If you're heading to a state beach this weekend or into the holiday week, look for big red flags showing which sections are protected by lifeguards. "Please swim between the red flags," said Robert Paquette, chief of the parks and recreation division of the state Department of Environmental Management.

If you're heading to a state beach this weekend or into the holiday week, look for big red flags showing which sections are protected by lifeguards.

"Please swim between the red flags,"said Robert Paquette, chief of the parks and recreation division of the state Department of Environmental Management.

Although Rhode Island typically uses such flags in spring and fall, especially as younger summer lifeguards have gone back to school, the red markers will probably be up all summer, Paquette said.

That's because the state beaches are contendingwith a lifeguard shortage that beaches around the country are experiencing, he said.

Rhode Island typically needs 150 lifeguards for its 14 state beaches. This year, it's 20 lifeguards short, said Katie Degnan, the DEM's lifeguard coordinator.

Paquette's division runs the testing for lifeguards at freshwater and saltwater beaches in Rhode Island state beaches and those run by municipalities or private operators. He said he's hearing that city, town and private beaches are also having trouble hiring lifeguards.

But Degnan said the shortage for state beaches is a bit puzzling because the number of lifeguards her division certified this year is higher than last year 919, compared with 887 in 2016.

In Middletown, where Second Beach and Third Beach attract throngs through the summer, beach manager Timothy Coen said he typically turns down 20 to 25 applicants. This year, he had no surplus. Typically, he hires about 40 lifeguards, 30 full-time and 10 part-time. He's short about five full-time lifeguards this year.

Coen isn't sure why. He said he had begun to think young people weren't so interested in the hard work of a lifeguard job but when told the state certified more people this year than last year, he said those numbers don't back up that notion.

Besides, Coen said, he hasn't heard people say they don't want to work hard, and he still finds dedicated lifeguards: "We just could use a few more."

Many states don't require lifeguards at state beaches and some, like Connecticut, are cutting back because of budget crunches, Paquette said.Rhode Island is one of the few that require lifeguards at its beaches, he said.

Despite trouble filling these jobs, Paquette said he doesn't think Rhode Island would stop hiring guards for its beaches.

"There's always a drowning, every year, and if there's a proposal to [do away with guards], that drowning always seems to jump to the forefront," Paquette said. "People get comfortable, and I think there would be an outcry if we tried to do some of our locations without lifeguards."

Paquettethinks it's getting more difficult to find lifeguards for a variety of reasons, including:

One other difficulty the state faces is competition from private beaches and towns that offer higher pay or incentives. For example, the Misquamicut Fire District offers a $300 signing bonus, Paquette said.

Lifeguards at state beaches are state employees, with pay of $12 to $13 an hour. But some private and town beaches pay $15 an hour or more, Paquette said.

Anyone interested in becoming a lifeguard may call the Rhode Island Division of Parks & Recreation: (401) 667-6200.

kbramson@providencejournal.com

(401) 277-7470

On Twitter: @JournalKate

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RI state beaches face a shortage of lifeguards - The Providence Journal

Authorities say they are implementing new measures for 4th of July

Juliette Dryer, WTLV 6:28 PM. EDT June 30, 2017

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend, representatives from all three beaches police departments are reminding the public, if you see something say something.

Tens of thousands of people flock to the beaches for July 4 every year. Neptune Beach Police Chief Richard Pike said the department started preparing for the holiday months ago by meeting with JSO Special Events and Homeland Security.

We will do everything we can to make this event as safe as possible, Chief Pike said.

Pike said 20 JSO officers will assist Neptune Beach Police on the holiday. Both uniformed and plain-clothes officers will mingle in the crowds.

Additionally, this is the second July 4 forNBPD to use a sky-lift from Naval Station Mayport. For the first time, they will also use a drone to monitor the July 4 crowds from above.

Monitor the crowd and look for any type of suspicious activity, Pike said.

Road closures will be in place across the beaches. For the first time, 1st Street in Neptune Beach will be closed to vehicle traffic. The barricades at the closures will be reinforced, Pike said.

Not only will he have marked police cars at the barricade areas, well also use the large water barricades, he said.

Its wild. Its a lot of fun, theres a lot of people [that] come out, longtime beach resident Leonard Reed told First Coast News. For Reed, a Vietnam veteran, security is top of mind.

I see lots of opportunities for people that are intent on hurting a lot of people, Reed said.

Jacksonville Beach Police could not reveal specific details of their security plan. However, they said there will be increased police presence at strategic times during the holiday and the weekend.

Atlantic Beach will also have additional officers in the Beaches Town Center area.

2017 WTLV-TV

Original post:

Beaches police step up security for holiday, holiday weekend - First Coast News

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla - Heading into the Independence Day holiday weekend, officials want beach goers to remember a viral video taken 24 hours after Memorial day, before throwing their trash anywhere but the trash can.

Kendrick Rowland had never been to Siesta Beach before. He and his family packed a cooler full of food. The bags inside will be used for trash when they are finished.

"Nothing is fun about tarnishing something that is as beautiful," he said. "I just can't wrap my mind around that."

It is this viral video after Memorial Day he is talking about.

It is also why Sarasota County is putting more trash cans out and giving away free bright yellow trash bags to help contain the nearly two tons of garbage they pick up on holiday weekends.

You may wonder if that extra effort by the county to keep the beach clean is working. People are still not paying attention to the signs Sarasota put up. ABC Action News found a cup was left on table. That is a perfect example of what the County wants put into trash cans. Not only is it garbage ugly, it is dangerous for wildlife.

"They typically see it as food and they ingest it and it may be fatal for them," said Wendi Crisp, a program coordinator for Keep Sarasota County Beautiful.

Rowland hopes people will play by the rules.

"Florida has always been a nice place to come visit for me," Rowland said. "I wanted to be the same thing for my kids because this something that can go on for generation to generation."

For more information on how you can participate in the Liberty Litter Cleanup to keep beaches clean, click here.

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Sarasota County plans for trash buildup on beaches over Independence Day holiday weekend - ABC Action News

Im from California. When I tell people this on the East Coastwhere I have lived for the past seven yearsI can tell they get the wrong impression. The Golden State unfailingly conjures up pictures of sunny beaches filled with tan girls lounging about in bikinis. In these mental images, I assume, palm trees are not far away.

Thats not the California Im from. I grew up in Berkeley , a well-known small city still most associated with its university and the Free Speech Movement. And while the Bay Area, where Berkeley is centrally situated, is one of two great metropolitan poles that anchor the U.S.s second longest state, its somehow often an afterthought when the worlds sixth largest economy comes up.

Perhaps thats changing. Silicon Valleys tech boom has undoubtedly catapulted the San Francisco region to new level of notoriety. But no matter how much fame the Mark Zuckerbergs and Larry Pages may ultimately acquire for my hometowns extended area, most people will never picture the type of beaches that I grew up going to when the song California Dreamin suddenly comes crooning through the radio.

Stinson Beach is an hour-plus drive away from my old house. Despite the fact that Berkeley is technically located on a body of water, its the closest beach there is. (Some people might challenge me on this, to which I would respond that you have to calculate in the inevitable traffic delays that come with a trip to San Franciscos Ocean Beach.) The drive to Stinson is stunningly beautiful, but it can be equally unpleasant. Punctuated by stretches of boring industrial landscapes and adrenaline-inducing cliffs, the journey is if nothing else visually diverse.

After reaching Berkeleys outer limit, Highway 580 snakes through Richmonds Chevron plants to the three-lane Richmond San Rafael Bridge. On the other side is Marin, a county thats one-half bottle blonde moms, and one-half old-school hippies. The goal here is to get to, and stay on, Panoramic Highway. Despite its switch back turns and elevation changes, the road takes you through an extended red wood forrest. If you do this drive a few times before visiting Muir Woods, youll likely be underwhelmed.

The other option is to get onto Highway 1. Famously beautiful, cruelly steep, its difficult to imagine how even the most experienced drivers could glide down this road without a hint of anxiety. The reward is, however, worth the stress risk. Its here where you can truly soar along the Pacific Ocean, cliff on one side, sea and sky merging together on the other. When I think back on it now, I cant help but envision the flight pattern of a seaside birddipping here, dipping there, at times appearing to drift out to sea, but always ultimately hugging the coast, albeit from above.

