Marine Mammal Center deals with mass sea lion stranding

A lack of food in the ocean is causing a large number of juvenile sea lions to come ashore, unable to return to the water because they are malnourished, say officials at the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands.

In Marin, the young sea lions - usually about a year old - have turned up at Angel Island, Rodeo Beach, Dillon Beach, Stinson Beach and in Sausalito on Wednesday.

"They just keep coming," said center spokesman Jim Oswald. "They can't find food and they become too weak to swim so they come on shore. Then they are too weak to go back into the water."

Since Jan. 1, there have been 313 reported strandings from the Mendocino to San Luis Obispo coasts; there were 485 in all of 2008.

Scientists are still trying to determine where the squid, anchovies and herring - staples of the sea lions' diet - have gone and why. There were a large number of sea lion pups born on the West Coast last year, Oswald said.

"That may have some effect, but there still should be enough food for all of them," Oswald said.



Full article here: Marin Independent Journal

Jumbo Squid Attack the West Coast

"A type of squid native to the Pacific coast of Mexico is attacking dolphins and tuna as the species expands into new waters as far north as Alaska. Now for the first time marine biologists can watch these battles from a boat above, monitoring the squids' movements with acoustic technology similar to the equipment used by fisherman to follow school of fish.

Echo-locating sensors developed at Oregon State University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in California have revealed large numbers of Humboldt squid just off Mexico's Pacific coast, in an area where the squid are commercially fished. This tracking system could soon shed some light on whether the squid population's spread out of Mexican waters and up the coastline is due to global warming -- and whether it poses a potential threat to U.S. fisheries and ecosystems."



Jumbo Squid Attack the West Coast

Lawsuit seeks more protection of sea turtles

Posted in the San Francisco Chronicle: The U.S. government is failing to adequately protect the world's oldest and most imperiled sea turtles, leaving them vulnerable to capture and injury off the California and Oregon coasts, according to a lawsuit filed by three environmental groups in a San Francisco federal court Thursday.

New protections for the turtles, including as few as 3,000 nesting females remaining in the world, would result in stricter controls on gillnet and longline fishing, oil drilling and wave-energy projects, the groups argue.

The western Pacific leatherbacks travel 6,000 miles from Indonesia to forage for food off the Golden Gate, and the North Pacific loggerheads come from the Japanese archipelago to feed from Alaska to Baja.

At the same time, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Center for Biological Diversity and Oceana, the groups that filed the suit in U.S. District Court, are asking the federal government to deny a permit to begin the first hooked-longline fishing for swordfish in California waters, which they say snags turtles. Currently, West Coast commercial fishermen may use only harpoons or drift gillnets to catch swordfish, and longline gear is prohibited along the California coast and out 200 miles.

Cutest Puppy on the Beach? Yes!

Horseback ride halted across Golden Gate Bridge

Monday, May 4, 2009

A man riding his horse across the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday evening didn't get far before the California Highway Patrol stopped him.

The spectacle of horse and rider on San Francisco's famous span slowed traffic at 6:20 p.m. The rider was heading from Marin to San Francisco in the sidewalk when the CHP caught up to him.

'We had him turn around and exit the bridge, and he had someone pick him up with a trailer,' said bridge district Sgt. Bill Sangregory."



Horseback ride halted across Golden Gate Bridge

A Couple of Photos

A windy day at Stinson Beach:



Driving through Marin County, near Olema:

Stairway to heaven - the Dipsea Trail

From the examiner.com:

As Bay Area hikes go, the Dipsea Trail is probably the most well known among local hikers and runners. While it's notoriety stems mainly from being home to the oldest footrace in the US - The Dipsea has been run every year since 1905 - it's equally known for the 667 steps that greet casual hikers at the start of the trail in Mill Valley. But don't let the stories fool you, the end of this hike is even more impressive as it offers unparalleled views of Stinson Beach as you descend to the coast. So if you're in the mood for a helluva workout while experiencing the best hike within 100 miles of San Francisco, read on.

The first decision you have to make is whether you want to do the hike as a round trip or one way. If you're doing the round trip, buck up for a long day. At a distance of 14.2 miles, the numerous climbs and descents will defintiely take their toll. So rest up, carbo load, and take plenty of water because the only place to refill is Stinson Beach. Most first timers opt for the more manageable 7.1 mile one way trip. That of course requires you to leave transportation at Stinson before you start, so it's a decision that you need to make in advance.

When you're ready to get started, make sure you leave ample time for a pre-hike breakfast at the Dipsea Cafe. It's a favorite among locals and is on the way to the trailhead if you're coming from San Francisco or points south. The pancakes are fantastic and huge...and highly recommended. When you're finished, make your way to the trail near downtown Mill Valley. For complete directions as well as a great description of the entire course, go here.



Read more here.

Uni-flipper turtle gets it straight with swimsuit

Not exactly Stinson Beach material but we do have a lot of sea turtle fans who visit this site. So check this out:

"Allison, a green sea turtle with only one flipper, has been going around and around and around for most of her life.

But swimming in tight circles is tough for a 5-year-old turtle whose life expectancy is about 150 years.

Allison was set straight Wednesday, when researchers outfitted her in a black neoprene suit with a carbon-fiber dorsal fin on the back that allows her to glide gracefully with other turtles.

'That's a sea turtle doing what a sea turtle does,' said Dave Cromwell, a worker who watched the turtle's new moves at Sea Turtle Inc., a Texas not-for-profit group that rehabilitates injured sea turtles."



Read more here