California creates a science-based series of underwater parks

You normally think of parks as being places to walk or ride around.  But on January 1, 2012, Southern California celebrated the grand opening of a series of underwater parks, or “marine protected areas,” that includes wildlife hot spots such as the La Jolla kelp forest, Laguna tidepools, and Catalina Island coral gardens. These parks will …

Photos of an abandoned cruise ship

Hidden in a remote bay of the Solomon Islands, the beached wreck of the German-built Liberian Cruise ship World Discoverer slowly rusts. There is nothing about the ship more fascinating than the story of its demise. Built in 1974, it served multiple owners faithfully for over 25 years. In April of 2000, the ship struck …

Facts and statistics on the coming plastic bag ban in California

Plastic bags contribute to the pollution of California’s ocean and beaches. Californians use approximately 16 billion plastic bags per year – more than 400 annually per person. Less than 5 percent of plastic bags are recycled. Instead, they end up sitting in landfills, littering streets, clogging streams, fouling beaches, or floating out to sea. Plastic …