No matter which road you take (and make no mistake, I recommend the former), the initial moment of reveal always catches your breath. Suddenly, on the other side of one of those switchback turns, there it is: the beach. More often then not, you realize that its foggy. The Bay Area has a way of doing that to you, especially in the summer. (Theres a reason why local residents often use the expressions June gloom and Fogust when referring the first and last months of the summer season.) But even on a cloudless day, when you see Stinson for the first time, its likely to be steeped in a blanket of gray. Marin is a banana belt, but the Pacific Ocean in Northern California is not.

Regardless, upon ultimately piling out of the car in the parking lot, and trotting up a slightly inclined path to the sand, Stinson does what all great beaches doelicit a giddy, almost primal, sense of joy. I think this sensation is rooted in drama; the ocean is so large compared to us, so omnipresent and so powerful once its reached. It has a way too of making the natural things around itnamely the sky and surrounding landsuddenly feel twice as grand. Its here where Stinson truly excels. After the long wait, perilous drive, and knowledge that you are now at one of the worlds great shark capitals, Stinson knows how to drum up the drama.

Most days at Stinson, I didnt even get in to the water. (In the winter its way too cold without a wet suit, and even this time of year, it can be unappealingly frigid.) Senior year of high school, I would lie on my back smiling, skin fully covered despite the thick layer of SPF 70 that I had previously applied. On the way back home, a few hours later, I would be overcome with a dreamy feeling of accomplishment. Without a doubt, these memories are informed by a slight nostalgia for life with my high school friends, blaring loud pop music during what would be, for many of us, the last days that wed live in California (at least for now).

But would I trade Stinson for any other beachsome endlessly sunny, easily accessible, Southern Californian counterpart? Not a chance. The beauty of Stinson rests in its drama. Its apparent flaws hold a magnetic appeal. And through those rough waters, that truth reflects unflinchingly back up at you. No matter how foggy the day may be.

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Despite Gloom and Doom, Northern California's Beaches Still Hold a Magnetic Appeal - Vogue.com

All 65 salt-water beaches on the South Shore passed bacteria tests this week and are open for swimming.

See water quality test results for each community and for Cape Cod, the South Coast and North Shore.

For more on Quincy beaches, call 617-376-1288, or visit tpl-beaches. For more on Wollaston Beach, call 617-626-4972.

HOW BEACHES ARE TESTED

Sixy-five beaches on the South Shore are tested for intestinal bacteria found in humans and animals.

High levels indicate the possible presence of disease-causing microbes that are present in sewage but are more difficult to detect. Bacterial colonies are filtered from three ounces of water and placed on a gel infused with nutrients and chemicals designed to promote growth.

Left in an incubator, the single cells isolated on the filter grow explosively, forming colonies visible to the naked eye. After one day, the colonies are counted and if they exceed 104 colonies, the beach is closed to swimming.

If the past five samples have a mean exceeding 35 colonies, the beach must also be closed to swimming.

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All South Shore beaches open - Braintree Forum - Wicked Local - Wicked Local Braintree

SACRAMENTO Public parks and state beaches would be added to the list of no-smoking zones in California under a bill from an East Bay Democrat that cleared another legislative hurdle this week.

The proposed restrictions which would apply to cigarettes, cigars, marijuana and e-cigarettes will prevent wildfires, curb pollution and protect animals that mistake life-threatening cigarette butts for food, supporters say.

Senate Bill 386 was passed by the Senate late last month. And on Tuesday, it cleared the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee on a 10-4, mostly party-line vote. Republican Steven Choi, of Irvine, broke ranks with his party by voting in favor of the ban. Assemblyman Rudy Salas, a Democrat from a swing district in Bakersfield, voted against it.

The measure along with a similar bill from Democratic Assemblyman Marc Levine, of Marin County is just the latest attempt by lawmakers to bring an end to smoking and smoking-related trash in public parks and on beaches. An almost identical bill passed the Legislature last year, only to be vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown, who called it too broad and punitive. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nixed another such attempt in 2010.

Some areas such as San Francisco and San Mateo counties and cities including Santa Cruz, San Diego and Los Angeles already have ordinances banning smoking in parks and public beaches. Glazers bill would prohibit smoking at all state beaches, estuaries and bays, slapping violators withfines of up to $250.

The proposed ban would also cover public parks, but was amended to include some wiggle room, allowing local parks directors to establish smoking zones.

Because the no-smoking signage would cost the state roughly $1 million, the bill must be approved by the Assembly appropriations committee before advancing to the Assembly floor. The proposal has no formal opposition and is backed by the American Lung Association, Save the Bay, the California State Lands Commission, the California Statewide Firefighters Association and the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association.

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Smoking at California parks and beaches could soon be illegal - The Mercury News

For years, Florida's east coast has been known as Orlando's beach.

With the shorelines of New Smyrna, Cocoa and Daytona all one-to-two hours away from the nation's theme park capital, it makes sense. But tourism officials in Pinellas County are making a targeted push to snag the title.

For the second year in a row, Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is funneling more marketing dollars into the Orlando area this summer to try to entice travelers who visit Disney World and Universal Studios to head West not East for a few days at the beach. It plans to spend $1 million this summer alone on a marketing pitch that also includes Jacksonville and Miami, as well as the Greater Tampa Bay market.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Pinellas County tourism surged in 2016 despite challenges of Zika, Pulse shooting and more

"We've always been marketing in Orlando, but we've noticed lately that there's a higher volume of people coming to our beaches than we thought previously," said David Downing, president and CEO of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, Pinellas County's tourism marketing agency. "Travelers always looked east of Orlando for the beach. We want to convince them to look west, where we have two of America's best beaches (St. Pete and Clearwater) according to TripAdvisor."

Television, radio and print advertisements are circling through the Orlando metro market this summer and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater staff bought the website BeachesOfOrlando.com, which automatically takes users back to VisitStPeteClearwater.com for more information about visiting Pinellas County. In addition to year-round television/digital marketing, the local tourism group also is launching its first-ever summer/fall/winter specific campaigns in the Orlando area.

[Courtesy of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater]

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is using this print ad to promote Tampa Bay beaches to Orlando visitors as "Orlando's beaches."

[Courtesy of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater]

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is using this print ad to promote Tampa Bay beaches to Orlando visitors as "Orlando's beaches."

Orlando, which attracts visitors from around the globe, has already been funneling more travelers to Pinellas County beaches, data from Visit St. Pete-Clearwater shows. Overnight visitation to St. Pete/Clearwater from the Orlando area has increased more than 25 percent over the last five years.

"And that's not just seasonal visitors, it's year round," Downing said. "So we started a year ago to raise more awareness."

Summer is usually the season that Florida tourism officials market to other Florida destinations to try to capture the drive-in traveler. It's traditionally a slower time of year when seasonal guests head back north, and Floridians take advantage of weekend or summer vacation beach trips.

Visit Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County's tourism agency, is also targeting Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville and Fort Myers this summer with an advertising campaign sharing the diverse attractions the county has to offer, including restaurants, the Florida Aquarium and Busch Gardens. The campaign has a strong focus on Spanish-speaking audiences.

[Courtesy of Visit St. Pete-Clearwater]

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is using these digital billboards to promote Tampa Bay beaches to Orlando visitors as "Orlando's beaches."

Visit St. Pete-Clearwater is also marketing in other Florida cities, like Jacksonville and West Palm Beach this summer, but Orlando is the focus, Downing said. And it's no wonder: Orlando served 68 million travelers last year, a record that edged it past most other American destinations, including New York City. With the expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal and new attractions like Star Wars and Avatar lands coming to Disney, that growth won't likely slow down anytime soon.

Despite an infusion of marketing dollars from Visit-St. Pete Clearwater, it won't be easy to upend the longstanding relationship with Florida's east coast. Brevard County's tourism office has pushed the link between Orlando and its beaches for years.

Still, Downing says he doesn't see this as a competition.

"If anything we compliment each other. We see this as our next evolution in Orlando," Downing said. "We want to continue to build our relationship there."

Contact Justine Griffin at jgriffin@tampabay.com. Follow @SunBizGriffin.

A numbers-driven marketing push

Visit St. Pete Clearwater can count plenty of reasons it wants to snag the title of "Orlando's beaches" from Florida's East Coast. Among them:

With more than 68 million visitors annually, Orlando is the top-visited destination in the country.

Overnight visitation to St. Pete/Clearwater from the Orlando area has increased more than 25 percent over the last five years.

Florida delivers 30 percent of all visitors to St, Pete/Clearwater, with Orlando being the top feeder market.

