Pacific Coast Television’s video contest for Coastside teens from 7th to 12th grade is entering its second round.

Contestants will create a two minute video to show locals and visitors why the San Mateo coast is such a wonderful place to visit and play. The goal is to encourage tourism, greater civic pride and educate locals and visitors on the many attractions the Coastside has to offer. Teams are encouraged to highlight as much of the Coastside as possible, while keeping in mind that PCT wants the entire San Mateo coast represented.

The contest will have three rounds judged separately with a winner crowned for each. Individual round winners will each get $300. At the end of the third round, the winners of all three will be examined again with one team winning a $1,000 and TV exposure on PCT!

• Round One cosed at the end of the year:  Nature…Not water! (deadline for entry December 31 2013) – Make a video no more than two minutes in length about nature inland.  A special televised program will highlight the 1st round winner in January. Round one prize is $300
• Round Two: What’s to do! (deadline for entry April 30 2014) – Make a video about physical places and structures on the San Mateo Coast. The point is to show things to do on the Coastside that are free or low coast for visitors. Round two prize is $300
• Round Three:  Yes, it’s the water! (deadline for entry August 31 2014) – Highlight the water. Water sports like surfing, or para-sailing, the different beaches and coastal amenities are all good subjects. The point is to show how exciting the San Mateo beaches and coast side is. A special televised program will pick the winner in September. Round three prize is $300

Coastsiders will vote online for one of the three round-winning promos. A grand prize winner will then be crowned at the PCT Telethon in November 2014!  The Grand Prize will be $1,000.

Details and the entry form are on PCT’s website.

Pirates of Penzance opens tonight at Pacifica Spindrift Players and continues through Apr 6.

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory in the San Francisco Bay Area from noon Sunday to 8am Monday.

The NWS forecasts a westerly swell of 12 to 14 feet and 16 to 18 seconds. Local breakers to 18 feet are possible, as well as increased risk for rip currents and sneaker waves.

Every day we read about young girls and women who have escaped years of physical and emotional abuse. This terrible situation exists in all parts of our society.

Please join us for our March program about domestic violence and “Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence”, an organization based in San Jose, which has received a Community Action Grant from AAUW California.  Donna Knowlton, the development Officer, will tell us the story of Next Door Solutions.

Next Door seeks “to end domestic violence in the moment and for all time.” Next Door promotes safety for battered women and their children through emergency shelter, crisis intervention, and education for victims and the community.  Since its founding, Next Door has helped rebuild the lives of tens of thousands of women and children.

This presentation is organized by the Half Moon Bay branch of AAUW (American Association of University Women). When: Monday, March 17 2014 - 7:00-9:00 pm Where:  Community Methodist Church, 777 Miramontes St.  Half, Moon Bay, CA

Everyone is invited and there is no fee.  If you have any questions, please contact me at 465-3360 or [email protected].

Gael Erickson

UPDATED to include a response from the Natural Resources Defense Council. This story is based primarily on an USFWS press release.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife plans to reclassify the tidewater goby from endangered to threatened, and is seeking public comment.

The USFWS describes the tidewater goby as “a small gray-brown fish that rarely exceeds two inches in length and generally lives for only one year. Gobies inhabit lagoons, estuaries, marshes and freshwater tributaries along the California coast.” The goby’s range ran from the northernmost (Del Norte) to the southernmost (San Diego) California coastal counties.

The goby was listed as endangered in 1994, following a California a drought beween 1987 and 1992. During the drought years, coastal lagoons and estuaries dried up, and the number of tidewater goby localities dropped from 87 to 43. Other threats included habitat loss due to conversion of coastal wetlands to other uses; alteration of habitat by flood control projects; fragmentation between goby localities; poor water quality; introduced nonnative predators and competitor species; and breaching of sandbars that rapidly drained tidewater goby habitat.

In 2007, the service completed a 5-year review of the species and found that the tidewater goby could be found in 112 of 135 known historic localities. The Service concluded that the tidewater goby appeared more resilient than previously known, and was capable of recolonizing areas or increasing populations under more favorable conditions. In the 5-year review, the Service recommended the species be downlisted from endangered to threatened.

Because the goby occupies a narrow margin of salinity, where fresh and salt water mix, a rise in sea levels could inundate coastal lagoons and estuaries that support the species. This threat is not imminent; however, it is likely that many of the current tidewater goby localities could be inundated by seawater by 2100.

