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Dear <<First Name>>,
Thank you for joining us at our 2015 annual member's meeting and potluck dinner! The annual dinner is always an excellent opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new friends of the EAC. We are grateful for our community of supporters whose continued involvement makes our work possible.
The EAC has been hard at work over the last year taking on several important issues facing West Marin. Our track record for success has continued through our member-supported program work. Preserving the spectacular, and uniquely special place that is West Marin is hard work! EAC is the only organization committed to doing the tough policy and advocacy work necessary to preserve it. We are blessed to have it in our backyard, but as you know it takes vigilance and tireless work but it also takes all of you, part of our community to support EAC to ensure we have the resources to make sure our voice is heard, to stay engaged and defend what matters to us all, so thank you for your continued support.
Thank you to everyone for being part of EAC's Community! We look forward to seeing you at our next EAC event!
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 Best regards!
Amy Trainer
Environmental Action Committee
Executive Director
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EAC Meeting Highlights
Marin Marine Protected Area (MPA) Watch: The MPA Watch is a citizen-science project EAC is collaborating in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences and Point Reyes National Seashore. This program provides the opportunity for the public to learn, engage and experience our Marine Protected Areas while contributing to citizen-science. The program has expanded under Morgan Patton's leadership as Marin MPA Watch Volunteer Coordinator. We’re now working with middle and high school, as well as college students, throughout Marin County to engage them in learning about our Marine Protected Areas, about threats to our ocean’s health, and how we can take action.
 This summer, join the Marin MPA Watch team on the beach to learn about our Marine Protected Areas, conduct surveys and help clean up the beach. We are collecting marine debris off Drakes Beach in June, July and August and engaging with local schools, community centers, camps, families and all around creative folk to create art out of the trash to display on California Coastal Clean Up Day in September 2015. Sign up online at www.marinmpawatch.org. |
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EAC Supports Senator McGuire’s California Coastal Protection Act of 2015: The issue of oil spill and response has become an important issue in the aftermath of the May 19, 2015, Refugio Beach Oil Spill pipeline rupture in Santa Barbara. EAC has been working since 2013 on increasing awareness of this issue, and worked in January 2015 to introduce a bill which would improve oil spill response efforts and remove the use of chemical dispersants from the oil spill response toolkit. Following the Refugio Beach Oil Spill, EAC has been working with Senator Jackson from Santa Barbara to ensure that California's coast, ocean and marine protected areas receive the best achievable protection as possible as required by California law.
 EAC has also been working with Senator McGuire on his California Coastal Protection Act, which would once and for all close the loophole that would allow offshore drilling in state waters in the Santa Barbara channel. EAC created the online petition in partnership with Heal the Bay to rally public support to pass SB 788. We closed the petition today with over 10,000 signatures! Click here to read Amy Trainer's Op Ed published in the Press Democrat.
EAC's involvement in this coalition is critical for the protection of the West Marin coastline in the case of an oil tanker spill. The priceless biodiversity and thriving marine ecosystems of the northern California coast, especially the Point Reyes peninsula, are uniquely vulnerable to the impacts of an oil spill.
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Local Coastal Plan: EAC has continued to be the leader on Marin County’s Local Coastal Plan amendment proposal, and ensuring that coastal protections for our environmental and agricultural lands do not get rolled back – and we were instrumental in a series of meetings held between the environmental and agricultural communities.
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 California Pesticide Lawsuit: EAC was the only organization in Marin that joined a lawsuit, along with the City of Berkeley and the Environmental Working Group, to sue the California Department of Food and Agriculture for its significantly flawed environmental analysis. This agency gave itself authority to apply 79 toxic pesticides near our schools, our homes, our waterways, and our organic farms with grossly insufficient environmental analysis and no provision for public notice before they spray these toxins. The motion for preliminary injunction will be heard in late July, and EAC will keep you updated.
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National Marine Sanctuaries Expansion: We advocated for the northern boundary expansion for Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries. We celebrate success as the expansion became final a week ago, thanks in a large part to Congressman Huffman's participation and continued advocacy.
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 Point Reyes National Seashore Ranch Management Plan: Over the past year, EAC has initiated multiple meetings with the Point Reyes National Seashore agricultural community. This will foster a civil dialogue, to begin building trust, to learn about the issues and concerns of the ranching and dairying community as we move forward together with the National Park and the Comprehensive Ranch Management Plan, and let them know about our concerns.
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Thank you volunteers! Thank you to our volunteers who helped make our annual dinner a success! Thank you to our board members and volunteers: Terence Carroll, Ken Drexler, Tom Gamen, Geneva Gondak, Jerry Meral, Bridger Mitchell, Dominique Richard, David and Idie Weinsoff. Additional thank you to all who stayed late helping clean up after the event!
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Upcoming EAC Events!
California Coastal Clean Up Day: September 19, 2015 at Drakes Beach. Come out and join us for the annual coastal clean up. Pick up marine debris along Drakes Beach and view the Marin MPA Watch marine debris display. Let us know you are coming at events@eacmarin.org.
Litter Bugs Me: Join our annual roadside clean-up crew the week of September 26th-October 3rd to clean up the trash on our roads. Save the dates will be sent out soon to group leaders. If you haven't participated in this and want to join, email us at events@eacmarin.org.
Piper on the Ridge: Save the date! September 27, 2015. Bring friends and a picnic to the time honored tradition celebrating the changing of the seasons on the top of Mount Vision. Let us know you are coming by emailing events@eacmarin.org.
Pelagic Trip: Reserve your spot today for our October 2015 Pelagic Adventure! Email us at events@eacmarin.org to save your spot. Tickets are limited and the boat sells out each year. We will send out final date and information in August 2015.
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Thank you for reading EAC’s Thank You Note & Action Update!
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