San Mateo County Harbor District

06/05/2019

The Youth Leadership Institute student group at Pilarcitos High School in Half Moon Bay is hosting a gallery exhibit this Friday! The exhibit aims to explore the connections between immigration policy, (lack of) affordable housing, and substance abuse. More info is in the flyer below, as well as in this blog post by Phoenix Reyes, a senior at Pilarcitos: https://yli.org/2019/05/h-i-s-freedom-gallery-exhibit-to-raise-awareness-in-half-moon-bay/

05/11/2019

The Beach Erosion Committee was started as a citizens' committee by Harbor District board president Sabrina Brennan before she was first elected to the board. She then made it an official committee within the District after being elected. Board member Ed Larenas (pictured) expanded the scope of the committee and it is now the Climate Change Resilience committee. This pilot project to combat erosion at Surfer's Beach and address the buildup of sand within Pillar Point Harbor is the culmination of their work:

"To manage the erosion at the beach, the dredging project entails transferring 75,000 cubic yards of sand from Pillar Point Harbor to Surfer’s Beach. A breakwater installed in the 1960s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to create the harbor is mainly responsible for blocking the usual flow of sand and the depletion of sand at Surfer’s Beach, studies have shown.

"A study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found the bluffs along Surfer’s Beach have eroded at an average rate of 1.64 feet per year between 1993 and 2012. Today, Surfer’s Beach is only a thin strip of land, which limits recreational use of the beach. The erosion also threatens natural habit for the western snowy plover and even Highway 1."

It’s been several years since the San Mateo County Harbor District first addressed the accelerated coastal erosion eating away at Surfer’s Beach in Half Moon Bay. Now, officials say the

05/08/2019

Harbor District Board President Sabrina Brennan continues to make news for her work as co-founder of the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing in ensuring that women surfers would be included in the Maverick's surf contest, and in pressuring the World Surf League to offer equal prize money to men and women in all WSL events. Here is an article from a couple months ago:

"Last July, the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing, an organization formed by six women, sent letters to the California Coastal Commission arguing that by treating women unequally, the World Surf League was in violation of state civil rights law.

"Months later, in September, Valenti and other female surfers earned a victory when the World Surf League announced it would offer equal prize money to men and women.

"Valenti, along with Sabrina Brennan, the president of the San Mateo County Harbor Commission, and Karen Tynan, a labor lawyer, also successfully pushed for women to be included in the Maverick’s Challenge, a big-wave surfing competition that had traditionally invited only men.

"Pro surfer Andrea Moller: “Some people would tell me that by trying to get the pie redistributed I was ruining it for everyone. But that’s wrong. We’re fighting for the industry. People love watching women surf big waves, so the whole sport will grow.”"

All 28 players on the U.S. women’s soccer team filed a gender discrimination lawsuit on Friday. They are the latest athletes to insist on equal treatment from their sport.

05/07/2019

Wondering why the Dungeness crab season closed months early this year? Dr. Ellen Hines explains how climate change is the culprit!

"Every year, humpback whales make their annual trek from tropical calving grounds to feed in the cold, nutrient-rich waters off the coast of California. Historically, they arrived to feast in June just as the Dungeness crab fishery was closing and gear was being pulled in for the season. But in 2012, they arrived a few weeks earlier than normal. In 2014, they were a month early. By 2015, the humpbacks arrived in April, a full two months earlier than the norm.

"That shift has been dangerous for the whales. The whales’ earlier arrival has driven more interactions with West Coast fisheries. Since 2014, the number of whales entangled in Dungeness crab pots has escalated dramatically, with 129 cases reported between 2015 and 2017, compared to around 10 each year in previous decades.

"What’s driving the humpbacks to an earlier arrival? As ocean temperatures rise and climate patterns shift, the timing of krill and algae blooms change in response."

Every year, humpback whales make their annual trek to feed in the cold, nutrient-rich waters off the coast of California.

05/06/2019

Check out Coastside Slacking's great pic of triathletes competing out in the harbor this morning!

