Send us a text

The battle for California's coast has erupted once more as offshore drilling returns to Santa Barbara and threatens to spread northward along the entire Pacific coastline. This alarming development follows Trump's late April executive order, which targets even our most protected ocean areas—National Marine Sanctuaries—for oil and gas exploration for the first time in history.

Richard Charter, Senior Fellow at the Ocean Foundation and veteran defender of our coastal ecosystems, explains that this aggressive push by the administration targets specific areas off Bodega Head, Sea Ranch, Gualala, Point Arena, and Mendocino Village. Unlike previous attempts to drill offshore, this one specifically targets marine sanctuaries—areas that took decades of scientific research and public advocacy to establish as protected zones.

The consequences of offshore drilling disasters are etched into California's history. From the infamous 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill to the 2015 Refugio disaster (where oil traveled 150 miles along the coast) and the 2021 Huntington Beach pipeline rupture, California has repeatedly suffered from industry negligence. These aren't just environmental catastrophes—they directly threaten coastal economies dependent on tourism, fishing, and recreation.

What's particularly disturbing is how the administration is dismantling protections from within. Many NOAA scientists have resigned rather than approve drilling permits in sanctuary waters. Safety regulations designed to prevent another Deepwater Horizon disaster are being removed. Even President Biden's January withdrawal of the Pacific coast from oil development—a legally binding protection that courts have upheld—is being simply ignored.

The public has until June 16th to comment on the proposed five-year offshore leasing program through SaveMyCoast.org. Charter reminds us that California's coast isn't just any coastline—it's a global model for marine protection, with carefully designed networks of protected areas studied by planners worldwide. The ecosystem here supports one of the planet's most productive upwelling systems, essential not just for marine life but for the oxygen we breathe.

As Peter Douglas, founder of California coastal protection, famously said: "The California coast is never saved, it's always in the process of being saved." Now is the time to continue that fight.

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

Seacology is a charitable organization headquartered in Berkeley, CA that works to preserve island ecosystems and cultures around the world, as well as conducting annual educational ecotourism trips. Founded in 1991 with the work of ethnobotanist Paul Alan Cox, the high risk of extinction for island fauna and the decline in coral reef ecosystems drives Seacology's focus on projects in which villagers agree to help protect living nature for a specified time in return for things like new buildings, electricity, clean water, or other services - and they work with local businesses to make that happen.

To date, Seacology has completed"

• 441 Projects
• in 70 Countries
• with 1.5 million acres protected

Plus, they helped construct new facilities and provided programs including educational materials, vital medical services, and environmental training. In addition to helping local people on islands like those in Fiji, the Philippines, and Samoa, their projects have helped protect mangrove forests, sea turtles, and one of the rarest primates in the world.

Seacology also awards an annual Prize to indigenous islanders for their efforts in conservation and cultural preservation. The organization has also helped raise emergency funds following destructive tsunamis and other natural disasters. It has won the United Nations Climate Secretariat's Momentum for Change climate action award, was nominated for the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize, and was the top recipient last year of the $250K Lipman Family Prize for outstanding vision, inspiration and impact.

Prior to heading Seacology, Duane Silverstein served for 18 years as Executive Director of the Goldman Fund, a San Francisco based philanthropic foundation where he ove

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.

Send us a text

This conversation is a lead up to the annual Sea Turtle Week each June, which kicks off with World Ocean Day June 8th and ends on the 16, Sea Turtle Week. 7 sea turtle species are highlighted each day along with one of the threats they face. Join Brad Nahill’s See Turtle organization, Save the Sea Turtle Foundation, and more than 150 global partners in raising awareness for sea turtles and our ocean planet. SEE Turtles is the organizer of Sea Turtle Week starting on June 8th with World Ocean Day. These are days used to honor and highlight the importance of sea turtles. Not only are sea turtles beautiful animals, but they also show incredible perseverance and resiliency – after all, they have been nesting on beaches for millions of years.

In this episode, we speak with the President of the organization SEE Turtles - and note that it is spelled SEE, not Sea. Brad has worked in sea turtle conservation, ecotourism, and environmental education for 20 years. For these efforts, he received the prestigious Changemakers Award from the World Travel and Tourism Council in 2019 on behalf of the organization SEE Turtles.

Brad is the editor and lead writer of Sea Turtle Research and Conservation: Lessons From The Field published in (2020) and a co-author of the Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles published in 2014). He is a National Geographic Explorer, was awarded the President’s Award for his work as the chair of the Awards Committee of the International Sea Turtle Society, has authored several book chapters, blogs, and abstracts on turtle conservation and ecotourism, and has presented at major travel conferences and sea turtle symposia.

Brad has a BS in Environmental Economics from Penn State University and has taught ecotourism at Mount

Support the show

Thank you for listening, subscribing, & supporting Resilient Earth Radio!

Leigh Anne Lindsey, Producer Sea Storm Studios, The Sea Ranch, North Sonoma Coast

Scott & Tree Mercer, Co-hosts/Producers, Mendonoma Whale & Seal Study, Mendocino and Sonoma Coasts.

Planet Centric Media is Media for a Healthier Planet. Resilient Earth is a project of this 501 (c) (3) non-profit that is developing & producing media to elevate awareness of the interconnectedness of all living things.

Follow us!

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Threads
• Soundcloud
• YouTube

We still have time to make a positive impact on the future of life on this planet.