#dothewhaletail

[thecacoast]

Whale Tail Grantees Share Thanks

This summer we had the pleasure of receiving quite a few thank-you letters from kids participating in outdoor education programs run by our Whale Tail grantees, including Children’s Maritime Foundation, Vida Verde Nature Education, and Ocean Connectors. 

We thought we’d share a few of our favorite excerpts:

 “I also enjoyed the trip on the boat. I enjoyed the part where the ship was moving because I looked down and it felt like the perfect dream but it wasn’t a dream it was real.”

“It made me forget about all my electronics and made me think more about nature.  When I got home I didn’t use my iPad because I forgot about it.”

“Thank you again for your donation it helps me a lot to learn more things I didn’t know.”

“I know that the sea looks green because it is polluted from all the junk but you guys are here to help the environment.”

“It was so much fun and at the end I did not want to go home.”

“Thank you for the amazing field trip I loved it thank you for all the fun I loved it so much the sea was cool thank you for the money so we can go thank you so much.”

So thank YOU Whale Tail License Plate owners and Protect Our Coast and Ocean Fund contributors—you made it all possible!

[thecacoast]

California State Fair

This July, for the 3rd year in a row, the California Coastal Commission partnered with the California State Fair to bring the coast and ocean to fair-goers. The exhibit was called “Whale Tales” and it featured giant storybook displays in which visitors could read about the adventures of a baby whale that encounters some of the problems that affect the ocean, like pollution, acidification, invasive species, and marine debris. Each vignette ends with “what can you do?” – practical ways everyday people can help address the problems.

Other elements of the exhibit were the world’s largest Whale Tail License Plate, complete with a photo op cut-out, and a live animal show that happened at select times throughout the day. An enormous sand sculpture of an orca and other ocean wildlife celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Coastal Act.

The Commission had a booth as part of the exhibit to talk to fair-goers and distribute information about Coastal Cleanup Day (9/17/2016) and other programs. For my shift, I brought my 12 year old daughter, Nina, and her friend Julia. They did fair things – mostly rides – while I spent time at the booth chatting with folks who stopped by, and people watching. It was heartwarming to watch parents teaching their kids about the ocean with the help of well-appointed prompts provided by the exhibit.

The Whale Tales exhibit occupied a large, semi-enclosed space that is outdoors with a huge shade canopy. There’s a little man-made creek, mature trees, and lots of landscaping with native plants. The main entrance to the exhibit is through a tunnel. Once through the tunnel, you feel like you’ve happened upon an oasis in the middle of the busy, bustling fairgrounds. The feeling is accentuated by hidden speakers playing the sounds of the ocean.

When my daughter was little we had a little bedside sound machine that mimicked waves – she fell asleep every night to it. At one point as I sat next to our booth, I noticed how peaceful and relaxed I was feeling. Could it have been the wave sounds? I hope visitors to the exhibit were feeling the same way. Now if only we had a way to convey that salty misty sea breeze…

[thecacoast]

Do The Whale Tail

DO THE WHALE TAIL! (a dance, a cause, a call to action) 

We are rolling out a fun, summer-infused dance video to bring attention to both the Whale Tail license plate and all of the wonderful projects it funds through WHALE TAIL® grants! Please share the post, the video, the message with your friends, family, coworkers, and social media networks - with your help we will have the entire state “Doing the Whale Tail!”

By purchasing a WHALE TAIL® Coastal Protection License Plate you contribute to our grants program which funds coastal education and marine stewardship projects with an emphasis on reaching underserved communities.

                                          ECOPLATES.COM

Thank you everyone who helped make this video possible:

Barrett McLaughlin, Mark Leibowitz, Robin Frederick, Trent De Haan, Keon Javanshir, Spencer Amonwatvorakul, Armin Razmy, Davis Bell, Christine Hilberg, Derek Knowles  , Cara Friedman, Jade Dornfield, Candice Coke, Tony Bollas, Kelly Wright , Brian Treitler, Stephanie Walker, Deanna Franchot, Shivon Geeb, Zack Ramsey, Jeremy Sisto, Jedd Berina, Sunny Wade, Nikki McCauley, Brenda Schmid, Caryl West, Justin Wade, Luiggi Debiase, Dave Foster, Tyler Lesch, Becky Ginos, Laura Keseric, Yvette Sears, Jeff Grippe, Gigi May, Beau Leon, Wolf at the Door, Jimmy Haun, Alex Kemp, Jimmy Haun & Alex Kemp