Should I start with the whales, the bat rays or the leopard shark?
I think I’ll save the whales for last.
Week Two of my journey with photographer Allen Schaben, all the way down the California coast, began Monday morning in Point Reyes National Seashore. I wanted to update a story—an epic tale of private versus public interests that made national news several years ago.
For decades, Drakes Estero was home to an oyster farm that produced delicacies craved by slurping aficionados and gourmet chefs. The last owners of the company wanted to extend their lease, and they had plenty of support.
Customers, U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, and quite a few locals were among those arguing that the oyster farm was a perfectly appropriate enterprise, and some of them disputed foes’ claims of habitat damage.
Advertisement
Soon they were all around us, three feet wide, slapping at the surface and gliding through eel grass.
Amy Trainer kayaks past oyster racks that are part of a restoration project to remove 470 tons of marine debris in Drakes Estero.
(Allen Schaben / Los Angeles Times )
But oceanographer Sylvia Earle called Drakes Estero “a crown jewel†of great ecological significance, arguing that its eel grass meadows were a critical nursery for fish, harbor seals and migrating shore birds. Others thought it was just plain wrong to have a private industrial operation in the middle of a public wilderness area.
Advertisement
The opponents prevailed in 2012 when the Secretary of the U.S. Interior decided to shut down the operation. The production shacks have since been knocked down and carted away. Point Reyes National Seashore Supt. Cicely Muldoon told me the restoration of the estuary, which involves the removal of tons of underwater racks used to cultivate oysters, will begin in a matter of days.
I kayaked the estero on Monday with Muldoon and Amy Trainer, who was vilified by some locals when she fought to shut down the oyster farm as director of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin.
Trainer, now with the California Coastal Protection Network, pulled a four-foot long string of plastic tubing out of the mud as we boarded our kayaks. It was used in the cultivation process and at one time there were thousands of the tubes out there, she said.
Advertisement
We kayaked into a breeze that rippled Schooner Bay. Not too far in front of us, a river otter surfaced and curled back down. I noticed movement out of my right eye, looked down, and a three-foot leopard shark moseyed by.
We saw white pelicans and an egret rookery, and when we reached a draw on the bay, the surface of the water rippled.
“You’re looking at a bat ray,†said Trainer.
Soon they were all around us, three feet wide, slapping at the surface and gliding through eel grass.
The tides and winds move stuff. There are probably plastic tubes on every beach in the Pacific Ocean now.
— Tom Baty
1/121
A woman takes a break from riding her horse on Imperial Beach, one of only a few places along the coast where horses are allowed.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
2/121
Palm fronds reveal a surfer, a couple and children taking in sunset at Windansea Beach in La Jolla.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
3/121
The tide splashes up on the beach at sunset on a warm summer evening at Windansea Beach in La Jolla.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
4/121
Backdropped by San Diego’s skyline, former Sen. James Mills, 89, stands at his Coronado apartment with the bike he rode from Sacramento to San Diego in 1972 to promote Proposition 20, which created the Coastal Commission and led to the Coastal Act.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
5/121
Children camping at Campland on the Bay paddle around on body boards in the warm waters of San Diego’s Mission Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
6/121
A view from the Torrey Pines Gliderport cliffs, overlooking Black’s Beach and Torrey Pines State Beach in La Jolla.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
7/121
A California sea lions basks in the evening sunlight while resting on a rock in the La Jolla Marine Reserve, one of 11 California marine protected areas (MPAs).