Source: Visit St. Pete-Clearwater

Where are Orlando's beaches? Pinellas tourism pitch urges visitors to head west 06/29/17 [Last modified: Thursday, June 29, 2017 9:59pm] Photo reprints | Article reprints

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Where are Orlando's beaches? Pinellas tourism pitch urges visitors to head west - Tampabay.com

by: Lorena Inclan, Action News Jax Updated: Jun 29, 2017 - 9:56 AM

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. - UPDATE: St. Simons Island beach advisories lifted

Health officials again tested the water at two St. Simons Island beaches Wednesday to see if bacteria levels have gone down.

Action News Jax told you about the beach advisories at East Beach and Massengale Park Beach Tuesday. The results from Wednesdays test are expected on Thursday.

Signs were posted at certain beach access points warning beachgoers about the higher-than-normal levels of bacteria in the water.

TRENDING: Woman facing charges after overdosing while 7 months pregnant, police say

I saw people testing the water early in the morning. We realized that something is going on, Giovanny Figueroa said.

The warning didnt seem to stop many from going in anyway. Others didnt even know about the advisory until Action News Jax's Lorena Inclan told them.

Now that we know, probably we have to think about it, about the young kids, Figueroa said.

And with July Fourth weekend just days away, you can expect to see busy beaches.

District environmental health director Todd Driver said routine testing detected high levels of the enterococcus bacteria.

Which is a bacteria that is found in the gut of warm-blooded animals, humans and animals, Driver said.

The elevated levels were found in East Beach from 10th Street to Driftwood Drive and Massengale Park Beach from Driftwood Drive to Cedar Street.

Theres no way of knowing if youll get sick from it, but Driver said if you go in the water, youre at a higher risk of developing symptoms.

FLORIDA NEWS: 'Cash me ousside' girl pleads guilty to juvenile charges

Gastrointestinal illness, stomach illnesses, said Driver.

Its unclear where the bacteria came from, but possible sources include stormwater runoff and boating waste.

If those results fall below the EPAs recommended maximum levels of bacteria, at that point the Health Department will lift that advisory, said Driver.

Even if the advisory isnt lifted before the holiday weekend, beaches will remain open -- but if you get in the water, youre doing so at your own risk.

2017 Cox Media Group.

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Swim at your own risk at 2 St. Simons Island beaches with higher-than-normal bacteria levels - ActionNewsJax.com

Photo courtesy of Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon

Deadmans Beach on Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands: one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

What is defines a beautiful beach? For some, it'sthe whitenessof the sand and the clarity of the water. For others,it's theruggedness of the coastand the power of thewaves.For others,it'sthe beauty of the people sitting along theshore.When it comes to beaches, beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

So I decided to pollsome of the most astute judges out there: superstar travel photographers and Instagrammers who make it their business to showcase beautiful places. I tapped into 20women whose taste and judgement I trust to find out what they think are the most gorgeousbeaches in the world. Naysayers will argue that many stunnershave been left off (feel free to add your favorites in the comments section). But say what you will: There's no denying the beauty of the 27 places that made thislist.

Photo courtesy of laura_austin/Instagram

Along the bright blue shores of Tulum, Mexico.

Where: Tulum, Mexico

Who: With wanderlust running through her veins, photographer Laura Austin is someone you cant help but watch. After growing up in small mountain towns in Colorado and Vermont, she is currently based in Los Angeles. The contrast of her roots in nature and the urban environment where she lives now forcesAustinto constantly escape the city and explore. Follow her on Instagram:@laura_austin

Why: From yoga retreats to trendy beach bungalows, it is the perfect mix of luxury and adventure with the most beautiful crystal-clear blue water and white-sand beaches.

Photo courtesy of @girleatworld

Boracay White Beach in the Philippines.

Where: Boracay White Beach, Philippines

Who: Melissa Hie is a user-experience designer who caught the travel bug a few years ago. She also loves eating and has found the perfect medium to combine the two through Instagram. While not a photographer by trade, she has been interested in photography since young age and is fascinated by "bokeh. Her love for photography took off once she got her hands on an iPhone five years ago. Follow her on Instagram: @girleatworld

Why: If you are looking for a quiet white beach with clear blue water, Boracay is not the place for you. And that's exactly why I picked this place. Don't be mistaken, the soft white sand and the clear blue water are there, but what makes Boracay stand out to me is that the White Beach is lined up with cool restaurants, chic cafe, clubs, water sports activities and hotels, just steps away from the beach. It really makes a quick post-lunch dip in the clear blue water very convenient, and you never run out of things to do!

Photo courtesy of @laurenepbath/Instagram

Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday islands of Australia.

Where: Whitehaven Beach, Whitsundays, Australia

Who:Lauren Bath is a chef turned photographer, thanks to her early success on Instagram. After quitting her job in 2013,shelaunched full force into a travel careerandalso writesand has become involved with project management and education. With her unique approach, Bathis able to tap into the all-important dreaming phase of holiday planning.Follow her on Instagram:@laurenepbath

Why: I find it difficult to articulate what I love about the beach, as Ive grown up by the sea and it feels as much a part of me as any other part of me. I feel the power of the tides and the waves, the salt air permeates my home and the subtle sounds of the ocean filter through to me as I sleep. Despite all of my travels and my love of the mountains and deserts, I know Im only home when the beach is close by.

Photo courtesy of @theashleygraham/Instagram

Ashley Graham at Six Senses Zil Pasyon in the Seychelles.

Where: Six Senses Zil Pasyon, Seychelles

Who: Ashley Graham is a leader for the bodypositivity movement, a business-savvy entrepreneur who designs lingerie, dresses and swimwear, a sought-after television personality and an author. Her book,A New Model: What Confidence, Beauty & Power Really Look Like,was recently published by Dey Street Books. Follow her on Instagram:@theashleygraham

Why: The beaches in the Seychelles atSix Senses Zil Pasyonare some of the most stunning Ive ever seen. The atmosphere is exotic and peaceful with the pure white sand and incredibly bright blue sea water, almost so picturesque that it looks like a stage set for a tropical island.

Photo courtesy of @eggcanvas/Instagram

Strolling on Sugar Beach in St. Lucia.

Where: Sugar Beach, St. Lucia

Who:Erica Choi is a New York City-based digital art director, photographer and blogger. She is the founder of Egg Canvas, a visual journal conveying an array of lifestyle stories spanning fashion, beauty, hospitality and travel. Her experience as a graphic designer in the luxury industry has led Choi to continuously develop a keen sense of refined aesthetic, and she hopes to communicate this sensibility through her style, content and work.Follow her on Instagram:@eggcanvas

Why: Sugar Beach is situated between the UNESCO World Heritage Pitons, and provides a sense of isolation and calm, but community at the same time. We stayed in a beach-front bungalow at Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort, where we were able to wake up to the sound of the waves and go to bed at night before taking a dip in a private Jacuzzi in our courtyard. Every day felt like a scene from a movie.

Photo courtesy of @izkiz/Instagram

Blue Lagoon in ldeniz, Turkey.

Where: Blue Lagoon, ldeniz, Turkey

Who: Jennifer Tuffen is a British Instagrammer, travel blogger and content creator who works on campaigns with major brands, tourism boards and hotels around the world. Jennifer loves taking photos and showing the beauty of the world around her in her own unique, colorful way. She started photography as a hobby and is now one of the top travel Instagrammers with more than 2.7 million followers. Follow her on Instagram: @izkiz

Why: One of the most beautiful beaches Ive been to and probably one of the best beaches in the world is the Blue Lagoon in ldeniz, Turkey. The area is a well-known paragliding spot and youll see them floating all over the azure sky above you like colorful birds. just so I could take photos of the Blue Lagoon from above. The picture-postcard beach, with its turquoise blue and emerald green shades, makes it the perfect place to take a dip.

Photo courtesy of @taramilktea/Instagram

Miami's South Beach from above.

Where: South Beach, Miami

Who:Tara Whiteman is an Asian-Australian traveler, designer, creative and Instagram star who is also known as Tara Milk Tea. She showcases her love of travel, food and fashion via Instagram, herblog, an online store and collaborations with companies that share her passions, including some of the world's best-known travel brands. Follow her on Instagram:@taramilktea

Why: South Beach in Miami is exciting, colorful and most definitely beautiful. The rainbow, art deco architecture that lines this beach has its own charm, and you can bike ride along the path to see the Miami locals, who are quite possibly the most tanned, topless and muscly people you'll ever see. Flying over South Beach is one of the best ways to see this Miami gem and I did exactly that.

Photo courtesy of @alysscampanella/Instagram

Alyssa Campanella on Butterfly Beach in Santa Barbara.

