Unanimous “YES” vote from all 4 NR&C members
April 5, 2010 – 3:50 pmWE DID IT!
Huge victory for our seal protection proposal!
The community pressure worked – we achieved a unanimous vote today from the Natural Resources & Culture Committee to protect the seals! The proposal calls for closing Casa Beach during pupping season, keeping the guideline rope up year round, prohibiting dogs on the beach at all times, and looking into private funding for a ranger.
The proposal will now have to go before the full council, which we hope will happen before May 15 just in time to stop the rope guideline from going down.
Thank you all for your calls and emails – your efforts paid off!
You can watch today’s hearing here:
It is the April 5 hearing and starts about a half hour into the video.
Also, please check the media coverage of this historical event:
La Jolla Light
One more pup (#44)was born on April 1, we named it “Besame” or “Kiss me”
In this picture, you can see Besame’s fresh umbilical cord.
Beautiful beach full of seal babies (Besame in the middle next to water’s edge)
More soon…
Dorota
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26 Comments! WOW! Read Below what others are saying.
Bravo!! I hope this is the last time. Thank you guys for all that you are and all that you do!!
By Vix on Apr 5, 2010
What a joke.
They are happy about trying to take the beach away from little children.
Seals can live anywhere along the coast but chidren only have this one small protected beach.
What a shame and a waste.
By Ben on Apr 5, 2010
Not only can seals live anywhere along the coast, but they can also sleep in the water. There is no need for the number of seals at that beach. A few would serve the same purpose.
By cyberKICK on Apr 5, 2010
First off it’s Children’s Pool. Casa Beach is around the wall. Quit trying to change the name so that you can remove the children part of it. Second, seals can live on any other beach (not that they would in nature, predators and all).
By Return the beach to humans on Apr 6, 2010
Oh, and these are wild animals, not pets.
By Return the beach to humans on Apr 6, 2010
They can’t be wild animals. They have names.
Somebody has to clean up dog poop, why doesn’t anybody have to pickup seal poop?
By cyberKICK on Apr 7, 2010
Here is an interesting question: What did they do (header for this week)?
The city can’t legally close the beach because it is a state beach. The trust says nothing about being able to close the beach, and gives no discretion about it. The Coastal Commission can’t close the beach because the federal law says the state must keep the beaches open. The most that could be done, is to trick the city into breaking the law, which would yield nothing but more expense.
Basically, federal law told the state all public beaches must remain open, clean, and properly maintained. The state then “loaned” or “trusted” the city to do those functions. Sort of like if a company had an employee who had use of a company car provided they performed all maintenance. That employee would have to obey all laws, and is being “trusted” to perform maintenance. Now the car becomes damaged due to poor maintenance. That damage would be the responsibility of the employee, but the car would still belong to the company. Also, the employee would be required to obey all traffic laws. Even if the company said the employee didn’t have to obey the traffic laws, the employee would have to anyway. The company can’t give permission to something outside it’s authority. Same here.
Here the state is the company, the employee is the city, and the car is the beach.
By cyberKICK on Apr 9, 2010
gosh get over it you lost …the seals rule…the city is doing you a favor…for the future of the kids….and grandkids….and great grandkids…I cannot believe how dumb you people are…ten bucks says the people are fighting this are not born in california..I was born and raised in calif..on watercraft….you need to respect wild life…just like we do in the middle of the usa……someone needs to proctect the wild life….am glad the seals won….god bless the seals…good job everyone..if i make you mad sorry….life goes on…love my wild life in kansas…yes i live in kansas…but still respect the ocean..that is what my dad told me..since he was in the coast guard for 23 years….station in san diego….kimmie
By Kimmie on Apr 10, 2010
Um, Kimmie, wild life consists of more than 1 animal. Before there so so many seals (back when we had a reasonable number) we could also see fish, octopi, sea hares, etc. Now all that is gone and turned in to seal poop.
Wildlife should me a variety of animals.
“won” what exactly. It was a meeting on what to recommend to another panel. Not really an important meeting.
Also, in the middle of USA if some moose wander in to a football or baseball statium, do they shut it down as start screeming “save the wildlife” or just shoo them out?
If a rat wanders in to your home do you get it out or do you leave?
By cyberKICK on Apr 10, 2010
cyberKick…You need to check your map..we don’t have moose out here…as for rats…they stay outside..you are just mad…you lost…what if a whale needed help on the beach..are you going to walk …..or try to save it…hope you pick the right answer….kimmie
By Kimmie on Apr 14, 2010
Okay, sorry, I don’t live near any moose. It was an analogy anyway. I noticed you didn’t answer though.
