Enough With Coral As Home Decor

Even in sleepy, organic, green-centric Mendocino, one cannot escape the dead, bleached remains of once vibrant, living coral reefs. At least three different stores along the main strip either used dead coral colonies and reef mollusks in window merchandising or flat-out sold dead coral as objet d'art.

Enough already!

Coral isn't just too precious to wear, it's too precious to end up as chachki in the window or on a shelf next to that picture of Aunt Peg. Read up on the impacts of coral reef harvesting and what you can do to help keep coral alive and on reefs where they belong.

Algal Knots

Manuel and I just returned from Mendocino where we spent five days sleeping late, eating well, napping, strolling the cold, foggy shorelines, and celebrating our back-to-back birthdays. Forty-five years old! How did that happen?

As I swing back into the real world (and begin preparing for my AARP paperwork), take some time to enjoy this photo-study of beach wrack. Breathe deeply... you can almost smell the glorious intertidal bouquet!

Rocks Suck Carbon

Forget your complex carbon sequestration schemes involving tree planting or ocean fertilization with iron filings. According to a new report to be published in the November 11 edition of the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences, peridotite--the most common rock found in the Earth's mantle directly below the crust--has been found to soak-up carbon dioxide.

As reported by geologist Peter Kelemen and geochemist Juerg Matter, peridotite (pictured above) naturally absorbs gaseous CO2 and converts it into solid minerals such as calcite.

Hooray, we're saved!

But wait, peridotite is found miles beneath the Earth's crust and mining the rock is impractical.

Oh no, we're still doomed!

But wait, peridotite is found at a few locations on the Earth's surface such as Papua New Guinea, Oman, and Greece where tectonic plate collisions have exposed deep mantle rocks. In fact I once strolled through vast glacially carved valleys of peridotite in the Tablelands of Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland.

Hooray, we're saved!

But wait, peridotite can't naturally absorb enough CO2 on it's own and there's not enough of it on the Earth's surface to really make a dent in greenhouse gas reduction.

Oh no, we're still doomed.

But wait, Keleman and Matter report they have devised a means to enhance peridotite's naturally occurring carbon absorption capacity 1 million times. They predict the enhancement--injecting peridotite with heated water containing pressurized carbon dioxide--would result in 2 billion or more of the 30 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted by human activity every year to be permanently captured in mineral form.

Hooray, we're saved!

But wait, the method would require thousands of miles of pipeline transporting poisonous gas, and the major CO2 producing nations with little or no access to peridotite (the US, China, and India) are potentially shit out of luck.

Oh no, we're... I give up!

Yes We Did... Except In California

It's a morning where I should be feeling elated, relieved, and victorious. Instead, I find I'm battling with anger over Proposition 8 passing. No sadness or grieving... just straight out anger that my home State of California was duped by the rhetoric of fear (funded primarily from christian groups and individuals). I'd at least like to think that the good people of California were duped, as the alternative--that they truly believe people like myself and the millions of others in the GLBT community simply don't deserve equal rights--is a path I don't wish (emotionally or intellectually) to walk down.

All this talk of "America finally united," only fuels my pain. I stood in a crowd of hundreds last night on the streets of Oakland and watched the election results roll in. We all burst into screams and tears of joy as it was announced that Obama had secured the necessary electoral votes. Everyone I could see, Black, White, Asian, Latin, were shaking hands, clapping, and hugging. An African American woman next to me, tears rolling down her face, grabbed me by the arm as we all shouted cheers of, "Yes we can!"

As much as I wanted to be taken over by the moment (and believe me, it was a powerful, transcendent feeling last night) my own tears of joy were held back knowing that Proposition 8 would be a hard fight at the polls. My suspicions were confirmed when I got home and heard that Prop 8 support was leading. It continued the lead throughout the night, and this morning 52% of the vote showed support for Prop 8's passing.

It's still unclear what this means for the thousands of same-sex marriages performed over the past 6 months since the ban on gay marriage was found unconstitutional. In conversations with other angry friends over coffee, we talked about the stark incongruity that Californians could elect the first African American into the nation's highest seat of power yet in that same moment, touch a voting screen or mark a ballot card to deny other Californians of fundamental rights.