Where: Butterfly Beach, Santa Barbara

Who:Alyssa Campanella Coombs is a style and travel editor atThe A List, as well as a former Miss USA. Since her site launched in 2014, she has traveled all over the world with her husband, actor Torrance Coombs, on behalf of The A List, which is alifestyle blog andone-stop destination on the most sought-after in fashion, travel and beauty.I love keeping my readerson their toes as they're welcomed into my feminine and fast-paced world across the globe."Follow her on Instagram:@alysscampanella

Why:For our one-year wedding anniversary trip to Belmond El Encanto this past April, we knew a beach escape to one of Santa Barbaras beaches would be the best choice. Still centrally located, Butterfly Beach is much less crowded than other Santa Barbara beaches, which made it feel extra private. Stay for the sunset its the perfect combination of serenity and romance.

Photo courtesy of Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon

Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon on Deadmans Beach on Peter Island in the British Virgin Islands.

Where:Deadmans Beach, Peter Island, British Virgin Islands

Who: Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon is a Caribbean travel expert, award-winning travel journalist, TV personality and self-described Carivangelist, who ventures to the beach and beyond to share the diverse cultures, relaxed lifestyle and colorful people of the worlds favorite warm-weather destination. Follow her on Instagram:@JetSetSarah

Why: One of five strands on Peter Island (a private-island resort in the British Virgin Islands), ; punctuated with thatch-roofed palapas; and blessed with cool breezes most of the day. Ive only visited twice, but I have a photo taken of me on the sand printed on the back of my business cards. So now wherever in the world I am, I only have to pull one out to feel as if Im there.

Photo courtesy of @meg_haywoodsullivan/Instagram

Imsouane Plage in Morocco.

Where:Imsouane Plage, Morocco

Who: Meg Haywood Sullivan is a professional photographer and environmentalist who splits her time between shooting campaigns with brands and pushing for environmental stories through editorial features and her social platforms. With one foot in the outdoor industry and another in the realm of the commercial/fashion world Sullivans clients include Patagonia, KEEN, Clif Bar, The New York Times and more. She currently is working on various projects exploring mankinds relationship with the great outdoors.Follow her on Instagram:@meg_haywoodsullivan

Why:Imsouane Plage in Morocco is nicknamed Magic Bay" by the locals for a reason it has one of the longest waves I have ever surfed, plus the gorgeous backdrop of mountains cascading to the beach. Imsouane is a must-see for all those adventure-seeking world travelers out there who want a dose of culture mixed with remote paradise.

Photo courtesy of @carly/Instagram

Carly Heitlinger on Steps Beach in Nantucket.

Where:Steps Beach, Nantucket

Who: CarlyHeitlingeris a New England-based influencer who started her blog in 2008. She covers style, travel and New England lifestyle. Anything that shed share with her close friends, she shares with her fans, whether its a trip she just went on, a great sale that cant be missed, a documentary or book she loved, a personal challenge shes gone through or simply an outfit she thought was particularly cute. Follow her on Instagram:@carly

Why: I have yet to find one that I dont love each has a unique feel but Steps Beach is a favorite of mine. Steps Beach is best reached by bike, which you get complimentary if you are a guest at any of the Nantucket Island Resorts: White Elephant Village, The Wauwinet and The Cottages at the Nantucket Boat Basin. This beach is a little more secluded due to a steep descent to the sand, but its worth the climb down and up. A great spot to enjoy a picnic or to watch the sunset.

Photo courtesy of @krystal_bick/Instagram

The beach at Curtain Bluff in Antigua.

Where:Curtain Bluff, Antigua

Who: This Time Tomorrow is the discerning girls destination for all things style, travel, art, dating and New York City related. And probably a few other rambling (and hopefully amusing) mishaps along the way, told through the eyes of Krystal Bick, a lifelong West Coaster now living in the West Village with her corgi Elvis. You can find them on an given Saturday reading a book in Washington Square Park.Follow her on Instagram: @krystal_bick

Why: Beaches are quiet and tucked away beautifully unassuming and intimate in every way. And the water? Don't get me started on the water. It's like walking out into a warm, inviting bath, with the sun waiting to dry you off the minute you step out.

Photo courtesy of @bearleaderchronicle/Instagram

St. Ives beach in Cornwall.

Where: St. Ives, Cornwall

Who: While some are born to royalty, Daniela Stallinger was born to travel. At just three weeks of age, she took her first international flight and by her early teens had a well-worn passport. Choosing photography as a career, Stallinger was naturally drawn to travel as a photographic genre and has worked around the world on assignment. She is also the founder of Bearleader Chronicle, a travel site that looks beyond the obvious to discover hidden gems. Follow her on Instagram: @bearleaderchronicle

Why: An easy trip from London on the sleeper train from Paddington Station, because if its unique light, lush nature, golden beaches and the quintessential English village life. From spring to fall, the beach features all manner of surf activities, along with an ever-curious seal population. Romantic beach walks at low tide in the fall and winter, capped off with a lovely cup of tea and biscuits cant be beat.

Photo courtesy of Brooke Brady Photography

Andrea Pion of A Slice o' Pi at the Ocean House beach in Rhode Island.

Where: Ocean House Beach, Rhode Island

Who: Andrea Pionof A Slice o' Pi isa lifestyle and style blogger, who is a lover of all things delicious, pretty and New York City. She moved to New York in 2013 and created A Slice o' Pi as a place to document all the things that defineher.This is a slice of herlife, along with the places and things sheloves and cherishes the most.Follow her on Instagram: @asliceopi

Why: Greeted by a warm sandy beach and crystal-clear waters that can compete with the Caribbean, every square inch of the hotel will tug on your heart strings. I love the exclusive privacy thatOcean House guests receive whether walking the beach collecting New England seashells or relaxing underneath the resort'sBose-powered cabanas, which are outfitted in bright Lilly Pulitzer prints. With it being only a short three-hour train ride away from Manhattan, it's the perfect East Coast getaway.

Photo courtesy of @meagancignoli/Instagram

The wide open Jamaica Inn beach in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Where: Jamaica Inn Beach, Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Who: Meagan Cignoli is the founder and creative director atVisual Country, a full-service creative video production agency specializing in creating micro video content for social media and TV. The company that began in her Brooklyn apartment now counts Google, Coca Cola, Nike, Tiffany & Co, Twitter and hundreds of other major brands as clients. Cignoli more recently has prioritized travel into her busy lifestyle. Not only do I gather inspiration from new destinations, but it reinvigorates my entire creative process, she says.Follow her on Instagram:@meagancignoli.

Why:My first visit to Jamaica did not disappoint. The entire island is magical.Jamaica Innin Ocho Rios is one of those marvelous colonial-style Caribbean resort with no TVs, radios or clocks in the rooms so distractions are minimal. The inn is situated on a private cove with a 700-foot private white sand beach considered to be one of the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean. The water is calm in the morning if you want to try stand up paddleboarding or go snorkeling. The best part of my room was direct ocean access, where I started and ended each day with a dip in the crystal blue water.

Photo courtesy of @lesleyannmurphy/Instagram

LesleyMurphy on Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico.

Where: Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico

Who: Lesley Murphy is a travel journalist, TV personality and blogger based out of an overweight suitcase, who travels the world for a living.She is the founder of TheRoadLesTraveled, a site that reveals her crazy adventures around the world, from getting lost in the culture of people and how they move, to what they eat and how they make a living. Lesley enjoys discovering what makes a destination tick. Follow her on Instagram:@lesleyannmurphy

Why: A big portion of Dorado is beautifully calm and good for snorkeling or paddle boarding, thanks to the rock barrier that acts as a wave breaker put in place years ago by the Rockefellers when the family turned a plantation into the Caribbean's first luxury eco-resort, now called Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. Another unique aspect is the Rockefeller Nature Trail that goes through forests and alongside the beach to show off the island's diverse flora and fauna. And I can't forget the hammocks that overlook the beaches an unreal spot to watch some of the most dramatic sunsets I've ever seen.

Photo courtesy of @sophiehellyer/Instagram

Cala Goloritz, Sardinia.

Where: Cala Goloritz, Sardinia

Who:Sophie Hellyer is a surfer and environmentalist living on the west coast of Ireland. Sophie started and runsThe Green Roomsurf school and shop as a toolforenvironmental and social activation. Inher sparetime, you will always find her near a body of water, body surfing,swimming, surfing or paddle boarding. Rarely seen onland. Follow her on Instagram: @sophiehellyer

Why: I have travelled to some amazing places around the world, but when asked which is the most beautiful beach I can answerCala Goloritz without flinching. There is a 143-meter pinnacle, making it a paradise for climbers, resembling something from the movie UP and an archway to the right of the beach to swim through or jump off for the more adventurous. I think it is the only beach I have been to in my life where there was no visible plastic pollution; the Sardinian government seem to do a lot to preserve and protect it from human damage, declaring it a national monument and aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

Photo courtesy of @jetsetchristina/Instagaram

Christina Vidal on Pelican Point Beach in California's Half Moon Bay.