Sure, pushing a an endangered species (whale) back in to the water is great. But seals are a common animal like rats, gulls, gofers, squirrels, etc. The problem is they were doing fine before we built the beach. The marine biologists who studied this colony said they don’t need this beach, and no harm will come of them if they are simply shooed off the beach. NOAA gives specific methods of how to do it for very low cost.
The beach was built because there isn’t another beach anywhere in San Diego suitable for small children. There are many many beaches suitable for seals. In fact there are many other colonies of seals in San Diego. Just 10 minutes away from this colony is an even larger one. Plus you see them resting on buoys and rocks all over san diego.
By cyberKICK on Apr 14, 2010
okay cyberkick…the world is growing to fast..I know about the seals in the harbor..on the buoys back in the 70′s…who is to blame for this…there is not right or wrong answer here….it is called the human race..and someone or something is going to pay for it….I hope we can at least to agree on this…..have a great week…kimmie
By kimmie on Apr 15, 2010
Kimmie,
I am on the water and in the water all over San Diego, Southern California and other place all over. I love seeing wild life. I love seeing harbor seals. Just not in a setting as unnatural as this. I think what I really dislike it the seal activists. They have no real understanding of seals. They know very little of the truth. They spread lies.
Answer the question at hand, if some elk/deer/moose/beaver/bear/wolf moved into your yard/house/football stadium/park/bar would you let them have it or shoo them out? What if an endangered mouse started living in your living room?
By Return the beach to humans on Apr 15, 2010
Return the beach to humans:
The thing is, seals are not endangered, but yea thanks for clarifying my point.
Kimmie, there is a right and wrong answer here. It is wrong to scream and yell at children and peaceful beachgoers who are legally using the beach. There have been studies, and it is clear that from those studies that no harm will come to the seals from cleaning the beach, allowing people to use the beach and surrounding beaches, and removing the excess sand so that there is once again a safe place for small children to play and attempt to swim.
On another note: Why do th activists need to look at 300 seals? why isn’t 5 enough? The seal population is growing so fast that the activists are now closing the beach on the other side of the wall too. When will there be enough seals? When there is no life of any other form? When there is nothing to see but seals? Are we waiting for a great starve-off? What are the long-term management plans? Just grow as many as possible until they can’t find food, and let the weak ones starve? Do we import food for them? Do we close every beach everywhere in hopes of growing more? Where is the line?
By cyberKICK on Apr 15, 2010
Still waiting for an answer.
By cyberKICK on Apr 17, 2010
there is no wildlife in my yard..except for three little bunnies.the wildlife out here learns how to ajust to the human mistakes …there is no right or wrong answer here….human race over animals right…yes i agree with you on all the seals..but yet yelling and screamin at them will not solve the problem….am glad i don’t leave out there ..i love my wildlife out here in the middle of ks..my town pop is 800 people….I see deer,,coons,hawks,bald eagles,etc…will not trade my place for the rat race ofthe big city..I hope everyone can come together and solve the problem…Kimmie..thank god for kansas
By kimmie on Apr 19, 2010
So, if the rabbits were to come in to your home, and some activists started screaming that watching TV in your living room disturbed the rabbits you would move out right? Have the house condemed. Right now that is exactly what has happened. We have porta-potties and such, and have had to build a new lifegard tower behind the old one becuase the activists don’t want the repairs on the building to be done becuase the repairs will make noise, and possibly make the seals look.
By cyberKICK on Apr 19, 2010
BTW, people need to remember, we are animals too. We evolved and learned. We have every right to things as the next animal. This doesn’t mean we can’t be nice…
By Return the beach to humans on Apr 21, 2010
Being nice would be a refreshing change. Right now, if you use the beach along with the seals, the activists threaten you with violence, try to scare the children, and carry on with yelling and screeming. The seals are nice, and will approach you, sleep while you lay out on the beach yourself, etc. I wish the activists would take a lesson from the seals.
Seems like beachgoers are willing to share, the seals are willing to share, but the activists are NOT!
The controvery was never even supposed to be about seals, but rather to clean the beach, repair the lifeguard tower, and repair the bathrooms. Then the activists started screaming that cleaning the place was somehow bad. Even the experts (marine biologists) say it is okay to clean up the place.
By cyberKICK on Apr 22, 2010
cyberKICK sorry i did not get back to you sooner…my mom is in the hospital and is not doing good..the dr. thinks for kidneys are shutting down….so am not in the mood to fight with you;;;my mom lives 2 hours away from me …so i am going home in the moring to figure out what we need to do….have a great week….i will voice my fellings later…kimmie
By kimmie on Apr 29, 2010
Really sorry to hear that. Take care of her and yourself!
By cyberKICK on Apr 29, 2010
To be great is to be misunderstood.
Sent from my Android phone
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By Gladys Jong on Dec 10, 2010