La Jolla Seals


La Jolla Seal Controversy	Legal Documents	Seals, Sharks, and us	Ellen Browning Scripps Trust	Public Health

WITH RESPECT TO THE ENVIRONMENT & SEALS

SCIENTIFIC STUDIES

CITY OF SAN DIEGO REPORTS & LETTERS

FEDERAL REPORTS & LETTERS

WHAT DO SEALS REALLY THINK OF DIVERS?

HARASSMENT EMAILS

COMMENTARY

HOW TO DEAL WITH CONFRONTATION

Order "La Jolla, A Celebration of Its Past", signed by the author

TIMELINE

PROOF THE SEAL COLONY WAS BUILT AT CHILDREN'S POOL

A Children's Book:
The Tale of Silly Seal

THE LIFEGUARD UNION PLAN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEMS AT CHILDREN'S POOL

There needs to be real Shared Use, not illegal denial of citizen access to public land. The Lifeguards understood the needs at the Children's Pool, including staying within the State Landgrant Trust and the Coastal Act and Local Coastal Plan. The need was seasonally adjusted sharing that allows a protected area for seals and access to the water for both species at all times.

This answer was given to the City in 2012, but the City ignored recommendations from the community and has not even considered this simple solution. (Lockdown looks easier)

Turn one end of the horizontal rope that serves to take away all shore access for children, swimmers, divers and visitors. Click here for a large picture of a division during the extended pupping season. No solid barrier. Nobody has ever hurt a seal that chooses to join people. People will honor such a boundary more than they do the rope because it would be legal and more fair.

And in the summer: Click here for a large picture of summer use, reflecting the actual preferences of the seals when the sand is too hot for them anyway. Click on the original explanation provided to the City last year for more details. But note below:

False assumptions floating around are groundless.
1. No solid barrier need attempt to contain seals. Boundaries can be anything that clearly shows where PEOPLE should not go. Boulders were first suggested to look natural and endure storms and tides.
2. People have responded to seal needs. The City has determined 95% of visitors stay behind a rope. With this plan, divers and swimmers would have safe ocean access without crossing a rope.
3. No City employee would be required to shoo exploring seals back into "their territory". Especially not lifeguards who are dedicated emergency personnel for ocean activities, per City policy.
4. Cost is minimal. With some shore access preserved, the Plan does not require changing the Local Coastal Plan or violating the Trust or Coastal Act. No objections from the Coastal Commision with total closure avoided.
5. The markers do not have to reach the water, as long as people can see where the line is pointing.
7. The rope and sawhorses in the sample picture are also just a suggestion. Water filled plastic barrels for markers would endure better, even againt the tides.
8. Seals will observe where people do not go. Click on illustration.They can choose to use all the protection their sanctuary provides, or not. No training required.
9. The City would not need an Incidental Harassment Authorization as NOAA has come out in favor of shared use already, and requires laws relating to seal protection to be federal only. See letter There is no mandated federal distance from a seal.
10. Seals also pup confidently on South Casa Beach, proving they do not depend on closed beaches because they know people don't eat seals. Click on illustration.

If you would help prevent barring citizens from our public beaches, press the Donate button above, or use your own Paypal account, to focp@san.rr.com.

The La Jolla community deserves an end to this conflict and the City of San Diego needs to finally adopt an approach to properly care for and clean up after the seals while respecting the needs of it's citizens.

Despite what you may have heard, there is no plan to make our seals leave.
Their presence is protected by State and Federal law and we like them.
San Diego decided in 1999 to keep the seals by instituting Shared Use rather than make them leave.
That's ok, except animal rights activists with control issues have a goal of beach closure.
These radicals have bullied people off the beach and bullied our City Government with punitive lawsuits.

State courts once ruled the City had to restore Children’s Pool to the splendid gift it once gratefully accepted from Ellen Browning Scripps on behalf of the Children of San Diego. The City Attorney took Bryan Pease's suggestion to have the trust altered to transfer the value of that beach to the benefit of the trustee; the City, to the detriment of the beneficiaries - the Children. Such is the character of our City leaders.

. There is a historic alternate route to the beach. The ramp that was closed 17 years ago. We found that ramp to be shown in the Local Coastal Plan as historical access and demanded it be unlocked. It was unlocked in August 2011 and then a shroud welded over the lock to make it more impenetrable than ever. There has never been a coastal permti for that action. ADA access should have been provided instead of an iron gate.

Here is A VIDEO the Plannng Commission saw, to show seals are not terrified of divers. Check more videos and see what happens when humans share the seals' real habitat - the water. http://www.sddivers.com/Seal%20Videos.html

See what kind of cruel and ignorant propaganda is posted against honest seal protectors

Email us at focp@san.rr.com

Check the new website where a button will send your petition to the Mayor.