An unhappy day at the beach

Mia Davidson

I am a volunteer tidewater docent in Laguna Beach.

On Saturday, I worked at the beach below Heisler Park from 1:30 to

4:30 p.m. (low tide), and I was shocked by how ignorant fellow

beachgoers were about the marine environment and the large number of

violations of state law that I saw.

Because of the recent storms, the sand had been washed out, which

exposed rocks not normally visible. Also, because we had a -0.6-foot

tide, even more rocks were exposed. In fact, it was so low that I

could have waded out to Bird Rock and not gotten wet above my knees.

The weather was beautiful, with temperatures in the mid-80s, and a

large number of people were out enjoying the beach as is usual.

Three Tidewater docents were on duty and hard-pressed to inform

people that the area is a marine-protected one. Unfortunately, we had

to say repeatedly, “You can’t remove those sea urchins. They will

die”; or, “You can’t jab that stick into the sea anemone. It will

die”; or, “You can’t rip that sea star off of the rock. It will die”;

or, “Please don’t smash that rock on that hermit crab. It will die”;

or, “Yes, I know that ink comes out of the sea hare when you step on

it, but that is the only way it can protect itself when it is being

injured.”

I’m sure we saved a few animals, but we couldn’t keep up with the

hundreds of people. Ninety percent of the people we approached were

responsive, and instead of taking away a bucket of shells, they only

sneaked one or two. But they had no idea that this is a

marine-protected area and what that means.

It made me so sad when I found a sea star with its arm ripped off.

But it really broke my heart to see the stash of 15 to 18 bloody and

dead sea stars in a crevasse at the top of the rocks bordering the

Heisler Cliffs. This could only have been done by humans and is a

graphic example of the magnitude of the problem that we face in

Laguna Beach: too much destruction, not enough enforcement!

In spite of the new signs, the public desperately needs education

about the tide pools. My personal opinion is that we need more signs

and many more docents. I have visited many websites pertaining to

Laguna, in particular the official website of the city of Laguna

Beach and the Laguna Beach Visitor’s Bureau. Although the sites

proclaim how great Laguna is, nowhere is it mentioned that Laguna

Beach is a marine protected area and that there are tide pool rules.

Every Laguna Beach resident should be educated and can in turn

make beach visitors aware of the following tide pool rules.

1. Never remove animals, rocks or shells from the tide pools.

2. Never pick up animals ... observe them where they are.

3. Walk gently, taking care not to step on plants or animals.

4. Never turn over rocks.

* MIA DAVIDSON is a resident of Laguna Beach.