Where:Pelican Point, Half Moon Bay, California

Who:Christina Vidal is the California-based luxury travel blogger behind JetsetChristina. She's been to 55 countries and countingand her swoon-worthy Instagram shots are all about enjoying the finer things in life. "My perfect day involves brunching, beaching, sailing, sunsets and champagne," she says. "Life is short, but vacations are shorter. I try to inspire people to live up every moment of travel to the very fullest." Follow her on Instagram: @jetsetchristina

Why: , because despite being only 30 minutes south of San Francisco, it transports you to a world away. Stepping foot onto The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay, I felt as if I had flown to Scotland. There were waves crashing against majestic, rugged cliffs, people roasting marshmallows over bonfires, and even a bagpiper playing music at sunset. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever set foot on.

Photo courtesy of @stacieflinner/Instagram

A view of Playa Redondo from Belmond Miraflores Park in Peru.

Where: Playa Redondo, Lima, Peru

Who: Stacie Flinneris an interior decorator and founder of stacieflinner.com, a premier online destination for travel and design inspiration. Currently on a year-long, around-the-world trip, Flinneris dedicated to discovering and sharing the most beautiful places and spaces in the world.Follow her on Instagram:@stacieflinner

Why: Lima's beachfront has something for everyone, from day trippers looking to sun themselves on El Silencio's miles of white sand to expert surfers looking to ride the biggest waves Peru has to offer at Pico Alto Beach. When staying at Belmond Miraflores Park, I enjoyed a privileged position overlooking Playa Redondo. I loved the beach, as it offered the perfect way to capture both the beauty of the glamorous neighborhood and Lima's dramatic coastline.

Photo courtesy of Susan Portnoy @insatiabletraveler/Instagram

Here is the original post:

The 27 Most Beautiful Beaches In The World - Forbes

Dr. Beach rates the best beaches in the United States every year. Here is the 2017 list. Elizabeth Keatinge (@elizkeatinge) has more.

WMAZ 3:25 PM. EDT June 28, 2017

Beachgoers look on as crews pull an alligator from the surf at Coast Guard Beach near St. Simons Island in Georgia. (Photo: FCN viewer)

The Glynn County Health Department issued health advisories Tuesday for beachgoers at St. Simons Island.

They apply to two beaches on the island: East Beach and Massengale Park Beach.

The release says the advisory was issued to alert swimmers of a possible risk of illness associated with water contact.

Possible illness would be due to an abundance of enterococcus bacteria in the water that exceeds the EPAs standards. The bacteria, which usually live in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals and humans, and can be an indicator of the presence of fecal waste contamination.

According to the EPA, the bacteria can sicken swimmers and is linked to some illnesses like urinary tract infections and meningitis.

The health department says that although the beaches are not closed, they ask people do not swim or wade in the water in those two areas.

The water will be retested and the advisory lifted once the bacteria levels meet the proper standards.

2017 WMAZ-TV

Original post:

Health advisory issued for beaches on St. Simons Island - WXIA-TV

With the summer season underway, the town has moved forward with providing the physically handicapped with access to two Bourne beaches. On Tuesday, June 28, work crews with the Department of Public Works rolled out and installed handicapped-accessible beach mats at Monument Beach, Hen Cove, Electric Avenue Beach and Gray Gables Beach.

Work crews started at Monument Beach. While one worker in a bulldozer smoothed a section of beach adjacent to the beach parking lot, several other crew members raked areas the heavy machine could not reach. Once smoothed over, the blue plastic mat was rolled out, and two-foot-long spikes were hammered through eyelets in the mats border into the sand to anchor the walkway in place.

A second mat was connected to the first and stretched down to the high tide mark by the waters edge. More spikes were driven into the sand along the sides of both mats, ensuring each mat will provide solid footing for anyone who is physically unstable.

This will be good for anyone in a wheelchair, using a walker or on crutches, DPW Director George M. Sala said.

Mr. Sala instructed the workers to stretch the mat as far as possible, even if it meant a portion of it would enter the water. He said he was advised by Bourne Department of Natural Resources Director Timothy W. Mullen that any growth on the mat, such as algae, would be killed by the hot sun during low tide and easily swept away. It will be the responsibility of Monument Beach lifeguards to sweep the mat free of sand that accumulates on it during the day, he said.

Town residents approved Article 26 at Annual Town Meeting last month, which included $20,000 to the Bourne Recreation Department for access beach mats at Monument Beach and Hen Cove. After rolling out the mats at Monument Beach and Hen Cove, Mr. Sala realized there was enough material to install beach mats at Electric Avenue Beach in Buzzards Bay and Gray Gables Beach, as well.

Mr. Sala noted that while the lifeguards at Monument Beach will sweep the mats there, DPW crews will clear the mats at the other beaches when they make their trash runs. He asked that residents using the beaches also help out by occasionally sweeping the mats clear of accumulated sand. He also encouraged residents to report any sign of vandalism to the mats.

If people using the beach want good things, they have to keep an eye out and report any type of damage, so we can correct it immediately, he said.

Read this article:

Bourne's Beaches Get Mats For Handicapped - CapeNews.net

All but two beaches in Alamitos Bay were reopened to the public Wednesday after a sewage leak prompted health officials to bar recreational access, pending results from water samples taken around the Naples and Belmont Shore area.

After reviewing samples taken Monday and Tuesday, health officials have authorized the reopening of waters at Colorado Lagoon, Marine Stadium, Bayshore Beach at Second Street and the Bayshore Float, said Nelson Kerr, Long Beach environmental health bureau manager.

Kerr said health workers and firefighters are removing warning signs from several of the affected beaches.

The waters at Mothers Beach and 56th Place will remain closed for further monitoring, Kerr said, explaining that samples taken Tuesday at Mothers Beach had bacterial levels above state standards. Samples taken Tuesday at 56th Place came back clean, he said, but there were elevated levels of bacteria in that area on Monday; health officials require two consecutive days of clean testing before they will reopen the waters.

Long Beach Fire Department officials on Monday discovered what appeared to be wastewater leaking from a seawall along Marina Drive at about 7 a.m., according to a city announcement. Kerr said the leak was contained at 1 p.m., and during that time officials estimate 7,500 gallons of sewage was discharged into the bay.

The source of the spill is still under investigation.

For the latest status on beach and bay closures or postings, call the Beach Advisory and Closure Hotline at 562-570-4199.

Read the rest here:

Long Beach reopens most beaches after sewage spill; 2 remain closed - Long Beach Press Telegram

Several local beaches and waterways were closed to the public Monday after a sewage leak was discovered on the eastern end of Alamitos Bay, health officials said.

The leak was stopped, but as a precaution, health officials ordered the closure of beaches throughout Alamitos Bay, including Mothers Beach, Marine Stadium, Colorado Lagoon and Bayshore Beach.

Nelson Kerr, the citys environmental health bureau manager, said Long Beach Fire Department officials discovered what appeared to be wastewater leaking from a seawall along Marina Drive at approximately 7 a.m. He said the leak was contained at 1 p.m., and during that time officials estimate 7,500 gallons of sewage was discharged into the bay.

Kerr, however, said it could be more as they are unsure when the leak first began.

Were really sad to have to close the beaches, but the first priority is peoples health and we dont want to put anybody at risk if we dont need to, Kerr said.

The Long Beach Health Department is testing the water quality of beaches both in the bay as well as oceanfront beaches, according to Councilwoman Suzie Prices office, which first released news of the closure shortly after 6 p.m. Monday. Beaches will remain closed and swimmers will be asked to stay out of the bay until test results can determine whether there are health risks associated with the spill.

Results from the first round of water samples are expected back by Tuesday afternoon, Kerr said, though Wednesday would be the earliest beaches could reopen because health officials require two consecutive days of clean results before lifting the closure.

Signs have been posted around the affected waterways.

The source of the spill is still under investigation.

The closure comes amid the first substantial heat wave of the summer season, with temperatures nearing 88 degrees Monday.

For the latest status on beach and bay closures or postings, call the Beach Advisory and Closure Hotline at 562-570-4199.