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
8/121
A bod surfer is upended amid the crashing shorebreak at Windansea Beach in La Jolla.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
9/121
A surfer heads in by a fire pit, hammock and palapa at dusk at San Onofre State Beach in San Clemente.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
10/121
Mila Renieri and Diego Merli of Milan, Italy, play on a homemade teeter-totter at San Onofre State Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
11/121
A “no beach access†sign is posted at Dan Blocker Beach scenic viewpoint. The beach is one of several in Malibu that don’t allow public access.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
12/121
RV campers have an ocean view, just across from Pacific Coast Highway at the Malibu Beach RV Park in Malibu.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
13/121
A kayaker checks out the clear waters of Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
14/121
A snorkeler swims around a reef/ rock formation at Crescent Bay, Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
15/121
A snorkeler looks for fish at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
16/121
Garibaldi, the California state fish, swim and feed on rocks at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
17/121
Small fish swim at the reef at Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
18/121
A surfer rides a wave at sunset at “Old Man’s†surf break at San Onofre State Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
19/121
A bodyboarder rides a wave at Crescent Bay, Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
20/121
Anders Hamborg rides a wave before his shift working as a Huntington Beach city lifeguard on a warm summer day in Huntington Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
21/121
A view of the beach through a telescope at Pacific City, a new 31-acre mixed use development in Huntington Beach, also known as Surf City U.S.A.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
22/121
The site of the proposed Banning Ranch development now before the Calif. Coastal Commission.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
23/121
The tide rolls in at twilight at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) nuclear power plant located on the border of San Diego County and San Clemente.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
24/121
A view of the AES Huntington Beach Generating Station, where an ocean water intake pipe is located that uses a technique of once-through cooling that is harmful to marine life scheduled to be phased out by 2020. The California Coastal Commission is holding a hearing on the proposed Poseidon Huntington beach Desalination project September 7/8. Poseidon would operate next to the AES power plant and use it’s ocean water intake pipe.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
25/121
A dolphin leaps out of the water with a view of south Laguna Beach in the background on Aug. 12, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
26/121
A pod of dolphins leaps out of the water with a view of south Laguna Beach in the background on Aug. 12, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
27/121
The Spirit of Dana Point, a traditionally built replica of a 1770s privateer schooner used during the American Revolution, takes a sunset cruise past The Headlands, center, and The Strand at Headlands development, left, in Dana Point. The Coastal Commission approved the 121-acre development known as The Strand at Headlands in 2004, but only after a decades-long fight between conservationists and the developer.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
28/121
The orange glow of the setting sun shines through palm trees on a warm summer evening in Heisler Park, Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
29/121
Beach combers enjoy a warm summer evening exploring the ocean and coastline of Main Beach, Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
30/121
Couples enjoy a sunset on a warm summer evening in Heisler Park, Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
31/121
Beach combers are silhouetted by the sky’s glow while exploring the rocks at sunset on a warm summer evening in Heisler Park, Laguna Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
32/121
Children run along the beach at twilight near the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
33/121
The sun sets over the Crystal Cove Beach Cottages in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
34/121
Kayakers take a scenic cruise in Monterey Bay on a summer day in Monterey. In the background, sand dunes line the coast where the proposed hotel and condominium Monterey Bay Shores development in Sand City.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
35/121
Isabella, 9, and Holden, 7, roast marshmallows over a beach fire with their parents, Steve and Amy Knuff of Aliso Viejo at twilight at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
36/121
Incoming tide rolls onto the beach at twilight at Crystal Cove Beach Cottages. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
37/121
A photographer captures the sunset over the ocean in Rancho Palos Verdes. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
38/121
The Point Vicente Lighthouse illuminates the landscape at twilight in Rancho Palos Verdes. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
39/121
A person climbs up the giant Point Mugu Sand Dune, across from Thornhill Broome Beach State Park in Ventura County.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
40/121
Taylor Geer and Marissa Acosta of Thousand Oaks relax on top of the giant Point Mugu Sand Dune, across from Thornhill Broome Beach State Park in Ventura County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
41/121
Kids play on a stand-up-paddleboard at Leo Carrillo State Park in Malibu. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
42/121
Vivienne Lee, 7, of Thousand Oaks, jumps across rocks under the arches of a rock formation while watching the tide roll in at twilight at El Matador State Beach in Malibu. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
43/121
Keenan Yoo watches the waves crash at twilight at El Matador State Beach in Malibu. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
44/121
A tidal inlet reflects the surrounding landscape as a couple walk with their dog at twilight along Arroyo Burro Beach County Park in Santa Barbara. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
45/121
