• Ferry Point
• Point Isabel
• Baxter Creek to Lucretia Edwards Park
• Coastal Access point to Cliffside; Pt. Richmond
• Middle Harbor Regional Park
• Steep Ravine Beach (Mt. Tamalpais)
• Red Rock Beach (Mt. Tamalpais)
• Crissy Field Beach (booms in place)
• Stinson Beach
• Ocean Beach is closed from Lincoln Avenue to the South end of Ft. Funston Beach
• Linda Mar Beach [pacifica]
• Rockaway Beach [pacifica]
• Sharp Park Beach [pacifica]
• San Francisco Piers 1-39 Booms in place
  

SF/Berkeley/HMB: More Volunteer Training Sessions [updated 6:51pm]

Note:  The 6pm session has filled up today with 400 folks.  A few hundred others who lined up and didn’t make it in were told to come back for the 8:30pm session.  See you all there.   New Saturday sessions have been added below.

Help clean up your local beach! 

Per KTS sources this afternoon, the following official certification sessions for clean-up volunteers are:

SAN FRANCISCO

• Wednesday, 11/14:   6pm-10pm  | Location: County Fairground’s Hall of Flowers, GG Park, 9th & Lincoln
• Wednesday, 11/14: 8:30pm-10:30pm | Same as above
• Saturday, 11/17:    8am-noon | Same As Above
• Saturday 11/17:  1pm-5pm |  Same as above

Note- thursday’s session has been removed until we know more.

BERKELEY/EAST BAY:

• TODAY, Wed 11/14:  1pm-5pm | 199 Seawall Dr.(Cross street: University),Berkeley, CA 94710 www.hslordships.com
• Saturday, 11/19: 8am | 1900 6th Street, Berkeley

HALF MOON BAY:

•  Thursday 5pm – IDES Building, 735 Main Street.  Sponsored by San Mateo County Alerts (SMCalerts.info) 
•  Saturday 8am - Location TBD 

Half Moon Bay – Volunteer Training – Thurs 11/15, 5-9pm

Alert from Surfrider San Mateo Chapter, on the heels of the closures & cleanups of Ocean Beach and Pacifica.

Due to oil arriving on Pacifica Shores, this might continue to spread further south. For those who can help or be prepared for cleanup effort in San Mateo area, it is important that you must be trained from the authorities and not do it on your own.

The next Haz-Mat training (mandatory to join the cleanup) will be held in
Half Moon Bay on Thursday at the IDES hall, Main Street from 5-9pm. We have be advised that it is mandatory that we attend this 4-hour training session in order to be allowed onto and help clean up the beaches.

Trampling of the oil into the sand in a disorganized effort will push the oil balls deeper into the sand making it harder to clean up in the long run as more material will need to be removed.

If you would like to be prepared for getting alerts and to find out when and where trained volunteers will be needed FOR SAN MATEO COUNTY, go to:
http://smcalert.info

Ocean Beach Closed as of Tuesday afternoon

Finally, officials closed Ocean Beach to the public yesterday (tuesday) – 7 days after the spill.   However, the officials at least put up signs informing folks about the oil spill  — on Monday 11/12.   It’s great they finally did it, but lame that it took so long to even get some signs out, since park officials claimed originally that “Ocean Beach is too big to close off.”  3.5 miles’ worth of shore is not small, but they’ve overlooked how many people use the beach and immerse themselves in the water.

According to this morning’s dawn report from Surfpulse,  “Ocean Beach is completely closed. Nobody is allowed even to walk on the beach at this point. All the entrances are fenced off and there are big flashing signs at the parking lot telling you the beach is closed….[Entrances are] fenced off with signs stating the beach is toxic to both people and pets.”

THANKS TO ALL GRASSROOTS EFFORTS:

We wince at how many kids, pets and other unsuspecting folks –from Friday to Monday – were playing in the toxic sand and splashing around in the shallow, oily-rainbow-hued waters.  It was appalling to see some surfers still in the water over those days — some simply didn’t care ['How bad can it be?' -- not knowing oil can be absorbed quickly by your hair]; others had no idea the oil had made its way over to Ocean Beach, including high-profile surf shop owners.  One unsuspecting surfer reported he had vomited on Saturday while in the line-up, after discovering he was surrounded by oil.  

On Sunday, the KTS crew and many others did a nice job with posting home-made signs on Sunday,  cleaning up the beach, and did as much as possible to inform folks verbally.  Thanks to so many people’s efforts, officials finally responded.

- Sources: KTS, Surfpulse. Photos: BCleary (top); MHudlin (bottom)

Event: Bay Bash in San Francisco – thurs 11/15

From the Mavericks folks and our Bay Institute friends connected with Bay Bash:

1st Annual Bay Bash in San Francisco – THIS Thursday 11/15

The mission of Bay Bash is simple: support water quality initiatives in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have a good time in the process.

Of course, in light of the recent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay, their efforts couldn’t be more timely. The first-annual Bay Bash will be held at San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay this Thursday, November 15th and will support the Bay Institute, a leading non-profit scientific organization dedicated to restoring the ecosystems of San Francisco Bay. We encourage all of you to attend.  

Highlights:

Gourmet food and hosted bars!
Featuring DJ Chris Harnett and live music by Kapakahi

• Thursday November 15th, 2007
• 7-11PM
• Location: SF’s Aquarium of the Bay @ Pier 39 – find directions here
• Dress: Business or cocktail attire
• Ticket prices – first 200 at $80, remaining tickets at $95
• All proceeds go to bay.org
• Buy tickets now

Update: Wed 11/14 Volunteer Training, 6pm-10pm – County Fair Bldg, GG PARK

Per KTS and the Mayor’s office (see attached PDF of press release)

Disaster Service Worker Volunteer Certification

WHERE:  County Fair Building – Hall of Flowers
at 9th & Lincoln at entrance of Golden Gate Park. WHEN:  6pm-10pm  (not 1pm-6pm)
DIRECTIONS  http://www.gltf.org/directions/ggp-countyfair-directions.html 
MUNI INFO:  See bottom.Join the EPA,Kill the Spill, San Francisco Department of Emergency Management plus California Fish & Game….

The training from this class (which is a condensed version of the normal 25hour HazMat training) will allow all  to help/volunteer to clean Ocean Beach and/or your local beach or beach of choice legally and with a special badge. Supplies provided.   Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

You are not allowed on the beaches without certification.  Spread the Word!  We are not sure when the next training will be, if any.

Per the Mayor’s office,you can find more information about volunteering here:•The Volunteer Center: www.thevolunteercenter.net
San Francisco Customer Service Center: Dial 3-1-1

Information about future training sessions will be provided, as they become available.

MUNI Information to the Hall of Flowers:

44 O’Shaughnessy
N Judah
71 Noriega
43 Masonic
6 Parnassus

Pacifica Beaches Closed as of Tues AM

Word has it Pacifica Beaches did officially close this morning.  Clean ups took place at Sharp Park and Mussel Beaches.  This Linda Mar photo was taken right after the police showed up and closed the beaches.  What a nice day, bummer.

- Sources: B.O’rourke, LizelleS.