The Service was petitioned in 2010 by the Pacific Legal Foundation, (which describes itself as “devoted to a vision of individual freedom, responsible government, and color-blind justice”) to downlist the species, based primarily on the service’s 2007 species review.

In 2011, Andrew Wetzler, Director of the Land and Wildlife program for the Natural Resources Defense Council wrote about its victory in securing more critical habitat for the tidewater goby:

So we sued and the Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to take another look.  On Wednesday the Service went a long way towards fixing both Tidewater Goby Proposed Critical Habitat (NRDC 2011)these problems.  First, the agency expanded the amount of habitat protected by the goby by 20% (from about 10,000 to 12,000 acres—mostly small sections up and down the coast).  Second, the agency included 10 currently unoccupied lagoons and creeks, stretching from Los Angeles to Marin counties, which will now get added protections.

The new critical habitat included Pomponio Creek in San Mateo County’s Southcoast. In an email to Coastsider, Wetzler observed:

“As California suffers through a historic drought that likely mirrors and exacerbates the conditions that got the goby listed to begin with, it’s an odd time for the Fish and Wildlife Service to take this action. The good news for the goby though, is that basically nothing changes. They will enjoy the same federal protections over the same coastal habitat with the new designation.”

The service notes that “downlisting from endangered to threatened does not remove the protections the species is currently receiving under the Endangered Species Act, but it better reflects its conservation status.”

The Service is seeking public comments from March 13 through May 12, 2014. Submit comments electronically at www.regulations.gov. In the Search box, enter Docket Number FWS–R8–ES–2014-0001.  Comments can also be sent by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS–R8–ES–2013-0001, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM, Arlington, VA 22203.

The proposed regulation will be published in Federal Register on March 14.

For more information about the goby and the proposed reclassification, please visit: http://www.fws.gov/ventura

Sanchez Art Center has announced an open call for artists for its sixth annual 50|50 Show, juried by Jack Fischer of Jack Fischer Gallery, San Francisco.

The exhibit takes place August 22 through September 28 of 2014. Entry deadline is Tuesday, May 13, 11 pm PST. Entry is online only [link]. Artists can also download a copy of the prospectus from Coastsider.

Accepted artists will create 50 small works (6” x 6”) over the course of 50 days. Each artist chooses a theme for their 50 pieces, and uses from 1 to 3 medium(s) throughout the 50-piece series. Creation of works by participating artists will begin June 9 and end July 28, 2014. The exhibition will run August 22 - September 28, 2013.

When that cry of “Fire” went out in early Spanishtown, it brought a special fear. The town was being built out of wood. And there was no set plan for putting fires out.

It took decades before the idea of fighting the town’s fires became organized.

This is the story of how fire protection in Half Moon Bay changed from friends working in bucket brigades to a modern, well trained team of volunteers and professionals.

Hear about the city fathers who first realized that there was an urgent need – and what they did about it. Relive the events that triggered their actions… The turning points, as the fire service transformed from a group of responsible neighbors into an effective force, willing to risk their life and limbs to protect their community.

Join us as one of the most experienced members of today’s volunteer fire fighting force shares his research about history and his personal experiences with the department.

Roger Pimentel is one of those Coastside treasures – Born and raised on the Coastside, and still serving his community. He has been a volunteer fireman in Half Moon Bay for 43 years (currently serving as Volunteer Chief). Roger has also been an HMB IDES member for 43 years. He has a four decade career as an operating engineer.

Tuesday, March 18
5:30 - Doors open, finger snacks and refreshments
6:00 - Meeting begins

Portuguese Cultural Center
724 Kelly St, Half Moon Bay

San Mateo County Parks Department will temporarily close Moss Beach Park on Apr 1 in order to remove the declining Monterey Pines and install the long-awaited restroom.

An inspection by a certified arborist determined that the two large Monterey Pines in front of the Moss Beach Park are in a state of decline.  Both trees suffer from Bark Beetles and Pine Pitch Canker which has weakened their integrity and created various safety hazards for children using the park.  As promised when the County accepted the park, we are working hard to ensure that it continues to be a safe place for children to play.  In the coming days, the County will be posting notices of removal on each tree.

Simultaneously, the County will be installing the long-awaited Moss Beach Park restroom.  While the park is closed for the tree removals, we will install the restroom.  It has taken several years, but the Moss Beach Park restroom is only weeks away from being installed!

Overall, we anticipate the park will be closed between 6 and 8 weeks.  If anyone has any questions during this time, please contact the SMC Parks Department at 650-363-4020.

San Mateo County Parks Department