 |
 |
Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival Requests Entries
The Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival, SBOFF, a filmmaking event developed to bring the finest ocean films from around the world to Santa Barbara for screenings wants your films.
The Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival is open to all professional and amateur filmmakers and will accept submissions in the following categories:
• Ocean Adrenaline: Heart-pounding films of ocean adventures, close calls with nature, ocean sports, amazing encounters, or anything that will get your adrenaline pumping.
• Marine Conservation and Natural History: Educational or inspiring films of underwater wonders, environmental imagery, new discoveries, or historical treasures.
• Ocean Travel: Films from marine expeditions, amazing journeys, and anything that will lead viewers into the ocean world.
SBOFF encourages you to submit short narratives (under twenty minutes in length) or broadcast length films. There is even a category for your best short. The deadline for entry is August 31, 2006. All proceeds from the event will support The Environmental Defense Council, a nonprofit law firm working with citizen groups on environmental issues protecting our ocean, air and water quality, preserving open spaces, saving species from extinction and guarding public health.
To learn more about the festival, go online to www.ocean.com/look.
Fish & Game Proposes 26 Marine Protected Areas for Central Coast
California is taking significant steps in protecting its ocean resources as the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) unveiled plans for new marine protected areas (MPAs). The department provided the state’s Fish and Game Commission with a series of proposals, including a “preferred option,” for creating a network of MPAs along California’s central coast.
“This action marks an important milestone in the state’s effort to improve the design and management of marine protected areas along the state’s entire coast,” said DFG Director Ryan Broddrick. “It brings California a step closer to meeting the goals of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) passed by the Legislature in 1999.”
The options provided by the department are the culmination of nearly two years of work by several stakeholder groups, a special Blue Ribbon Task Force, a scientific advisory team and DFG, as well as substantial public input and scientific peer review.
In addition to presenting to the commission the options developed by the task force and stake-holders, known as packages 1, 2R and 3R, the department has also forwarded its preferred option, known as “package P.” That package includes 26 marine protected areas covering more than 200 square miles, or about 18 percent of state waters in the central coast region from Point Conception to Pigeon Point. While providing significant new resource protection along the central coast, only half of those areas and less than nine percent of state waters in the region are designated as “no-take” reserves. DFG held more than 30 meetings with stake-holders, government officials and interested citizens to discuss its recommendations as it developed package P.
Many in the diving community consider packages 2R and 3R more effective and “diver friendly” as they protect considerably more of the popular dive sites in the Monterey and Carmel areas. Package P, however, either only partially protects many dive sites or not at all.
The commission will review the DFG package P and alternatives may adopt a final option later this summer. The implementing regulations for the central coast MPAs will be scheduled for commission adoption after the environmental review process is complete.
The next step in the MLPA process will be a series of public meetings, starting on Aug. 2 in Sacramento, wherein the commission will discuss and take public comment on the department’s preferred option and the alternatives. The commission is the official decision-making authority for implementation of the MLPA.
In addition to the meeting on Aug. 2, the commission has scheduled a second, special meeting for Aug. 15 in Monterey. Additional meetings may be held in accordance with the commission’s regular meeting schedule.
“I look forward to the next round of public participation as we look to developing a comprehensive package with wide constituent approval,” Michael Flores, President of the Fish and Game Commission, said. “We have every intention of continuing an open and transparent process.”
For more information on Fish and Game Commission meeting dates and locations, log on to the commission’s web site at http://www.fgc.ca.gov/.
The Marine Life Protection Act directs the state to design and manage a network of marine protected areas through a comprehensive program and management plan. Its primary goals are to protect marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems and marine natural heritage, as well as improve recreational educational and study opportunities provided by marine ecosystems. Marine protected areas include state marine reserves, state marine parks and state marine conservation areas. For more information on MLPA visit DFG’s Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/mlpa/.
Those that cannot make the meetings personally can e-mail the Fish and Game Commission at: fgc@fgc.ca.gov.
SCUBA Show Again Draws Over 10,000; Exhibitors Pleased, Attendees Enthusiastic
SCUBA Show 2006 took place June 24-25 at the Long Beach Convention Center. This is the 19th annual SCUBA Show, the largest dive expo in the western United States. The exhibit hall was packed with 57,000 square feet of diving exhibits. A total of 10,358 underwater enthusiasts attended. The SCUBA Show has drawn over 10,000 per year for the past 16 years.
“We are very pleased with this year’s show,” stated SCUBA Show producer Dale Sheckler. Saturday’s attendance was at near record level at 5,799. Seminar attendance was also very heavy. “The excitement level of the underwater enthusiasts was contagious,” Sheckler went on to say. “I am always invigorated by those I meet at the SCUBA Show. And I learn a lot.”
EXHIBITOR COMMENTS:
• “Absolutely impressed, a great show”
—Claudia Cuevas, Anthony’s Key Resort
• “Great dive show”
—Patric Douglas, Shark Diver
• “Awesome show!”
