The 12th Annual Earth Day celebration at Upper
Newport Bay took place on Shellmaker Island on Saturday, April 21. Despite early-morning
rain and strong winds all day, nearly 1,000 visitors attended and enjoyed a variety of
environmental exhibits and nature craft booths. Entertainment was provided by several
musical groups including the band Short Doyle and the Ukulele band from the Oasis Center.
Although kayak tours could not be given because of the winds, many visitors were still
able to enjoy the wonders of the Bay on the electric boat tours that took place throughout
the day. The "Bike the Back Bay" event produced by Earth Resource Foundation
again coincided with our Earth Day celebration. Their fund-raising rides started at
several sites in Orange County and ended at Shellmaker Island.
This year we combined Ocean
Discovery Day with Earth Day. From this combination came our theme - "Living on our
Ocean Planet. The ocean begins at your front door." Our honorary chairperson was
Monica Mazur from the Orange County Public Health Department. Ms. Mazur has been
instrumental in advising the public regarding the problems of urban runoff and how this
affects beach closures.
The highlight of the day was the announcement of plans for a major new
Marine Study Center to be built on Shellmaker Island that will include 12,000 feet of
educational labs. The development of the Center has and will continue to involve the
cooperative efforts of many organizations. The following representatives all spoke
with enthusiasm about the commitment of their organizations to the success of the project:
- Shirley Dettloff, Commissioner, California Coastal Commission
- Michael Gottfredson, Executive Vice Chancellor, UC Irvine
- Jack Keating, President, Upper Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends
- Pat Markley (MC), Information Officer, Orange County Health Care Agency
- Tom Martens, Executive Director, California Wildlife Foundation
- Chuck Raysbrook, Regional Manager, California Dept. of Fish and Game
- Tod Ridgeway, Mayor (pro tem), City of Newport Beach
- John Scholl, Interpreter, California Dept. of Fish and Game
- Sara Wan, Chair, California Coastal Commission
- Ron Yeo, Principal, Ron Yeo FAIA Architect Inc.
The Newport Bay Naturalists and
Friends also took the opportunity to recognize the following stalwarts for all their hard
work here at Upper Newport Bay over many years:
- Tom Fox
- Marilyn La Bollita
- Kathy Painter
- Arline Parker
- Tom Parker
All of the funds raised at our Earth
Day celebration go directly to the Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends, and help to
maintain the ecological reserve, as well as to support educational outreach programs. Many
thanks to all the participants, as well as the numerous volunteers who worked tirelessly
to produce another successful event at the Bay!
Here are a few pictures from Earth Day. Click on link to see full-size image. |
