Environmental Hope - "A Cleaner Bill of Health for Santa Monica Bay"

Guess what - sometimes there is good news about the environment!  Especially when we take measures to stop pollution sources (I know, a very radical concept).  The Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC) released their 2010 State of the Bay report, and it had some good news and hope for the future health of the bay.  As the LA Times reported, the assessment noted:

. . . the revival of bottom-dwelling marine life in the wake of treatment upgrades at the two big wastewater plants that empty into the bay several miles from shore. 

Diver surveys have documented sea animals and plants on the sea floor "where really it was barren before," said Shelley Luce, executive director of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, which issues the report every five years. "I think this is one of the more remarkable recoveries we've seen," she added.

"It's right up there with the return of the bald eagle and brown pelican."

Maybe not as visually dramatic: We're talking about snails and worms and other invertebrates crawling back into areas that for decades lacked the oxygen to support all but the most pollution-tolerant sea life.

While they might not be cuddly, charismastic megafauna, they are key elements of rebuilding an ocean ecology and hopefully signs of the bay's recovery.  Much work still remains to be done (note the historical contamination from DDT and PCBs persisting in sediment, and the ever present issue of urban runoff), but at least we can enjoy the return of invertebrates this time around.