Coastal Cleanup Day at Upper Newport Bay – Sept. 23
By Christopher Trela – September 1, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/coastal-cleanup-day-at-upper-newport-bay-saturday-sept-23/
The Newport Bay Conservancy is hosting Coastal Cleanup Day at Upper Newport Bay on Saturday, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers will meet at a dozen different mini-cleanup day sites around the 11-mile bay including the Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center, Newport Aquatic Center, Big Canyon, Vista Point, Jamboree Bridge, etc. Exact meeting location will be announced and sent to everyone (group leaders) prior to Sept. 21.
Each September, families, friends, co-workers, scouts and school groups come from all over Orange County to volunteer their time at Upper Newport Bay. With more rain this year bringing more trash into the Bay from our surrounding watershed, we are gearing up for a much-needed deep cleaning of the Bay.
The goal is to remove over 10,000 pounds of trash including a new wave of waste from the increased use of single use plastics, disposable masks, and gloves since the start of the pandemic. These items and others risk harming wildlife, pollute our waterways, and threaten public health and your support is crucial to our mission.
Around 1,000 volunteers are needed to help remove trash from the uplands and marsh areas of the Bay and participate in invasive plant removal. Groups are welcome to participate. There will be bus/shuttles to other areas of the Bay where parking or direct access isn’t available and more accessible options for groups with families.
Everyone should wear old clothes and close-toed shoes because you will get dirty. Feel free to bring your own reusable mask, gloves and trash bag or bucket. It also helps if you have tall/rubber boots or water shoes so you can get into the mud and reach those hard-to-get pieces that may be not as accessible when wearing regular sneakers. Bring a reusable/refillable water bottle so we can reduce our plastic use.
Everyone is welcome to lend a hand, although minors need guardian permission and adult volunteers present (ages six and up may participate). Although we love dogs, please leave your furry friends home. Commemorative t-shirts will be given away to everyone helping out that morning.
For mor information and to register, visit https://www.ocparks.com/events/coastal-cleanup-day-bay.
By Christopher Trela – September 01, 2023
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/coastal-cleanup-day-at-upper-newport-bay-saturday-sept-23/
Newport Beach has a handful of iconic attractions that have stood the test of time: The Newport Pier, which replaced the original McFadden Wharf (1888-1939) and is registered as a California Historical Landmark; the Balboa Pavilion, which opened on July 1, 1906 and is the city’s oldest standing building; and the Balboa Island Ferry, which went into service in 1919 to bring cars and passengers across 900 feet of water between Balboa Island and the Balboa Fun Zone.
Michele Gile reports from Newport Beach with Seymour Beek, where many are celebrating that the beloved Balboa Island ferry’s fate is no longer in jeopardy after receiving a $7.9 million grant to convert from diesel to zero-emissions operations by 2025.
The 8th Annual Newport Beach Wooden Boat Festival will return to the Balboa Yacht Club, June 7 – 8, 2024 with more than 40 wooden vessels of all sizes on display, and a collection of master artisans and craftsmen at work.
This year’s festival theme is “The Art & Craft of the Wooden Boat” in celebration of the creative artistry, intricate craftsmanship, and timeless beauty of wooden boats.
“Event guests will be able to immerse themselves in the centuries-old artform of wooden boat building, and the fine woodworking and artistic details that adorn the boats,” said event chair Stephen Paljieg. “This year’s event will be bigger and better than ever. Its theme captures the essence of the passion and artistry behind these magnificent, one-of-a-kind watercrafts and the inclusion of the master craftsmen who build and keep them in ‘Bristol condition’ takes it to a whole new level of experience.”
Welcome to a New Year which takes me back to The Who song, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” whose message is summarized in the last line, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss” and its meaning is “nothing changes and so don’t get fooled again.” Which is a very confusing way to report on what’s going on in the harbor this first month of 2024. So let me backtrack before throwing a few soft punches.
I ended last week by walking through Basin Shipyard and took a moment to talk to owners Dereck and Dave New. As always this time of year, the yard is packed with Dave reporting that they are two months out. So, if you own a boat with outboards or Pod drives, you better call now and book your annual maintenance to be ready for the spring/summer boating season. The yard was full of new Tiara products, but I’m sure there were many other makes of yachts in the yard, yet the pretty ones always grab my attention first.
Q: From a distance it seemed like a quiet year, no oil spills, tsunamis, down aircraft. So what did I miss?
A: There were a couple of severe weather (wind and rain) events this year. We revived the technology we use to notify mooring permittees of approaching weather and urge them to verify their mooring equipment and lines to ensure all are secure. You may recall, there was considerable attention and communication in anticipation of Hurricane Hilary arriving in August. One other of the severe weather events was a strong Santa Ana which stresses the mooring equipment from a different direction than usual, so we have significant concern about boats staying in place when faced with unusual conditions. All in all, things were fine and we greatly appreciated everyone’s preparedness in the face of these severe events.
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