Margo Pellagrino in her Kayak
 
Margo’s Solo Canoe Voyage Along the
Pacific Coast for Ocean Health
 
On this week’s episode of Moir’s Environmental Dialogues, Rob talks about Pacific Ocean paddler, Margo Pellegrino. Margo is paddling an outrigger canoe along the Pacific Coast to bring attention to the urgent need for ocean conservation and to address ocean health issues.  More challenging than Margo’s message is the distance she chose to go, paddling from Seattle, WA to San Diego CA.  During this broadcast Margo was unable to talk, preoccupied with passage off California’s Lost Coast, rounding a fearsome far-flung prominence called Punta Gorda, whose Lighthouse, dreaded by keepers, was known as the “Alcatraz” of lighthouses.  Instead, June Barnard, Margo’s “land crew” talks with Rob after driving halfway between Petrolia and Honeydew to get cell service. Hear why Margo is distressed by the state of this coast. Discover what she encountered, learned along the voyage, and what you can do to better oceans.
 
Folks in the Bay Area will have a chance to meet Margo. Blue Frontier’s David Helvarg expects to welcome Margo around Saturday August 21 at Crissy Field at San Francisco’s Presidio.  A few days later Margo will be arriving in Monterey during the Blue Film Festival that celebrates ocean film and entertainment. Check with Blue Frontier for greeting updates.
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plastic water bottles

 
Passage of the Safe Drinking Water Bill by Congress is a significant victory. This bill sets new standards for water quality, reduces lead in drinking water, funds small municipal projects to help meet EPA standards, and expands the EPA’s endocrine disruptor screening program. The bill mandates testing for more than 100 harmful chemicals. This bill will help all Americans have access to safe drinking water.
 
Thanks to the 1,458 ORI ecostewards who participated in our letter writing campaign. Rob hand delivered bound copies of your letters in Washington to key legislatures. They appreciated seeing letters from folks in their respective districts.
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George Divoky, Cooper Island, AK

 
George Divoky writes, from about as far from the Gulf of Mexico, and its now-oiled waters, as one can be and still be in the United States, that: “the Deepwater Horizon blowout, and the resulting paradigm shift in how the government and public views offshore oil drilling, will have a major effect on the potential threats of oil to the arctic marine system that surrounds this island.”
 
George has been returning to Cooper Island for 35 years to research nesting Black Guillemots.  With the diminution of summer ice and more open water, new bird species are taking to the gravel spit of an island.  This summer’s newest nester, much to George's pleasure, is the Glaucous Gull.  You may follow George Divoky’s Arctic adventures in the Beaufort Sea on his blog.
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Salem Sound Kayakers 2009
 


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Discover how, with the knowledge of Rachel Carson and the courage of Achilles, individuals are making a difference for healthier oceans, rivers, watersheds and skies. Choose from twenty-seven podcast episodes of Moir's Environmental  Dialogues, Ocean River Shields of AchillesAlso available free on iTunes, search "Moir's" or "Achilles." 
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