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Oceans need our help now more than ever. Declining fisheries, increasing quantities of marine debris, erosion problems, and oil and toxins polluting near shore waters are just a few of the threats facing our oceans today.  Save Our Shores, a Santa Cruz-based non-profit that once had an office in El Granada, held a 4-day Ocean Leadership Conference from March 12-22 in order to provide a forum for those interested in engaging with these issues. The Conference agenda included discussions on Marine Protected Areas, problems and consequences of marine debris, as well as more regionally-focused issues such as dredging at the Pillar Point Harbor, water contamination of local coastal watersheds, and the debris problem in Pilarcitos Creek. The conference also engaged Coastside residents in a community assessment exercise that encouraged residents to identify local areas for concern and ways they wanted to see them addressed.  Some of the more prevalent issues discussed included the amount of trash on local beaches and creeks, the need for more educational resources focused on the hazards of marine debris, the need to identify point and non-point sources of pollution in the watershed, and the lack of coordination between local environmental organizations. Conference participants will now work with Save Our Shores staff to further assess the needs of Coastside communities and then design and implement activities to engage their community in ocean conservation.  In order to help address one of the more pressing issues, marine debris in the local watershed, Save Our Shores staff along with conference participants will be hosting a creek cleanup at Pilarcitos Creek on May 17th from 9am-1pm.  This event will be the first of many efforts to help address community needs and is a great opportunity to get involved and have your voice heard.  Save Our Shores has been successful in coordinating thousands of volunteers in Santa Cruz County to remove marine debris from creeks and beaches.  They have also developed educational curriculum that is an interactive and informative approach to teaching youth and adults about the importance of marine conservation. Strengthened from the core, Save Our Shores now has the resources and programmatic capacity to provide valuable tools to Coastside residents who are interested in becoming more actively involved in the fight to save our precious marine environment. Please come and lend a hand at the May 17th Pilarcitos Creek Cleanup. Save Our Shores staff are excited to work with Coastside residents and hope to engage with many more volunteers and concerned community members. People interested in learning more about the Leadership Conference and the issues and concerns that were voiced can find speaker notes on the Save Our Shores website at http://saveourshores.org or call Emily Glanville the Programs Coordinator and Half Moon Bay contact at Save Our Shores (831) 462-5660 ext. 6. http://coastsider.com/index.php/site/news/2642/