Monterey Bay’s ecological turnaround will be highlighted this summer when PBS joins with the BBC for an unprecedented broadcasting event — live coverage from Monterey, over three days, on “Big Blue Live,” an in-depth look at the recovery of Monterey Bay.

“It’s amazing to have this much wildlife on the coast of a state with 38 million people,” said Monterey Bay Aquarium executive director Julie Packard. “The fact that the ocean is so much healthier than it was 50 years ago, right here, is quite remarkable.”

The two networks are anchoring their coverage at the aquarium and on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessels. While both channels often focus on environmental stories, broadcasting live over three days appears to be unprecedented.

The bay has been a marine spectacle in recent years, with abundant dolphins, leaping humpbacks and more. But not long ago, those were rare sights as the region went through a slow rebound from years of exploitation.

Hopkins Marine Laboratory scientist Steve Palumbi, author of “The Death and Life of Monterey Bay,” put it in stark terms in a 2010 Ted Talk: the shore in front of Cannery Row was once a cesspool of pollution that stank so bad it turned lead paint black. The efforts of many people over time helped changed that.

“Seventy or 80 years ago, this was an environment that you might have looked at and given up on,” Palumbi said. “People didn’t give up on it. People worked on it to try to make it better.”

Monterey Bay was also revived by the environmental movement, Packard said, and by Silicon Valley tech titans who chose to invest their fortunes in protecting the environment. Packard is the daughter of Hewlett-Packard co-founder David Packard, who invested in the aquarium.

Packard also pointed to the cluster of research institutions that ring the bay. Within most are world-renowned experts on sharks, marine mammals, sea stars and more.

“The story of the Monterey Bay will hopefully one day become the story for the rest of the world’s oceans,” said Rep. Sam Farr, D-Carmel, who chairs the House Oceans Caucus. “We have shown that through smart management and sustainable practices, local communities can thrive while still protecting our greatest natural resource.”

When to watch: “Big Blue Live” will air on PBS from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, from 8-9 p.m. The BBC segments will air on BBC One in August.

Read the full story here.

Source: Monterey County Herald
 

Monterey College of Law (BCM) is conducting a survey to determine the level of interest in a co-working space in Monterey County.

Not sure what that means? Co-working is the use of an office or other working environment by people who are self-employed or working for different employers, typically so as to share equipment, ideas, and knowledge.

The survey will be used to determine the level of interest in a co-working space at Imjin and Highway 1 or other Monterey County locations, as well as what specific services potential users would be most interested in.

The co-working project is in conjunction with Pacific Workplaces.

Take a few moments to complete the survey here, and pass it along to employers, self-employed workers and others whom you think may be interested.

And for more information about the project, contact Sara Sturtevant, Monterey College of Law associate dean of practical lawyering programs, at 582-4000 Ext. 1036.

 

Some good news for former students of Heald College's Salinas campus on North Main Street, following the bleak news last month that the school would abruptly close all of its campuses, leaving the career plans of scores of students in limbo.

Students have been meeting with recruiters from other schools, including Hartnell (BCM), Monterey Peninsula (BCM) and Cabrillo community colleges, Central Coast College and Union Institute & University, and with representatives from the U.S. Department of Education about their student loans.

Though units for each student must be taken on a case-by-case basis, many of those units are transferrable — if they are enrolled in the appropriate programs. For example, one Hartnell representative said some units from Heald are transferrable to about 23 programs at Hartnell.

In addition, Hartnell has stepped up to help students in Heald's pharmacy technician program who were jeopardized by the closure. The community college agreed to provide a classroom for four to five weeks so the 25 to 40 students could prepare for their licensing exams, said Hartnell President Will Lewallen. He said he met with the pharmacy tech instructors and worked out a solution.

Corinthian Colleges, once the largest chain of for-profit colleges in the U.S., shut down its 28 remaining campuses last month, including the Heald Colleges, two weeks after the DOE fined them $30 million for misrepresentation.

Corinthian campuses had generated $1.4 billion in federal student loans. Some of that money was financing the schooling of 550 people in Salinas. 

Read the full story online.

Source: Salinas Californian
 

San Luis Obispo College of Law granted accreditation by State Bar of California

MST to receive federal funds, service reductions and potential layoffs averted

Monterey-Salinas Transit (BCM) received notice Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Labor has found the Amalgamated Transit Union objection to MST’s grant for operating funds to be insufficient and has proceeded to issue its certification. This means that MST will be able to receive its reimbursement for $4.5 million of eligible operating expenses.  As a result, MST will not have to implement the Emergency Service Reduction Plan and will not have to consider any reductions in force at this time.

MST General Manager and CEO Carl Sedoryk said “I appreciate the exceptional efforts made by MST staff, ATU and their representatives, members of the Department of Labor, as well as Congressman Sam Farr who helped play a part in bringing this difficult matter to a successful resolution.”

Around the world, strong airports lead to strong economies. But in the U.S., we have been unable to invest what is needed to improve our airports and your travel experience. By modernizing the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) to fund these improvements, we can drive the innovation necessary for airports to strengthen security and increase competition to lower fares. But airlines want to stop it despite the benefit to its passengers – the same customers they charge fee after fee to make billions in profits.

Make your voice heard in support of a proposed fee adjustment of just $4 to the current $4.50 Passenger Facility Charge.

Unlike airline fees that help those corporations make huge profits, the Passenger Facility Charge helps airports fund FAA-approved infrastructure improvements to fix aging runways and terminals, relieve congestion and delays, and spur new airline competition that can lower fares. PFCs also enhance security and safety, as well as upgrades to technology and transit – all benefits to passengers, improving their overall travel experience.

Watch the video and sign the petition telling Congress to put airports and passengers first. 

An adjustment to the Passenger Facility Charge can help create modern security checkpoints, increased airline competition, lower fares, baggage handling upgrades, on-time flights and shorter lines.

The comfort of air travel begins and ends at the airport. With the support of Congress, we can modernize the Passenger Facility Charge to fund airport improvements that enhance security and increase competition to lower fares.

Also check out the related New York Times op-ed on the subject here.

Monterey Adult School, Pacific Grove Adult Education, and Monterey Peninsula College (BCM) recently moved to create a new Adult Education Regional Consortium of the Monterey Peninsula. 

The new consortium model marks California’s continued support for adult education programs at both K-12 adult Schools and community colleges, and ushers in the beginning of a more collaborative era for adult education.