I once again take an early morning walk of the beach where Earth Day began back in 1969 caused by the oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel area resulting in a cascade of environmental destruction. Out of concern, anger and a proactive community, a wave of environmental action occurred turning into the internationally recognized Earth Day.
My Earth Day photo this year is one of many of the capped oil well that can be seen at low tide. There are still more than a hundred of these wells lurking beneath the surface left over from the local oil industry of the late 1800 and early 1900’s. I have taken dozen and dozens of this one capped well. I often view the capped well in the same image with the horizon rigs, dolphins, seals, or seabirds, colorful dawn sky, and the Channel Islands coexisting together.
It is concerning to see oil production opening up the beach in the same area as the 2015 Refugio oil spill. Our community of concerned people near and far are fighting the tough fight. I am forever grateful to our active community and the many organization that have participated in this action. Just to name a few are:
Community Environmental Council https://cecsb.org/
Santa Barbara Channelkeeper https://cecsb.org/
Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage https://www.sbwhaleheritage.org/
Heal the Ocean https://www.healtheocean.org/
Gaviota Coast Conservancy https://www.gaviotacoastconservancy.org/
… and many more!
I try to focus on the seaside boundless beauty – hopeful that others will also appreciate and want to preserve our sea life . Preserving this ecosystem is the lifeline to our existence.
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