A Blue Heron flies over the Naples State Marine Conservation Area. Phil McKenna, president of the Gaviota Coast Conservancy, says the portion down-coast of Point Conception contains approximately 50% of its remaining rural coastline.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
46/121
A man fishes in the ocean at sunset at Arroyo Burro Beach County Park in Santa Barbara.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
47/121
A deer takes a break from grazing to look out over the meadow in Cambria.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
48/121
A man walking his dog is viewed underneath a Cypress tree canopy over the beach boardwalk along Moonstone Beach in Cambria.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
49/121
A surfer rides a wave near a rock formation in Morro Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
50/121
The sun, filtered by forest fire ash and fog, goes down at the Morro Bay Marina, with a view of Morro Rock and sailboats.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
51/121
Surfers walk down the beach after surfing in front of Morro Rock.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
52/121
A windmill lines an undeveloped stretch of coast along Cayucos’ Estero Bay with Morro Rock visible in the background.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
53/121
A child bundled up in a thick wetsuit, cap and life jacket, skips to the water’s edge with an adult taking them body boarding in Morro Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
54/121
A child toting sand toys heads across the sand dunes at Morro Bay State Park in Morro Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
55/121
The tide fills in between jagged rock and cliff formations at Montaña de Oro State Beach in Los Osos.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
56/121
The tide fills in between jagged rock and cliff formations at Montaña de Oro State Beach in Los Osos.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
57/121
Elephant Seals battle one another on the beach rookery at Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve, San Simeon.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
58/121
A scenic view of the setting sun shining through the fog along the Big Sur coastline. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
59/121
A scenic view of a waterfall spilling onto the beach at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur coastline.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
60/121
A scenic view of an iconic California coastline gem, the Bixby Bridge, Big Sur.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
61/121
Tourists sit together at a lookout point while exploring the Big Sur coastline.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
62/121
A scenic view taken from Rocky Point, looking out over the Big Sur coastline.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
63/121
Elephant Seals gather on the beach rookery at Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve, San Simeon.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
64/121
Kayakers take a scenic cruise on Monterey Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
65/121
A scenic view of Garrapata State Park in Carmel-by-the-Sea.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
66/121
A view of Carmel Sunset Beach on a summer day.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
67/121
A child climbs a dune on the site of a proposed, nearly 400-unit hotel and condominium development in Sand City.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
68/121
A Western snowy plover, a threatened species protected under the Endangered Species Act, stands amid critical habitat at the site of the proposed Monterey Bay Shores condo and hotel development in Sand City.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
69/121
Amid fog, Mark Massara, a decades-long coastal steward, surfs in front of Shark Tooth Rock at Martins Beach, where an access gate remains locked despite a judge’s order to landowner Vinod Khosla to to open the private gate and allow public access to the beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
70/121
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez revisits Santa Cruz, where he surfed as a boy.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
71/121
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez surfs in Santa Cruz.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
72/121
The sun illuminates the incoming tide as a child plays in the water near Twin Lakes State Beach in Santa Cruz.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
73/121
A harbor seal lets out a yawn while relaxing on the rocks at Pigeon Point Light Station near Santa Cruz.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
74/121
A sailor heads out to sea from Santa Cruz.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
75/121
A mural on a beach cottage wall at Martins Beach, where an access gate remains locked despite a judge’s order to landowner Vinod Khosla to to open the private gate and allow public access to the beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
76/121
The sun sets as a crew team glides through the water near Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
77/121
A tourist takes in the coastline scenery at Pigeon Point Light Station near Santa Cruz. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
78/121
A view of the scenic Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park in Pescadero.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
79/121
Sailboats and stand-up-paddle boarders share the water off Lighthouse Point in Santa Cruz.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
80/121
Ash from a nearby forest fire creates a yellow-hued sky at sunset at Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
81/121
A view of one of California’s most beloved coastal gems: the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco skyline from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
82/121
An egret searches for breakfast on a foggy morning at Bolinas Lagoon Nature Preserve in Stinson Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
83/121
A family walks across the beach amid the fog at Dunes Beach in Half Moon Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
84/121
A man checking the surf is silhouetted by evening sunshine reflecting off the ocean amid fog at Dunes Beach in Half Moon Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
85/121
Harbor Seals relax in the mud at low tide on a foggy morning at Bolinas Lagoon Nature Preserve in Stinson Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
86/121
