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California's Whales and Dolphins Threatened by Navy Sonar
I became an activist at the age of seven when I witnessed the kind of senseless destruction that mankind can inflict on our friends who live in the ocean. The tragic Santa Barbara oil spill changed me forever, caused unimaginable devastation, and was sadly completely avoidable.
Today, we face the prospect of another man-made terror looming over our coast. This time the danger is not from big oil, but rather the United States Navy and the use of powerful sonar. The Navy wants permission for two years of undersea sonar testing off California's coast, in spite of the fact that this type of sonar has been linked to the deaths of whales and other marine mammals. Even the Navy acknowledges the terrible damage caused by blasting the ocean with ear-splitting noise, and yet they are pressuring the Coastal Commission to approve their request at next week's Commission hearing in Long Beach.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Protect California's Whales from Mid-level Sonar
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
As one of the 5,000 California members of Sierra Club's Great Coastal Places campaign, I oppose the continuation of the Navy's use of powerful sonar off our coast. If the Commission is to approve this destructive practice, then I strongly urge the Commission to adopt the reasonable mitigations and recommendations put forth by the Commission's staff.
Marine mammals such as the Gray whale and the dolphin navigate, avoid predators, find food and communicate through sound. Since whales stranded after sonar blasting have been found with hemorrhaging of the ear and brain, there is a growing understanding among scientists, biologists and even the Navy itself of the fatal nature of these exercises.
In spite of all that we know and all that we continue to discover about the devastation caused by sonar use, the Navy has not provided the Commission with the level of detail needed to fully review their proposed project and impacts to our coast and ocean. If the Commission is to approve the two Navy's request for two years of destructive sonar exercises, we must first receive assurances that the mitigations and controls put forth by the Commission's staff will be enforced.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
January 03, 2007
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In 1991, after a Navy sonar exercise near the Bahamas, 16 beaked whales and a dolphin became disoriented and stranded on beaches and in shallow water. Whales and dolphins use their own sonar to navigate, feed, mate, avoid enemies and communicate. Damage to their ability to "hear" sonar threatens their survival. The dead whales were found to have hemorrhaging around the brain and ears.
This is just one of many whale stranding episodes associated with the use of Navy sonar. But this tragic day led the Navy to participate in a task force which officially linked the deaths to the sonar. Sadly, the Navy still regularly blasts ocean waters with sound comparable to the launching of a rocket. On Wednesday, January 10th, 2007, when the California Coastal Commission meets in Long Beach they will review, for the first time, this devastating practice.
The Commission's staff report details a number of conditions which should be required if the Navy's proposal is too be approved. If these conditions, including the implementation of "safety zones", efforts to avoid fragile areas like the Channel Islands, monitoring, and enforcement are not accepted, then the Commission must not approve the Navy's proposal.
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