Triathletes in fluorescent green swim caps prepare for their chilly swim at Pillar Point Harbor this morning. Visit Half Moon Bay Coastside

04/29/2019

Seawalls and other such hard barriers such as the one proposed for the West Trail leading to Mavericks at the north end of Pillar Point Harbor are a bad idea and lead to more problems in the long-term. A radical, synthesized approach that combines managed retreat with a "living shorelines" model would protect the coastline better by combating and planning for erosion more effectively, and would ultimately be cheaper for county taxpayers:

"The study found that along the hard-hit shorelines, three quarters of the bulkheads were damaged by Hurricane Irene. The walls, typically concrete and about two meters high, are the standard homeowner defense against the sea in many parts of the country. Yet none of the natural marsh shorelines were impaired. The marshes, which extended 10 to 40 meters from the shore, had lost no sediment or elevation from Irene. Although the storm initially reduced the density of their vegetation by more than a third, a year later the greenery had bounced back and was as thick as ever in many cases.

"The study confirmed what many experts had begun to suspect. “Armored” shorelines such as bulkheads offer less protection against big storms than people think. By reflecting wave energy instead of dispersing it, they tend to wear away at the base, which causes them to gradually tilt seaward. Although they still function well in typical storms, they often backfire when high storm surges overtop them, causing them to breach or collapse, releasing an entire backyard into the sea.

"In a later study, researchers surveyed 689 waterfront owners and found that the 37 percent of properties protected by bulkheads had suffered 93 percent of the damage. And bulkhead owners routinely had four times the annual maintenance costs of residents who relied on nature instead. Salt marshes bent but did not break.

"In recent years more scientists and policy makers have come to believe that “living shorelines”—natural communities of salt marsh, mangrove, oyster reef, beach and coral reef—can be surprisingly effective in a battle coastal residents have been losing for years."

Fortified wetlands can protect shorelines better than hard structures

04/24/2019

"A row of raised flat beds growing vegetables and native plants on the lawn by Half Moon Bay’s Johnston House, is what resident and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Evelyn Erickson envisions for the city’s first community garden.

"Erickson said she was inspired by the work of Loretta O’Brien and others who started a community garden in Pacifica. It prompted her to pursue a similar concept in Half Moon Bay.

"O’Brien was able to work out a plan with the school district in Pacifica to use a plot to start a garden in exchange for an education partnership with the schools. In 2008, Pacifica Gardens officially broke ground and volunteers began de-sodding the soccer field at the Linda Mar Education Center. Now the 30,000-square-foot garden is fully functioning, with several volunteers working to maintain it. The garden hosts plant sales, educational workshops, school field trips and also is used to donate to food pantries."

"Erickson: “It would be so powerful if we built our community garden at our ‘white house.’ It would be a symbol of unity. Eventually, I could see smaller community gardens in all of our parks.”"

A row of raised flat beds growing vegetables and native plants on the lawn by Half Moon Bay’s Johnston House, is what resident and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Evelyn Erickson

04/17/2019

State Senator Jerry Hill and Assemblymembers Mullin and Berman will be in Half Moon Bay next week for a panel discussion on how to keep the Coastside "connected and resilient."

The question is: What does "connected and resilient" even mean? What will panelists be advocating for as solutions? Widening roads and increasing development on the Coastside in the name of "connectivity"? Attend and tell our lawmakers that a "connected and resilient" Coastside is only possible when our unique coastal environment is respected and when improvements are done in a green, sustainable manner!

04/16/2019

This blog by a young Latina woman in Half Moon Bay underscores the importance of local government reaching out to the communities they serve, particularly to communities that traditionally have had less of a relationship with their local government agencies. The San Mateo County Harbor District should conduct sessions like these across the county!

"After the listening session, I felt like our voices were actually being heard and that our opinions matter. Now that I know what goes on during the listening sessions, I will continue attending whenever possible. Not only will I continue attending these listening sessions but I will also continue working with the housing and transportation committee to help our community. Overall, it was a very interesting experience and I am glad I decided to attend because now I have a better idea of what the city council does for our community."

Reflections on the Listening Sessions in Half Moon Bay

03/24/2019

Kayaking is a great way to enjoy the San Mateo County coast and Pillar Point Harbor in particular, especially as we head into the depths of spring! Enjoy the water and be respectful and give a wide berth to any marine mammals you may see cavorting nearby.