Want To Be an Ocean Champion in your Community?

Join the next class of Sanctuary Steward docents! Sanctuary Stewards come from all walks of life and are the core volunteer force of Save Our Shores. We would not be able to manage without them! Applications for the 2013 class of Sanctuary Stewards are now being accepted and the training course begins in February. Apply online today!

• Read about Dee's experience as a Steward
• Hear from Nancy Connelly, Sanctuary Steward
• Hear Ronn Rygg's story on how he became a Steward
  
  

3,491 Volunteers Remove Over 8 Tons of Pollution During Annual Coastal Cleanup Day 2012 in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties!

The largest volunteer effort on the planet hit Monterey Bay on September 15 and it was a huge success, thanks to all of you!

This year's Coastal Cleanup Day brought 3,491 volunteers together at over 70 cleanup sites throughout Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties to prevent 16,827 lbs. of pollution and debris from trashing our Sanctuary and littering our communities.

• Read our press release
• See our photo album of our amazing volunteers!

Thank you to all of the volunteers, Site Captains, Supporting Businesses, Sponsors, supporters, and local business, school, church and civic groups who made this year's Coastal Cleanup Day such a monumental success for ocean conservation!

SOS Steps in to Keep State Beaches Clean Despite Cutbacks

The State Park funding fiasco continues for our local State Beaches, but that hasn't stopped Save Our Shores Donors from protecting their favorite beaches! Thanks to the help of our ocean-loving community, SOS was able to purchase six Pollution Preventions signs with attached trash and Mutt Mitt bag dispensers to install at Twin Lakes and Seabright Beaches.

The signs encourage visitors to pack their trash and take stewardship of our State Beaches into their own two hands.

See our photo album of the Twin Lakes Sign unveiling

YOU can help, too: DONATE in honor of your favorite beach!

Tsunami Debris Hits the West Coast - What you Should Know

In anticipation of tsunami debris washing up on our local beaches, Save Our Shores recently created an addition to our data collection that will track tsunami debris found during beach and river cleanups.

If you happen to encounter tsunami debris:

• Be safe, use common sense, and follow general safety rules.
  
• If you don't know what it is, please don't touch it.
  
• If it appears hazardous, contact the authorities.
  
• Report items or debris accumulations to disasterdebris@noaa.gov with as much information as possible.
  

Find out who to contact and what to watch for on our tsunami debris response page.

How to Meet the California Challenge to Protect your Shores

Did you hear the news? We need to reclaim $100,000 in state and federal funding that was cut from our programs for 2012. This means your favorite non-profit needs your support more than ever before! Please help!

DONATE today to keep your local beaches clean, your Sanctuary protected, and your school children education about the marine ecosystem.
ACT NOW to meet the California Challenge!

SOS In the News

9-15-2012: Sand of grime: Big turnout in Monterey County for Coastal Cleanup Day

9-15-2012: 320 tons of debris removed from state's waterways during Coastal Cleanup

9-14-2012: 'Tip the ocean' gives diners way to donate to the coast

8-29-2012: Sign of the (difficult) times

8-29-2012: TV News: $10,000 Signs go up in Santa Cruz amid State Park controversy

8-22-2012: NOAA proposes to expand MBNMS to GG Bridge

7-11-2012: Non-profits feel financial pinch

7-10-2012: City bids bye-bye to single use plastic bags, Styrofoam

7-6-2012: Local volunteers save Monterey Bay from 1,587 pounds of pollution July 5

7-1-2012: Monterey celebrates plastic bag ban!

6-27-2012: State Parks commits to limit Twin Lakes upkeep

6-11-2012: California braces for tsunami debris, SOS responds

6-7-2012: TV news: Tsunami debris could make its way to Central Coast

4-25-2012: Watsonville bags plastic carryalls

4-21-2012: 555 Volunteers clean up 853 pounds of pollution for Earth Day

4-17-2012: A look at the Santa Cruz County ban on plastic bags on KUSP

4-7-2012: Ross Clark's Earth Matters: What does Earth Day mean to you?

3-13-2012: COVER STORY: Save Our Shores' Anti-Plastic Ambitions

2-18-2012: Cleaning Santa Cruz-area beaches a monthly chore for SOS

12-16-2011: SOS Coalition hands out thousands of reusable bags

12-13-2011: Save Our Shores holds first Bring Your Own Bag Day

10-28-2011: Laura Kasa, Saving Our Shores One Ban at a Time

10-201-2011: Bottled water prohibited by City employees

10-5-2011: 17,000 pounds of debris removed from Santa Cruz and Monterey

10-4-2011: Beach cleanup totals are in and they are ugly

9-17-2011: Volunteers remove garbage, debris as part of Annual Coastal Cleanup Day

9-17-2011: SOS Removes Eight Tons of Trash from Area Beaches

9-13-2011: Santa Cruz County bans plastic bags

8-23-2011: Huffington Post: Grandma, What Was Styrofoam?

8-3-2011: Save Our Shores Announces Local Ocean Hero Awards

7-4-2011: These Patriots Spent the Holiday Preventing Pollution

7-3-2011: Sea Creatures Take to Ocean Street to Remind Tourists to Save Our Shores

3-15-11: Pollution in the Harbor...

2-15-11: The Defender: Jackson Browne's Anti-Plastic Campaign...

Latest SOS Blog Posts

“Passion and Adventure – All in a day’s work”
12 May 2013, 4:22 am

Save Our Shores Executive Director Sails Across the Monterey Bay for Ocean Conservation TODAY!
8 May 2013, 5:34 pm

Not-So-Secret Society
6 May 2013, 9:53 pm

Central Coast Marine Reserves, Just 5 Years Old and Doing Great!
9 April 2013, 11:56 pm

San Jose Council Votes to Move Forward on Banning Styrofoam
27 February 2013, 10:49 pm

Tsunami Debris Littering Alaskan Coastline.
7 February 2013, 5:56 pm

SOS Videos

The California Challenge w/ Laird, Keeley & Wingnut

July 5th, 2011 Beach Cleanup

SOS BaitTank Commercial PSA

July 4th PSA

July 5th Video

MPA PSA

SOS General Video

Plastic Bag Video Contest Winner

Plastic Bag Video Contest 2nd Place

Our Big Blue Landfill

Climbers Cleanup of Aptos Creek