"The Coast is Never Saved! It's Always BEING Saved!" Douglas and Swartz Agree "Coastal Protection Is Never Finished" in Documentary on History of Oil & Gas in the Santa Barbara Channel Earth Alert Documentary To Be Presented in Free Public Presentations xnard, Calif., Jan. 2 (2007) - Comments on the unending need for coastal protection efforts from California Coastal Commission's executive director Peter Douglas and former Coastal Commissioner Naomi Schwartz cap the newly completed Earth Alert documentary, Sand, Sun, Oil & Gas. The documentary traces the more-than-a-century history of coastal oil and gas development along the Santa Barbara Channel. "It's now been 38 years since the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill," said Earth Alert founder and director Janet Bridgers, who produced, wrote, narrated and edited the 28-minute production. "That oil spill galvanized coastal protection efforts in California, and proved to be one of the major catalysts toward federal environmental protection laws. Everyone who loves the coast needs to remember what happened and how long it took to clean it up." The documentary also reviews the two successful past efforts in Oxnard and Port Hueneme to prevent onshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities from being built at Ormond Beach. "This documentary provides comments from major figures involved in reporting of and protection from oil and gas effects for the past 40 years. These experts clearly state that whatever oil and gas proponents say about their projects, the fact is that oil and gas development is inherently polluting," Bridgers said. "And the historical facts clearly bear that out," she added. The documentary script is based on former Santa Barbara News Press reporter Bob Sollen's book, An Ocean of Oil: A Century of Political Struggle Over Petroleum off the California Coast, as well as on interviews with dozens of long-time coastal activists. "Oil and gas battles are a recurring theme here along the Channel," said Bridgers. "This documentary shows the tenacity the citizens of this beautiful stretch of coast have repeatedly displayed to minimize coastal industrialization and protect marine life, fishing and tourism. Their efforts are epic." The documentary includes historic visuals of early oil wells and the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill provided by Bob Sollen, the estates of Robert Easton and Dick Smith and by KEYT-TV in Santa Barbara. Music for the documentary has been composed by Michael de Martino. "Earth Alert is extremely grateful for the cooperation that has been offered on this project," Bridgers said. The documentary will debut in free public presentations, open to the public, in Santa Barbara on Tuesday, January 9, 2007, at 7 p.m. at the main Santa Barbara Library, in Oxnard on Wednesday, January 10, at 6 p.m. at the Oxnard Public Library and in Los Angeles on Thursday, January 11 at 7:30 p.m. at EcoVillage, 3551 Whitehouse Place, Los Angeles, 90004, in the Koreatown district. (See www.laecovillage.org for directions, or call 213/738-1254 or contact crsp@igc.org.) Each presentation of the short history will be followed by discussion of coastal protection efforts' relevance to local, state and global communities. "The work on this project began two years ago," said Earth Alert founder and director Janet Bridgers, "with the ëHeroes of the Coast' project to record oral histories of the state's leading coastal activists. We've reached the point where the major activists from the time of the oil spill, and the passage of Prop 20, which created the Coastal Act, are elderly. Some have died, are ill, or have retired and moved away. This project honors their contributions, with the hope that it will help inspire renewed commitment to the coast." The project has been largely funded by a grant from the California Council for the Humanities, with additional funding provided by the Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club and Ormond Beach Observers. Earth Alert is an award-winning 22-year-old environmental nonprofit, based in Ventura County, that has been involved in California coastal protection efforts for two decades, and most recently, in Ormond Beach. #          #            # [about us][our mission][projects][articles][photos][contact us][links][home]