A CLOSER LOOK -- Still loving them to death

Jasmine Lee

Melody Alley smoothly scrambled across the slippery rocks at Little

Corona State Beach, stopping occasionally to bend closer to the tide

pools. Softly and slowly, but surely, she lifted a brownish, slug-like

creature.

The California sea hare -- a fragile animal with its glass-like shell

underneath its skin -- lie upon her still hand, perhaps a bit confused

and a little uncomfortable. Alley splashed some water on the sea hare,

which is named for its tentacles that resemble rabbit ears.

Alley carefully put the sea hare down -- taking pains to leave everything

else alone.

Her mission: To protect the marine life that calls the saline pockets of

the tide pools home.

It is a job that is becoming increasingly more difficult.

The tide pools at Little Corona -- a popular spot for school field trips,

tourists and locals -- are being loved to death.

It seems nobody wants to lose them. But not everybody knows that if

something does not change, the tide pools could disappear.

Experts say the tide pools have deteriorated to an advanced stage --

possibly too far to reverse without dramatic measures. Sea stars -- once

found in abundance -- are now a rare sighting. An ongoing study by the

Orange Coast College marine science department has discovered that the

location houses drastically less species than exist at hidden,

less-traveled beaches.

In a plot twist not even Edgar Allan Poe could have dreamed up, the more

people love the tide pools at Little Corona, the more the sea life

suffers.

A DOWNHILL SLIDE

Between 20 and 30 years ago, the Little Corona tide pools were teeming

with life. Algae covered the rocks, crabs scuttled about and little fish

swam undisturbed.

Dennis Kelly, an OCC marine science professor, said the damage began with

a surge of interest in the ocean.

“The tide pools really began a dramatic downhill slide about 20 years

ago,” he said. “Between 1975 and the 80s, so many people became

interested in the ocean, and Corona del Mar is one of easiest [tide

pools] to get to.”

It’s accessibility and popularity has remained for decades. The result,

Kelly said, is fewer types of animals and plants in the tide pools and

smaller amounts of the existing marine life.

For example, the tide pools at Crystal Cove are a little bit harder to

get to and therefore the contents are a great deal healthier. And the

marine life at Three Arches Bay, a private beach, live in almost pristine

conditions.

Even without human interference, tide pools are a rough environment.

Waves strong enough to knock a person down crash the small creatures

against the rocks. The rain is sometimes so strong that it washes some of

them away. On warm days, the sun can be deadly, and dry up the marine

animals.

But, while they are equipped to deal with nature, they are defenseless

against humans, Kelly said.

During the past couple of decades, Kelly said, more people have been

plucking shells and sea stars out of the water. A ton of feet have

trampled the sea life.

School tours are so popular that the city, which operates the beach, is

flooded with requests for tide pool field trips from educators throughout

Southern California. The scheduled tours, most popular during spring and

summer months, begin this week.

THE PUBLIC PROBLEM

Newport Beach city officials astutely assessed a couple of years ago that

the tide pools were in trouble. City officials began to explore options

for repairing the areas.

Ideas were tossed about and funds were pursued. There was a suggestion to

create an interpretive center at Big Corona -- the area just north of the

tide pools -- and keep people away from Little Corona.

However, it would be difficult -- perhaps even wrong -- to limit access

to the public beach, owned by the state, but under the care of the city.

The city is currently working on a public awareness campaign with

interpretive signs, said Tony Melum, the Newport Beach marine department

director.

The signs will tell visitors about the sea life and list “good

tidepooler” rules.

The minimum fine for taking anything out of the marine preserve is $500.

Many visitors respect the ocean life and follow the rules. Katie

Jaroscak, 19, experienced Little Corona for the first time last week.

Jaroscak, who is from Chicago, Ill., was delighted by what she saw.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said with a sigh.

But 19-year-old Christopher Saldana, who brought her to see the ocean,

said the current state of the tide pools is a far cry from what he

remembers from his childhood visits. Saldana, who is from Milwaukee,

Wis., but has family in this area, was disappointed to not see sea stars

or hermit crabs in the waters.

“It used to be better when I was a kid,” he said. “There are still sea

urchins now, but I used to see sea stars and other stuff.”

The two only looked into the tide pools, trying not to step on anything.

But not all tourists are as careful. The tide pools are so inviting that

some people don’t seem to be able to resist the temptation to poke sea

urchins, turn over rocks or collect shells.

A few violators intentionally take things from tide pools, but the vast

majority of people who are slowly killing the marine life do so

unwittingly.

It is a cycle. Sea grass and other plants, food for many of the tide pool

animals, are first destroyed. Then the creatures who feed on the plants

start to die off. Eventually, some say, only the heartiest of sea snails

-- some can almost withstand a blow from a hammer -- may remain.

‘LIKE A BARREN ROCK’

About three years ago, an OCC marine science class -- called intertidal

ecology -- started surveying tide pools along the Newport Coast. The

students thought they would study the rich and healthy environment found

in local tide pools, but were shocked to find that Corona del Mar’s

marine preserve wasn’t as well preserved as other areas. The students dug

up a 10-year-old study that detailed the animal and plant life in Little

Corona and were devastated to discover that what was once a thriving

environment had seriously declined.

“It’s quite heartbreaking, actually,” Pam Bennett, one of the students in

that class. “Compared to others, Corona del Mar is like a barren rock.”

The group of marine science students created the Rocky Intertidal

Preservation Project, an effort to continue studying the tide pools and

to perhaps find a solution to stop the degradation. They have been

conducting surveys at different tide pool areas.

While out at the beaches, the group’s members also use their time to

defend the tide pools.

“I hide baby sea stars under rocks because I don’t want someone to take

them,” Bennett said.

She also confronts collectors, even chasing them on the sand to prevent

the shells and other sea life from being removed. Linda Shafer, the

president of the group, said the members try to educate the public, but

some people don’t understand that taking mussels or stomping on rockweed

can damage the tide pools.

Kelly said that some people even try to argue back, saying that the tide

pools are just fine the way they are. Kelly said that although they are

not fine, the tide pools may just stay in a unhealthy state: “It just may

have to be our sacrificial lamb.”

CITY ON PATROL

For now, Alley, a Newport Beach marine preservation officer, does what

she can to patrol the tide pools.

“We can’t patrol all the time,” she said. “Some local residents realize

what’s happening to the tide pools and take it upon themselves to patrol

the area.”

When there are no people at the beach, Alley stays on the sand, sometimes

picking out the tennis balls and other odd items that find their way to

the beach -- and often into the tide pools.

She is also responsible for giving tours to school groups -- a

bittersweet experience for a naturalist that loves both educating kids

and protecting the marine environment. The children are often eager, but

sometimes forget to follow proper tide pool etiquette.

But teaching the children about the tide pools could be the solution, as

future generations could restore the damaged ecological system.

The city has scaled back the daily maximum number of students who tour

the tide pool from 300 to 200.

“I know the kids are doing a little damage, but they are learning,” Alley

said. “I explain to them that if they don’t take a shell, it’ll be here

for them to see the next time they come.”

BOX:

Tips on being a good tidepooler:

* Never remove animals, shells or rocks from the tide pools.

* Never pick up animals. Observe them where they are.

* Walk gently, taking care not to step on plants or animals.

* Never turn over rocks.

-- Source: City of Newport Beach