More:

Beaches and waterways closed after sewage spill in Long Beach - Long Beach Press Telegram

Heal the Bay released their list of the ten dirtiest, nastiest, most polluted beaches in all of California recently, which, sadly, went mostly unnoticed until The NY Times made it a story on their homepage. Some notoriously dirty beaches were not on the list, so were reaching out to Heal the Bay to get a handle on why that might be and how they conducted their study.

Perusing the list, many of the usual suspects appear. Bucolic and forested (but also full of pulp mills and cattle) Humboldt County (site of the first ever Surfrider battledid you know that?) is a repeat offender and boasts the worst beach in terms of pollution. Cowells, in Santa Cruz, has long made the list of most polluted beaches (though there are grumbling that thats partially because the samples are taken beneath the boardwalk, home to thousands of roosting and pooping birds, but far, far away from the surf zone).

But Imperial Beach, in San Diego County? Repeatedly closed to swimmers because of dangerous bacteria levels? And it isnt here? This seemsodd?

The study reflects that these are the worst beaches during big periods of rain runoff, so its possible beaches that are normally heavily polluted dont fare much worse during the rainy season, and that the ten beaches on this list are uniquely positioned to basically flush the states toilets during winter storms.

Anyway, here is the list, from worst to least worst:

Go here to see the original:

California's filthiest beaches, ranked - SURFER Magazine - Surfer Magazine

The Inertia Associate Editor

San Clemente Pier is the second most polluted beach in California, according to a new report from Heal the Bay. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Blame the rain. In Heal the Bays newly released annual report cardtracking water quality at California beaches, the same wet weather that effectively rescued much of the state from the throes of the drought has resulted in poor water quality in many coastal areas.

Along with rating 416 beaches along the California coast with a straightforward A to F grade (check here to see how your local beach scored), the report calls out ten of the most polluted beaches on what it calls its Beach Bummers list.

Some beaches on the list are hardly surprising Cowells Beach has held the no. 1 or 2 spot since 2010, so no. 3 is a mild improvement. Two Southern California beaches, though, are making their debut on the list (San Clemente Pier, and La Jolla Cove), San Clemente Pier coming in at the second most polluted beach in the state.

The 10 Beach Bummers are as follows:

1. Clam Beach County Park, McKinleyville (Humboldt County)

2. San Clemente Pier, San Clemente (Orange County)

3. Cowells Beach, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz County)

4. Lakeshore Park, San Mateo (San Mateo County)

5. La Jolla Cove, La Jolla (San Diego County)

6. Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica (Los Angeles County)

7. Capitola Beach, Capitola (Santa Cruz County)

8. Luffenholtz Beach, Trinidad (Humboldt County)

9. Mothers Beach, Marina del Rey (Los Angeles County)

10. Monarch Beach, Dana Point (Orange County)

Heal the Bay rates numbers 1-4 on the list as Fs and 5-10 as Ds. Other beaches of concern include Newport Bay in Orange County, Long Beach, Arroyo Burro Beach in Santa Barbara, Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, and Keller Beach in Richmond.

The report also divides Californias beach grades into types of beaches and season to determine if differences exist in water quality when controlling for these variables. Open ocean beaches during dry summer weather consistently earned the best grades (100% earned As), while enclosed water bodies during wet weather consistently had the poorest water quality (only 28% earned As) seems to fit with prevailing logic.

But what are local activists and environmental groups doing with this information, and how are they seeking to improve the water quality of beaches across the state? According to Surfrider Foundations Water Quality Manager, Mara Dias, the organizations approach is two-pronged.Across the country, volunteers participate in the Blue Water Task Force program, measuring water quality and sharing information with their community. And to minimize the impacts of urban runoff, Surfriders Ocean Friendly Gardens program encourages individuals and communities to contour landscapes to retain water to filter pollution. Local Surfrider chapters have been integral in promoting policy changes to create ocean-friendly landscapes in new developments, and retrofit existing ones.

Dias explains that while Cowells is a repeat offender on the list, an active and engaged local chapter in Santa Cruz has made significant progress isolating the causes of pollution. Surfrider is hopeful that by next year Cowells will show significant improvement.

For the full report including details on the Beach Bummers click here.And to learn more about Surfriders efforts to improve water quality or to get involved check out their website.

Read more here:

These Are the 10 Most Polluted Beaches in California - TheInertia.com

The Sun Herald

Mother Nature is winning the battle with Mississippi beaches The Sun Herald The Harrison County Sand Beach director is facing another round of repairs after Tropical Storm Cindy caused significant beach erosion in certain areas. The beach was already in bad shape since the last major replenishment project in 2008, and a storm ...

See the article here:

Mother Nature is winning the battle with Mississippi beaches - The Sun Herald

Photo Boys reacted to the smell near La Jolla Cove, which has made regular appearances on a ranking of the states most polluted beaches. Credit Sam Hodgson for The New York Times

Good morning.

(Want to get California Today by email? Heres the sign-up.)

Some of Californias most celebrated beaches are also the most likely to make you sick.

Heal the Bay, an environmental nonprofit, recently issued its annual report card for bacterial pollution at more than 400 beaches along the Pacific Coast.

Singled out as the least sanitary were destinations like La Jolla Cove, San Clemente Pier, Santa Monica Pier and Santa Cruz Countys Cowell and Capitola beaches.

Heal the Bay divvied out grades by season, using weekly data from April 2016 through March 2017.

During the dry days of summer last year, the vast majority of California beaches had excellent grades.

But winter was a different story. As record rainfall swept through the states cityscapes and pushed billions of gallons of runoff out to sea, water quality plummeted.

Nearly half of California beaches earned grades of C to F during the wet weather, 12 percent more than the five-year average.

Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bays chief scientist, said solutions lie in programs known to mitigate runoff pollution such as increased urban green cover and projects to capture, clean and reuse storm water.

Its indicative of a water mismanagement issue in California, she said. If we were doing a better job of rethinking that runoff we could turn it from a nuisance into a resource.

Coastal geography also plays a role. Cove-like stretches such as those at Cowell and La Jolla are at a disadvantage because pollutants are less readily washed out to sea.

And beaches near creeks, rivers or storm drains absorb the brunt of urban runoff.

Humboldt Countys Clam Beach, which is fed by two creeks, was named Californias most polluted beach by Heal the Bay.

The problem there has vexed local environmentalists who cite a panoply of possible causes: bird poop, campground toilets, old septic systems, livestock and more.

Theres no shortage of theories, said Jennifer Kalt, the director of Humboldt Baykeeper, an environmental group.

Better understood is that bacterial pollution rises sharply immediately after a rain, then typically goes right back to normal. Thats why health experts recommend beachgoers wait three days to enter the ocean after a storm.

(You can also check Heal the Bays online tool for the latest beach conditions).

I think oftentimes people think kids just get diarrhea or stomach aches for other reasons, Ms. Kalt said. But studies have shown that its often correlated with rainfall. If it rains one day and then the next day its sunny, people dont really give it much thought.

Heal the Bay, based in Santa Monica, also noted some bright spots with an honor roll of beaches that maintained exceptional water quality year-round.

Seven beaches in Laguna Beach, five in Carlsbad and four in both Encintas and Newport Beach made the cut.

{{= c_phrase }}

(Please note: We regularly highlight articles on news sites that have limited access for nonsubscribers.)

Gov. Jerry Browns Delta tunnels project got a crucial green light from two federal agencies. [Sacramento Bee]

The Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to a California law that places limits on carrying guns in public. [The New York Times]

Representative Brad Sherman, from Los Angeles, has drafted and circulated articles of impeachment for President Trump. [Los Angeles Times]

A study ranked cities by how hard it is to add new apartments. It didnt bode well for rents in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. [San Diego Union-Tribune]

In the past year, San Francisco spent $275 million to fight homelessness. Yet its as bad as ever. [San Francisco Chronicle]

Many Bay Area residents who made the leap to Sacramento have discovered a city coming into its own. [SFGate]

Californias minimum-wage fight could heat up after a study found that jobs and hours fell in Seattle. [Los Angeles Times]

The police have been cracking down on car-pool lane offenders. It doesnt seem to be making a difference. [The Mercury News]

Hes probably going to break Barry Bondss record. The Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger already has 24 home runs. [The New York Times]

The Warriors Draymond Green led the league in steals. Now hes been honored as Defensive Player of the Year. [East Bay Times]

Daily Show correspondent Hasan Minhaj: What I love about comedy is that were this group of weirdos. [The New York Times]

Instagrammable food, impeccable coffee: Todays campsite cooks have high ambitions. [The New York Times]

Video: A drone was used to capture a blue whale swimming in Monterey Bay. [YouTube | Slater Moore Photography]

Its one of Los Angeless little known treats.