—Ron Clough, Shark Count
• “Great as always”
—Jody Munro, Chammyz
• “Great show.”
—Suzanne Hauser, Visual Marketing
• “The show was great”
—Judy Vandeventer, Dive Names
ATTENDEE COMMENTS:
• “The show was a big success”
—Rich Parker
• “Another great SCUBA Show”
—Debbie Karimoto
• “What fun!”
—Ruth Harris
• “Congrats on another successful SCUBA Show! My husband and I were there on Sunday and enjoyed it very much.”
—Stacey Janik, Paradise Dive Club
Plans are already underway for SCUBA Show 2007 June 2-3 again at the Long Beach Convention Center. For the most up to date information, visit www.saintbrendan.com on the web.
Dave Bunch Honored
On June 24 diving long-time scuba instructor Dave Bunch was honored with the California Scuba Service Award at the Casino Night Benefit for the Catalina Conservancy Divers held in conjunction with SCUBA Show 2006. This award comes from Saint Brendan Corporation (California Diving News and the SCUBA Show) to recognize those who have made positive, long-term contributions to the California diving community.
This year’s recipient is long-time and popular diving instructor Dave Bunch. For 42 years Bunch has been an active instructor for Los Angeles County, the oldest scuba certification organization in the world. He has participated in every one of the world renown L.A. County Advanced Diver Programs (A.D.P.) since it’s inception in 1964. The Los Angeles County program and Underwater Instructor’s Association (U.I.A.) is staffed entirely by volunteers and is dedicated to teaching quality safe diving with particular attention to the rigors of California underwater exploration.
In addition to his dedication to California diving, Dave Bunch has been a scuba instructor for Princess Cruises and worked with astronauts in underwater weightlessness simulations at the Johnson Space Center.
At age 75, Dave Bunch is the oldest active instructor in the L.A. County U.I.A. Bunch has long been noted for his watermanship skills and ability to produce competent, confident and happy divers.
Abalone Restoration Planned for Palos Verdes, Volunteers Needed
Giancarlo Cetrulo, director of the SEA Lab, a program of the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, announced their plans to utilize their abalone aquaculture operation for restoring populations of green abalone along the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
“This project is long overdue. You would be hard pressed to find an abalone at Abalone Cove and that’s a shame. We have healthy, adult green abalone and the resources to make this project a reality. We are very excited to work with all interested parties in the community and especially those folks who want a real hands-on project with tangible improvements,” stated Cetrulo.
The SEA Lab Abalone Project (SLAP) is a three-year project, with monitoring for a further two years. SLAP proposes the use of green abalone (Haliotis fulgens) as a representative species to demonstrate the most effective re-population strategies. This program is still in its infancy and will be working closely with the California Department of Fish & Game to develop an appropriate management plan, obtain the necessary licenses and permits, and identify suitable enhancement sites.
Volunteers are needed initially to assist with abalone aquaculture operations and conducting surveys on possible sites to assess current abalone populations. As the project progresses, volunteers will be needed to assist with out-planting and post-enhancement surveys. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Brent Scheiwe, SEA Lab Operations Manager, at 310-379-0626 or bscheiwe@lacorps.org.
The SEA Lab is a hands-on coastal science education center in Redondo Beach that offers free and low cost programs for children of all ages to enjoy. The SEA Lab is located at 1021 N. Harbor Drive (next to the Chart House Restaurant) in Redondo Beach, California. Admission is free to the public. For more information, please call 310-318-7458. College students trained by the Los Angeles Conservation Corps lead the activities, including beach explorations, touch-tank tours and interactive classroom programs. The SEA Lab extends its programs into the community through summer camp programs, community service projects (including beach cleanups) and the Traveling Tidepool mobile exhibit.
In addition to its youth programs, the SEA Lab also conducts coastal conservation activities such as rescuing marine animals trapped in the saltwater intake systems of local power plants, hosting marine-related research projects, and replanting coastal bluffs with native plants.
Call for Entries for San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition
This is a call for entries for the 7th Annual San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition scheduled for Friday and Saturday evenings, October 20 & 21, 2006 at the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.
Here is your chance to see your work in a large-format, state-of-the art, digital theater, and to share your adventures with others.
Each evening will feature a different program consisting of 14 to 16 short underwater films from locations all over the world. Independent judges decide which films will be shown. In the past they have included such people as Howard and Michelle Hall, Marty Snyderman, Bob Cranston, and Lance Millbrand.
Submission deadline is August 15, 2006. Only mini-DV NTSC tapes will be accepted. No film should be longer than five minutes max and at least 50 percent of the footage must be underwater.
For more information, visit www.sdufex.com online. If you have any further questions, please contact either Bob Gladden at (858) 695-0264, ovisions@san.rr.com; or Steve Douglas at: (619) 464-4505, steve-sharksdelight@cox.net.