We played the blame game for a while. Why did SF Mayor Gavin Newsom allow his arrogance to play into the hands of Prop 8 supporters? The constantly running TV and radio ads of Newsom smugly announcing that same sex marriage is happening "whether you like it or not" played well in San Francisco, but enraged inland communities. And why didn't No on 8 supporters react more swiftly to the devious strategy that framed the proposition as safeguarding children from learning about same sex marriage in schools.

Prop 8 supporters tapped into some visceral fear that trumped any laid back, easy going, good life, California-esqe "live and let live" credo we all like to pretend we live under. They campaigned on a platform that "things will change if we don't pass this proposition." When in reality, the only change that would happen is if Prop 8 passes. It would strip GLBT Californians of rights. If Prop 8 went down, it would be business as usual. Gay marriage would not be mandatory instruction in schools, same sex couples could marry and be legally protected under state laws. Church steeples would not have crumbled to the ground, California would not have turned overnight into Sodom and Gomorrah, and packs of leather daddies and dykes on bikes would not have set up recruiting stations in every valley town.

I've now lived in three states--Massachusetts, Maine, and now California--where the long fought for rights for legally recognized equality for GLBT people has been won, briefly celebrated, then stripped away by out-of-state interests and funding and the machinations of over zealous religious groups preying on archaic fears. Massachusetts managed to defeat bigotry and fear and now remains the only US state to allow same sex unions. Last night saw California, Florida, and Arizona pass bans. But California's ban stings more profoundly because it marked the first time that voters rejected same-sex marriage in a state where it was already legal.

I know I'm supposed to keep my chin up and forge ahead. That's what civil rights supporters do. But I'm challenged today to find a shred of civility. I need to try to center myself in the "greater" good of President-elect Obama. Even though he himself does not support same-sex marriage, he may be able to seat new Supreme Court justices over the next four years. Justices whose constitutional interpretations aren't clouded by fundamentalist ideology and bigotry.

YES WE CAN!

On my way home here in Oakland's Jack London Square, it was like Mardi Gras. People had taken to the streets, musicians were playing outside one of the blues clubs on Broadway as Oakland residents danced, screamed, snapped photographs, and cried. It was an emotional explosion of relief, disbelief, and pride. We all got to share a moment of history together with, for at least tonight, nothing but hope and promise ahead.

Hope you are feeling the buzz as well!

Happy Marine Halloween

It's Not Too Late To Save Coral Reefs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 31, 2008 – San Francisco, CA – The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) responded today to the release of a study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters that suggests it may be too late to save coral reefs. While CORAL—whose mission is to protect the world's coral reefs through ecosystem management, sustainable tourism, and community partnership—shares the researchers' concern that our reefs are in trouble, CORAL's Conservation Programs Director Rick MacPherson is less pessimistic.

Chemical oceanographers Long Cao and Ken Caldeira looked at the effect of global CO2 emissions on our oceans. As CO2 saturates in the ocean, the net effect is more acidic seawater and greater difficulty for corals to build and maintain their calcium-based exoskeletons. Caldeira said the affected reefs would not disappear straight away, but the change in water chemistry would leave them vulnerable to attack, bleaching, or disease. He further summarized that "the likelihood [coral reefs] will be able to persist is pretty small."

However, a consensus of the world's leading coral reef scientists at the recent International Coral Reef Symposium focused on possibilities rather than gloomy predictions. The scientific forum held every four years addressed not only the issue of acidification, but also the impacts that increased ocean temperatures and rising sea levels will have on reefs. "Those in attendance agreed that the demise of coral reefs is not a foregone conclusion," said MacPherson. "Though time is running out, building resilience through large networks of marine protected areas will be key in securing the future of coral reefs."

CORAL acknowledges that reefs are in for tough times as society grapples with the climate issue. Moreover, ongoing research is required to understand how climate will affect the complex processes that underlie reef ecosystems. "Our concern is the finality of the recent study," said Brian Huse, CORAL's Executive Director. "Cao and Caldeira have written the post mortem while the patient is still alive. There are currently a large number of conservation projects worldwide that get to the heart of building resilience to climate impacts-and many are already showing positive results."