A crab crawls through the mud at low tide at Bolinas Lagoon Nature Preserve in Stinson Beach.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
87/121
White pelicans and sea gulls perch on a sand bar in Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
88/121
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, left, gets a kayak tour through the eel grass from Amy Trainer, right, deputy director California Coastal Protection Network.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
89/121
A coyote hunts for food along the shore in Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
90/121
Tom Baty, a local environmentalist, has a collection of Japanese glass fishing floats he found on the beach over the years. They are used to hold up fishing nets.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
91/121
Tom Baty has been involved in the fight to close the oyster farm on Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
92/121
A harbor seal checks out kayakers in Drakes Estero, Point Reyes National Seashore.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
93/121
Steve Lopez, left, gets a kayak tour from Amy Trainer, in white kayak, Brett Miller and Cicely Muldoon.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
94/121
Remnants of oyster racks are part of a restoration project to remove 470 tons of marine debris and 5 miles of oyster racks in Drakes Estero
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
95/121
Amy Trainer, deputy director California Coastal Protection Network, kayaks past oyster racks in Drakes Estero.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
96/121
Amy Trainer, deputy director California Coastal Protection Network, kayaks past oyster racks in Drakes Estero.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
97/121
The tide pools at the scenic Shell Beach in Sea Ranch, Calif. Sea Ranch rallied a generation of coastal stewards demanding public access to the rugged and scenic beauty on the Sonoma County coast.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
98/121
A view of flowers overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Bodega Head, Bodega Bay.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
99/121
A blue heron perches on a branch at The Hole in Bodega Head that was meant to hold a nuclear power plant. Photo taken at Bodega Head, Bodega Bay, Calif.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
100/121
A view of the rugged beauty of the Sonoma County coast.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
101/121
Couples take a scenic walk on the beach in Crescent City.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
102/121
The rocky coastline of Shelter Cove.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
103/121
Fog partially obscures the high cliffs of the Lost Coast, where early conservation activists fought development in Shelter Cove.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
104/121
A woman watches the tide roll in on Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove along the Lost Coast.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
105/121
A woman walks along Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
106/121
An evening view of the Mendocino County coastline in Northern California.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
107/121
A full moon rises at dusk over the protected Ma-le’l Dunes in Arcata, which contain eight distinct habitats.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
108/121
Sunset illuminates Battery Point Lighthouse and sea stacks in Crescent City on July 18, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
109/121
A surfer heads out at sunset to catch a wave near a sea stack in Crescent City on July 18, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
110/121
Flowers overlooking Enderts Beach near Crescent City on July 19, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
111/121
The Battery Point Lighthouse illuminates the night sky near sea stacks in Crescent City on July 18, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
112/121
A couple walks along the beach at Pelican Bay State Beach after crossing the California border from Oregon on July 18, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
113/121
Empty half-acre lots and paved roads are now part of the Lake Earl Wildlife Area on July 18, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
114/121
A blue heron lands on a tree branch amid the rich habitat of the south Lake Earl Wildlife Area, which was formerly private Bliss Ranch and is now public land near Crescent City on July 18, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
115/121
Water ripples among reeds in the near-empty half-acre lots and paved roads that are now part of the Lake Earl Wildlife Area.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
116/121
Sunset illuminates sea stacks and the coastline at False Klamath Cove in Redwood National Park near Crescent City on July 18, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
117/121
The sun sets behind trees at False Klamath Cove in Redwood National Park near Crescent City on July 18, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
118/121
A view of the Smith River National Recreation Area in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park on July 19, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
119/121
Times columnist Steve Lopez, right, kayaks with Grant Werschkull, left, co-executive director of the Smith River Alliance, on the Smith River National Recreation Area in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park on July 19, 2016. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
120/121
An elk grazes in the meadow at sunset in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park on July 19, 2016.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
121/121
Patterns formed by the wind and bird footprints in the sand at the Ma-le’l Dunes North, which contains eight different habitats, in Arcata on July 19, 2016. The dunes are highlighted as a victory for the coast after a years-long fight by conservationists to keep off-highway vehicles off the unique sand dunes.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
There’s no science yet on whether the end of oyster farming has restored sea grass and aided the animals that live here. But I felt grateful for the chance to float peacefully, as a visitor to a national treasure rather than an occupier. Not long ago, motorboats plied the estero and pneumatic drills could be heard, and the hum of commerce must have been harsh, like unexpected racket that disrupts a perfect dream.