During the summer, you can drop by the Hollywood Bowl and watch the Los Angeles Philharmonic rehearse and its free.

The schedule is worked out on a week-by-week basis, but the rehearsals have typically happened on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, lasting a couple of hours.

Writing recently in The New York Times, the music critic Zachary Woolfe called the Los Angeles Philharmonic the most important orchestra in America.

During rehearsals the music may not be polished, but thats also part of the allure.

Spectators get to see how a piece of music is shaped by the conductor and musicians before a formal performance.

The rehearsals run from July through September, though not all are open to the public.

To find out whats on tap, the Philharmonic said to call the information line starting after the July Fourth weekend at 323-850-2000.

Want to submit a photo for possible publication? You can do it here.

California Today goes live at 6 a.m. Pacific time weekdays. Tell us what you want to see: CAtoday@nytimes.com.

The California Today columnist, Mike McPhate, is a third-generation Californian born outside Sacramento and raised in San Juan Capistrano. He lives in Los Osos. Follow him on Twitter.

California Today is edited by Julie Bloom, who grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from U.C. Berkeley.

Excerpt from:

California Today: Surf, Sun and Bacteria - New York Times

Cub Scouts Pack Nos. 4192 and 4686 helped clean Ediz Hook during the last Washington Coast Cleanup.

Theyre easy to point out. The couple who parks on the same bench at dawn. The children who know the safest spots to build sand castles at every tide. The runner who treads through sand and ocean breeze every evening at sunset.

Theyre the frequent beachgoers. Its their beach, after all.

Soon, these individuals will be able to adopt their beach and put it in writing.

A new Adopt a Beach program, spearheaded by Washington CoastSavers, encourages people to take ownership of a Clallam County park beach and clear it of marine debris at least three times a year. The individuals, families, groups or organizations who adopt a beach will have their names printed on a sign in the park.

Proposed beaches include Salt Creek at 3506 Camp Hayden Road, Port Angeles; Cline Spit at 199 Cline Spit Road, Sequim; Dungeness Landing at 298 Oyster House Road, Sequim; Port Williams at 2499 Port Williams Road, Sequim; and Panorama Vista at 282 Buck Loop Road, Sequim.

The goal is to attract folks who see this as their beach, Washington CoastSavers Coordinator Jon Schmidt said. I have no doubt the beaches will be adopted.

Eventually, Washington CoastSavers hopes to expand the program to every beach along Washingtons coast, but currently has funding for a pilot program in Clallam County, Schmidt said.

Adopt a Beach partners will need to sign an agreement with Washington CoastSavers, agreeing to clean their beaches at least three times a year. Ideally, two of those times would occur during Washington Coast Cleanup (WCC) April 29 and International Coast Cleanup (ICC) Sept. 16.

WCC typically engages more than 1,000 volunteers to clean beaches on the outer coast and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, usually on the Saturday closest to Earth Day. ICC, a relatively new effort for Clallam County, rallies volunteers worldwide.

Last year, volunteers collected 20 tons of trash during WCC.

The amount of garbage on our beaches is just despicable, Schmidt said. Every tide brings more garbage to shore.

Rope and plastics, both commonly found items, endanger wildlife on the beaches, he said. Rope often entangles animals, and plastics fill seabirds stomachs to the point where they cant consume real food. They starve that way, or they starve because the plastic has lodged in their throats, Schmidt said.

Before Earth Day ever existed, some Washington state residents took a vested interest in this problem.

Around 1970, the first Washington beach cleanup crew, Operation Shore Patrol, hit the coasts. The Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association started the operation as a way to give back to the beaches where they recreated.

So Washington state can boast one of the earliest formal beach cleanup efforts in the nation, Schmidt said.

Now, beach stewardship has emerged as a subject of global concern.

Schmidt has traveled to Japan twice in the past four years to give presentations about marine debris cleanups, in light of recent tsunamis.

Hes seen some tsunami-related debris make its way to U.S. shores.

We know our trash is making the rounds as well, Schmidt said.

And as much as that should anger us, it should also unite us in the same effort, he said.

Its really one ocean, he said. Were all connected by the same tides.

Individuals or groups interested in adopting a Clallam County park beach can contact Schmidt at jon@coastsavers.org.

________

Reporter Sarah Sharp can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsuladailynews.com.

See the original post:

Adopt a Beach pilot program set on Peninsula - Peninsula Daily News

June 26, 2017 by Julie Cohen TheIsla Vista beach near UCSB in 1976. Credit: Dale Straughan

And to think it was all right there in her garage. A load of boxes pulled from biologist Dale Straughan's home yielded a veritable treasure trove for UC Santa Barbara researchers studying the impact of climate change on coastal biodiversity in California.

To Jenifer Dugan, a research biologist at UCSB's Marine Science Institute (MSI), Nicholas Schooler, a Ph.D. student in UCSB's Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science, and David Hubbard, an ecologist at MSI, Straughan's field notes and data on California beaches were scientific gold. Beginning in 2009, the UCSB team worked closely with Straughan to compare present-day results to her original data sets. They resurveyed a subset of the more than 60 California beaches from Morro Bay to San Diego that Straughan and her colleagues had surveyed on multiple dates from 1969 to 1980.

Because the Earth's climate has changed dramatically since then, the researchers sought to determine whether and how biodiversity had decreased and to explore the processes responsible. Their findings appear in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

"Coastal ecosystems can be valuable indicators of biodiversity responses to anthropogenic and climate change-related impacts," said co-author Dugan. "We used this unique data set from extensive intertidal surveys to evaluate multidecadal change in the biodiversity of the important and widespread coastal ecosystems of sandy beaches."

Co-author Straughan conducted the original surveys for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management following the 1969 oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel. At the time, she was based at the University of Southern California's Allan Hancock Foundation. One of the sites she surveyed more than 33 times was located in Isla Vista, close to the UCSB campus.

Evaluating impacts to biodiversity requires ecologically informed comparisons over sufficient time spans. One challenge for the UCSB team was calibrating different sampling methods from different decades. They developed a novel extrapolation approach to address data gaps that are common in such long-term data sets by adjusting species richness for sampling style over various time periods. This approach could be useful in addressing similar questions for other understudied ecosystems.

The investigators evaluated changes in intertidal biodiversity over time, using Straughan's results and those from their own recent surveys of 13 of her sandy beach sites, including the one in Isla Vista. Their analyses revealed large increases or decreases in species richness at some beaches, while at others changes were very small or not detectable.

"Our multidecadal comparison of beaches suggests that local processes exerted a stronger influence on intertidal biodiversity than did regional factors," Dugan said. "Intense local scale manipulationin other words, management practicesmade larger trends or gradients in biodiversity difficult to detect."

Digging deeper, the scientists found that upper beach species were disproportionally affected relative to the rest of the intertidal beach animals. However, they also found a positive surprise for this highly vulnerable group. Two beaches exhibited increases in richness, likely due to the fact that off-road vehicle use had been outlawed for at least 15 years. At those two sites, upper beach species showed a promising level of recovery following many years of protection from beach-driving impacts.

Another unexpected result was consistently low species richness on heavily urbanized beaches that have been groomedmechanically raked to remove kelpfor decades. According to lead author Schooler, lasting impacts to the total community persisted over time at these sites, but the upper beach species continued to decline.

"Our beach site at Isla Vista is a good example of what the future holds as sea level rises against a resistant boundary of either natural bluffs or manmade coastal armoring and buildings like those along urbanized stretches of the coast," Schooler explained. "We are losing ecologically important intertidal animals, such as beach hoppers and insects, from the upper beach zone, and this is likely to happen to more and more Southern California beaches as sea level rises."

The bluff-backed Isla Vista beach site had the highest percentage loss of habitat of any beaches the UCSB team surveyed. Such beaches experience a phenomenon called coastal squeeze because they have no room to move inland. "We saw a narrowing of the beach and a change in sediment size that was associated with a decline in the whole community, particularly in the upper beach animals," Schooler said.

Beaches backed by dunes, such as that at Coal Oil Point Reserve less than a mile west of the UCSB campus, have room to move inland and are projected to be more resilient to sea level change. But, Dugan noted, on bluff-backed beaches and those with man-made seawalls or revetments, the first species to disappear are those that feed on kelp wrack and live in the damp and dry sand of the upper beach zone.

"About 45 percent of the biodiversity of Southern California's beaches belongs to specialized upper beach species," she said. "They play a very important role in the coastal ecosystem by providing food for wildlife, such as western snowy plovers and other shorebirds, breaking down the kelp wrack that washes ashore and promoting nutrient recycling that then is potentially available for near-shore surf grass and kelps.