CORAL is the only international organization working exclusively to save coral reefs. It builds grassroots partnerships among local communities, government leaders, marine recreation operators, and marine park managers to identify and solve conservation challenges through education, training, and effective management of marine protected areas. For more information, log on to www.coral.org.

Elkhorn And Staghorn Corals Receive Expanded Protection

We have some great environmental NGO neighbors here in San Francisco. Take for instance, the Center for Biological Diversity, our next door neighbor on the 6th floor of our building. Last year, a petition by the Center earned the Elkhorn (Acropora palmata) and Staghorn (Acropora cervicornis) corals their current status as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and a Center lawsuit compelled the Fisheries Service to propose granting the species federally protected habitat.

Readers will recall that Elkhorn and Staghorn corals, once incredibly abundant and an important component of reef assemblages in the Caribbean, have been reduced to shadows of their former glory. Rising sea surface temperatures, a byproduct of human exacerbated climate change, has been the main culprit. But localized reef threats such as sediment smothering from coastal development, anchor damage, and nutrient pollution have compounded the risk levels throughout the Caribbean basin.

Building upon the momentum initiated by the Center for Biological Diversity, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said yesterday that it would prohibit all commercial activities involving Elkhorn and Staghorn corals. The new rules prohibit anyone from importing, exporting or directly taking the corals. Boats must avoid anchoring or grounding their vessels on corals or dragging fishing gear on them. The regulations also prohibit damage to coral habitat and any discharge of pollutants or contaminants that harms the species.

While these protections will only cover Elkhorn and Staghorn species in US waters and the insular Caribbean, it's a much needed and timely additional protection. The challenges, of course, is protecting not only on paper but in practice. And that's where managed marine areas come into play.

I'm Blaming It On S.A.D.

How? How?! HOW did it get to be almost November already? I know things have been dark and quiet here at the MBSL&S shop, and I wish I had some profoundly intricate explanation for what I've been up to. But the truth is I've simply been nose to the grindstone busy with several back-and-forth trips to DC and New York to meet with funders and donors (the current financial landscape has us non-profit types working overtime) and then lots of planning and prep to get my team into the field. It's been steady work over too many weekends and this conservationist has just been too pooped to even write about it.

I'm also wondering if I don't have the slightest touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder (aptly known as SAD). San Francisco days have been getting shorter and colder, and I've had a lot of days where I wake up and head to the office in the dark only to march back home once night has fallen. I'm not quick to jump on the designer psychology bandwagon, but I've been sluggish and grumblier than usual this past month. My body seems to be telling me it wants me to eat huge volumes of pasta or pizza and then run for the bed. If I were a grizzly bear this would make sense, but as a hominid it just makes me generally discombobulated. Anyone else feeling angsty and somewhat disaffected?

Anyway, apologies all around and I promise to summon-up some ocean mirth and conservation excitement (heavily peppered with the usual briny sarcasm) and serve it up hot for my loyal readers.

When Civil Unrest Stalls Conservation: Part II

The U.S. Embassy in the Honduras capital city of Tegucigalpa released the following Warden Message on October 14:

The U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa alerts American citizens residing in and traveling to the Bay Island of Roatan about ongoing protests throughout the island. The Embassy has reports of widespread demonstrations, road closures and possible violence due to a significant rise in the price of electrical services provided by the island’s utility company, RECO.

The Embassy has confirmed reports of demonstrators taking over the island’s major roads, including the roads to the airport, the cruise ship port, downtown, and to the areas of West End, Sandy Bay, Flowers Bay and Santos Guardiola. There are also confirmed reports of burning tires, checkpoints set up by protestors, and possible anti-American sentiment. The Embassy received a report of a threat of violence directed towards an American trying to pass through a checkpoint.

The Embassy strongly recommends U.S. citizens to remain in their homes and not try to pass roadblocks, as there have been incidents of violence in the past. U.S. citizens should avoid travel in affected areas and should monitor the situation via media sources, including TV and radio, and avoid large gatherings.

For the latest security information, Americans traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov where the current Travel Warnings and Public Announcements, including the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, can be found.

Up-to-date information on safety and security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll-line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

Americans living or traveling in Honduras are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain updated information on travel and security within Honduras. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.