June Casagrande People love tide pools so...

June Casagrande

People love tide pools so much, they’re loving them to death.

That’s the message of a new joint effort to get the word out to beach

visitors on how to avoid damaging these delicate natural wonders.

“People need to know that these are very fragile resources,” said

Harbor Resources Director Tony Melum, whose department has created a

link on the city’s Web site to educate people about tide pools.

“People need to know that they should look and not touch. They should

watch where they step.”

The Orange County Marine Wildlife Refuge Project is a

collaborative effort of the cities of Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and

Dana Point, as well as the county of Orange and other agencies. The

group’s site, at www.ocparks.com/tidepools contains four tide pool

tips for anyone visiting them.

Rule No. 1: Never remove animals shells or rocks from the tide

pools. Even taking things out for brief inspection can cause animals

and plants to die, at the same time killing crucial links in the

natural balance of the pools.

Rule No. 2: Never even pick up animals. Observe them where they

are. Innocently lifting a starfish for inspection, for example, tears

off their tiny suction-cup feet. They die because they can no longer

attach themselves to rocks to sift the water for food.

Rule No. 3: Walk gently. A single careless footstep can crush the

whole world of some of the tiny marine animals.

Rule No. 4: Never turn over rocks. Animals that hide on and under

rocks can die if they’re suddenly exposed to sun, air and predators.

“If people work to protect these fragile resources, we can make

sure they stay viable for generations to come,” Melum said.