- Coastkeeper’s annual celebration of clean water returns on October 4
SAN DIEGO –– Clean water advocates, regional elected officials, and Coastkeeper supporters from throughout the county are coming together at San Diego Coastkeeper’s Seaside Soirée, a bayside event on Wednesday, October 4, 5:30-8 p.m. at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse on Harbor Island. The celebration will feature keynote remarks from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientist Dr. Jeffrey Seminoff.
Dr. Seminoff is the head of the Marine Turtle Ecology & Assessment Program at NOAA and the Director of the Stable Isotope Laboratory at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla. Since 1992, Seminoff has been involved in ecological research and conservation of sea turtles in the Pacific Ocean, including a focus on green sea turtles in south San Diego Bay. He currently serves as the U.S. Delegate for the Scientific Committee of the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Jeff employs innovative approaches in his research, including stable isotope analysis, biotelemetry, animal-borne imagery, and aerial surveys, all elucidating the life history of sea turtles throughout the Pacific Ocean. He has authored over 140 peer-reviewed publications, and his research has been featured in numerous popular magazines and news outlets and on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, PBS, and National Geographic Explorer.
Coastkeeper’s long history of fighting to protect and restore San Diego Bay started nearly thirty years ago with successful actions to compel the cleanup of legacy industrial pollution that polluted the Bay and impacted its marine life, including the turtle population. Through strong support from the Port and U.S. Navy to restore and protect native eelgrass beds that support sea turtles, NOAA and Dr. Seminoff have tracked the recovery of the Bay’s population of East Pacific green sea turtles, which now number over 100.
“Coastkeeper is honored to have Dr. Seminoff share his knowledge and passion for these amazing animals with us at our upcoming Seaside Soirée, ” said Executive Director Phillip Musegaas. “Their recovery is inspiring and a reminder that nature is resilient and can recover when given the chance. But our work is not done as long as pollution and climate change continue to threaten the health of our waters and the wildlife that depend on it.”
In the past year, some highlights at Coastkeeper include:
- Launching a new bilingual volunteer Mission Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program.
- Bringing environmental education to over 3,000 K-6 students across the county.
- Holding polluters accountable through over a dozen federal lawsuits targeting industrial facilities that degrade our coastal waters and rivers with bacteria, metals, and polluted stormwater runoff.
- Recruiting new leadership and staff to continue our fight for clean water.
Environmental advocates and leaders throughout San Diego County will gather at the Seaside Soirée, Coastkeeper’s annual bayside event on Wednesday, October 4, from 5:30-8 p.m. at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse. General admission tickets are $125 and include complimentary beverages and light refreshments. V.I.P. tickets are $275 and include entry to an exclusive cocktail hour from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Visit the Seaside Soirée website to purchase tickets and learn more.
Coastkeeper thanks its 2023 Seaside Soirée sponsors, including the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority.