Advertisement
On our way back to shore, fog hovered low over the bay and seemed to be a spiritual as much as a natural phenomenon.
Two things struck me:
That the California coast offers so many different landscapes, from pounding surf to plunging cliffs, from funky beach towns to quiet retreats like Drakes Estero.
And that the fight to save this treasure is a noble, never-ending endeavor.
After the kayak tour we paid a visit to Sherry and Tom Baty of Inverness, who fought on the side of wilderness during the oyster farm showdown that left local folks divided, even to this day.
Baty is retired and goes fishing every day if the weather is good. If it’s not, he walks miles of beaches early in the morning, picking up trash.
That hobby came in handy during the oyster farm battle.
“My [contribution] was walking the beaches and finding oyster debris — the black plastic spacer tubes,†Baty said, referring to the very thing Trainer had pulled out of the mud a few hours earlier. “I’ve seen them out there my entire life.â€
A crab crawls through the mud at low tide at Bolinas Lagoon Nature Preserve in Stinson Beach.
(Allen Schaben / Los Angeles Times )
Advertisement
Baty did his research not on the estero, but on the outer Marin beaches. On his first outing, he said, he found more than 700 of the tubes and plotted their location with GPS. On another outing he found more than 500, taking notes and presenting his findings to the Coastal Commission.
“I was trying to demonstrate that the problem was not just in the estero,†Baty said. “The tides and winds move stuff. There are probably plastic tubes on every beach in the Pacific Ocean now.â€
If you find that unlikely, let me point out that over the decades, Baty has collected washed up trash that floated across the sea from distant lands.
“It’s domestic and international. I’ve found things with every language under the sun printed on it. From Indonesia, Japan, Korea.â€
Baty has collected hundreds of glass balls used by Japanese net fishermen. They’re displayed in his living room, in stacks on the floor and on a table.
Most of what he finds, though, is not appropriate for a living room display. Plastics, containers, boating equipment.
Advertisement
“I’ve seen beaches covered with hypodermic needles and used condoms — talk about disgusting. And every tennis ball ever lost by someone walking a dog on the beach.â€
On my way out of Point Reyes I cruised through Stinson Beach, which has a bigger problem than trash. Homes in a private development are threatened by rising surf, and rock has been dumped to protect them.
Not that you can hold back the ocean, but that doesn’t keep us from trying to live as close as we can to the water, drawn like moths to a flame.
Running out of time to write this column, I drove south through San Francisco and on to Pacifica, where I passed an abandoned apartment complex at risk of toppling into the sea.
That’s an extremely large dolphin, I thought.
What happened next I figure I owe to everyone who has fought to preserve access to our state’s beaches and our ability to view the coast without booking a room in a luxury hotel.
Advertisement
That includes California’s coastal commissioners, who have over the decades, more often than not, made farsighted decisions despite high-pressure cajoling by developers who see only dollars on the shore.
Looking for a place to park, I noticed movement in the water, no more than 100 yards off the beach.
That’s an extremely large dolphin, I thought.
I pulled over and saw others looking in the same direction.
It wasn’t a dolphin.
It was a humpback whale, and then another, and another, breaking the surface of the sea and migrating north along this fragile, endlessly amazing coast, a gift as old as time.
Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist. Lopez is the author most recently of “Independence Day: What I Learned About Retirement, From Some Who’ve Done It and Some Who Never Will.†His book “The Soloist,†inspired by his columns on his relationship with a Juilliard-trained homeless person, was a Los Angeles Times and New York Times best-seller, winner of the PEN USA Literary Award for Non-Fiction, and the subject of a Dream Works movie by the same name. He has also written three novels and two column collections.