"On a more optimistic note, our research suggests that opportunities for ecosystem recovery from human impacts exist if we change the way some of our beaches are managed," Dugan added.

Explore further: Tiny beach crustaceans suffering localized extinctions

More information: Nicholas K. Schooler et al. Local scale processes drive long-term change in biodiversity of sandy beach ecosystems, Ecology and Evolution (2017). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3064

Two types of small beach crittersboth cousins of the beloved, backyard roly-polyare suffering localized extinctions in Southern California at an alarming rate, says a new study by UC Santa Barbara scientists. As indicator ...

The western snowy plover is nesting along the Los Angeles area coast for the first time in nearly seven decades, federal officials said.

More than half of Southern California's beaches could completely erode back to coastal infrastructure or sea cliffs by the year 2100 as the sea level rises, according to a study released Monday.

Microorganisms play a crucial role in forming beachrock, a type of rock that forms on the beach and protects low-lying reef islands from erosion, a new study involving University of Queensland research has revealed.

Last winter's El Nio might have felt weak to residents of Southern California, but it was in fact one of the most powerful climate events of the past 145 years.

UC San Diego biologists who examined the biological impact of replenishing eroded beaches with offshore sand found that such beach replenishment efforts could have long-term negative impacts on coastal ecosystems.

Ocean levels rose 50 percent faster in 2014 than in 1993, with meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet now supplying 25 percent of total sea level increase compared with just five percent 20 years earlier, researchers reported ...

The Eastern Tennessee Seismic Zone (ETSZ), a zone of small earthquakes stretching from northeastern Alabama to southwestern Virginia, may have generated earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater within the last 25,000 years, ...

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 is one of the most studied spills in history, yet scientists haven't agreed on the role of microbes in eating up the oil. Now a research team at the Department ...

Monitoring changes to the amount of wetlands in regions where permafrost is thawing should be at the forefront of efforts to predict future rates of climate change, new research shows.

Biodiversity losses from deep-sea mining are unavoidable and possibly irrevocable, an international team of 15 marine scientists, resource economists and legal scholars argue in a letter published today in the journal Nature ...

A series of unprecedented storms over the Southern Ocean likely caused the most dramatic decline in Antarctic sea ice seen to date, a new study finds.

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Scientists study changes in the biodiversity of California's sandy beaches - Phys.Org

"I will not go back to Myrtle. ... It's just gotten crazy."

The day after this month's shootings in Myrtle Beach, a family showed up in Debbie Smith's office on Ocean Isle Beach looking for a room.

The family, Smith said, had stayed in an Ocean Boulevard hotel in Myrtle Beach next to where a teenager fired seven shots into a crowd early one Sunday morning. They cut their Myrtle Beach vacation days short and drove less than an hour north, across the North Carolina state line, to spend the next week in the small Brunswick County beach town.

Smith, a lifelong resident of the island -- before there was even a bridge to the mainland, she said -- manages rental properties and set the family up. She's also been the Ocean Isle Beach mayor for more than a decade.

The series of six Myrtle Beach shootings in three days left no one dead, but several people were wounded and the famous coastline is now publicly struggling with an image crisis. The city council held a special meeting, the governor of South Carolina held a meeting to talk policing strategies and the community called for action -- from more boots on the ground to barricades along the sidewalk to earlier curfews for those under age.

Beach trips are often well-worn affairs, the same family in the same hotel or rental on the same scrap of land by the sea. For generations, beach umbrellas are stuck into the same sands like rainbow-colored family crests. While we may live hundreds of miles away and log hours on interstates and two-lane rural shortcuts to get there, families often have their beach, a sense of ownership earned through tradition and memories.

In the days after the Myrtle Beach shootings, some vowed on social media that they were breaking their ties there, or already had before the latest violence. The beach is one of the most prominent and highly developed along the Atlantic coast and is fueled by a tourism industry in the billions of dollars.

"We recognize that if we don't address this, there's serious risk of reputational damage to the tourism industry and the community," said Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. "It's still possible to salvage a good summer in terms of tourism. Hopefully we can use this as a turning point. Right now there's more uncertainty, and there have been more than a few cancellations."

It was a bad weekend for Myrtle, even for incidents that didn't occur there. Last Saturday, an SUV of Virginia teenagers was stopped in Bladen County with marijuana and cocaine, 18 liters of liquor, several cases of beer and thousands in cash. Their stated destination: Myrtle Beach.

The suspect in the most prominent Myrtle shooting, the one broadcast on Facebook from a hotel balcony, is a 17-year-old from Charlotte. Dean says Myrtle Beach is responsible for addressing crime that occurs in its city, but notes that most of that crime is committed by people from other places.

"The citizens of Myrtle Beach do a wonderful job caring for our kids," Dean said. "It's other communities whose children are coming here to cause problems. ... A few have decided not to respect our community and follow our laws. To them we say stay home or find somewhere else to go."

Kristty Smith, a hair stylist in Clayton, was on a vacation with her family in Myrtle Beach on the weekend of the shootings. She said it was a fun trip, a week spent on the beach and going para-sailing and to the Broadway at the Beach restaurant and entertainment area. She said Myrtle was where she went to the beach while growing up, but that the area's congestion is now pushing her toward North Carolina's more quaint beaches.

"I will not go back to Myrtle," Smith said. "There are just too many people there. It's just gotten crazy. It's so congested. That's the only reason I won't be back."

Diego Cancel of Raleigh spent a weekend in Myrtle Beach for the first time two weeks ago. While he enjoyed it, he doesn't foresee a return visit.

"Myrtle was fun, but it was definitely not for everyone," Cancel said via Facebook Messenger. "It is very trashy in the sense of people not being respectful of others regardless of race or age. It's an experience that I wouldn't want to repeat."

Back on Ocean Isle, Smith said she sometimes makes the drive across the state border for shopping or occasional dining in South Carolina. But she usually tries to stay out of Myrtle.

"You don't want to hear what I think of Myrtle Beach," Smith said.

The beaches of southern North Carolina are the strips to Myrtle's strand, often rural and often preferring it that way. Some use the phrase "family friendly" to distinguish the atmosphere north of the state line.

"There's a different dynamic between Myrtle and Sunset," said Sunset Beach Mayor Robert Forrester. "We're very much family oriented, families who have been coming for a number of years."

Sunset Beach's most significant controversy in recent years came last winter, when the town considered banning cabanas on the beach.

"I got 350 emails about banning cabanas," Forrester said. "The overwhelming majority all referred to the fact that they've been coming to the beach for 30 years. That their grandmother came 80 years ago."

Forrester doesn't speak ill of Myrtle Beach, saying he visits somewhat regularly for shopping and dining. He said plenty of Sunset visitors steal away for a day in Myrtle Beach while on vacation..

"The negative activities that happened over the weekend, the vast majority of the people that come here would not be associated with," Forrester said, saying he hears mostly of day trips to the alligator adventure shows or Broadway at the Beach. "You wouldn't find the same kind of population that stays there as stays here."

Smith acknowledged that Brunswick County has likely received a boost from the enormous growth of Myrtle Beach.

"I think Myrtle was primed for growth and in the right place, and Brunswick benefited from that," Smith said. "But thank goodness we've kept ourselves a little quieter."

That relationship may be most important for Calabash, which collects loads of day trippers from Myrtle Beach seeking out seafood restaurants or a day on the water. Bob Taylor runs Calabash Fishing Fleet and said 75 percent of his approximately 550 charter voyages a year are from groups from Myrtle Beach.

Taylor said he doesn't expect the shootings to drive the crowds away from Myrtle.

"Calabash is the closest port to Myrtle Beach, so if you're looking to go fishing or just out on a boat, you have to drive north and come to the inlet," Taylor said. "(The shooting) was an isolated incident; I don't foresee any real impact. In the short term, maybe, people might check out a little early. But that could happen just about anywhere. We've had a high influx of people this year. Out of all those people, you'll have a handful of bad seeds here and there."

John Hobgood runs the only grocery store on Sunset Beach, the Island Market. He said he doesn't expect the incidents in Myrtle to have much impact on Sunset or beaches like it.

"It was tragic," Hobgood said. "Nothing really good happens after midnight. But it's not really going to impact the people who come here."

Drew Jackson; 919-829-4577; @jdrewjackson

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As Myrtle Beach reels from violence, NC beaches tout 'family friendly' alternative - StarNewsOnline.com