Waterkeeper Alliance President Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will give the keynote address at San Diego Coastkeeper’s 18th annual Seaside Soiree Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island.
“It’s my honor to return to the home of the 15th Waterkeeper organization, one of the early leaders in a movement now aimed at protecting 500 waterways across the globe,” said Kennedy. “San Diego Coastkeeper’s achievements are historic markers demonstrating the power of persistence, collaboration and engagement to improve the waters this region depends on every day.”
In 1995, San Diego Coastkeeper emerged as the 15th Waterkeeper organization in the country, focusing on local, community-based advocacy. As the founder of the global Waterkeeper Alliance, which connects and supports local Waterkeeper programs to provide a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide, Kennedy was present at the organization’s launch 20 years ago. This year’s open-air affair also marks a significant milestone for San Diego Coastkeeper, which celebrates 20 years as a regional environmental watchdog.
San Diego Coastkeeper protects and restores fishable, swimmable and drinkable waters throughout San Diego County, particularly coastal areas such as Mission Bay. The event raises money to support the organization’s work on water quality and water supply issues in San Diego County’s inland waters and along its coastline in its pursuit of an economy fueled by clean water.
“San Diego Coastkeeper has grown into a movement of people across the county who are passionate about protecting our waters,” said the group’s executive director, Megan Baehrens. “We have drastically improved the health of San Diego’s waters and protected the resources and activities that define the San Diego County way of life. Let’s celebrate that.”
For soiree ticket information, or to sponsor or underwrite the event, contact Baehrens at [email protected]. For more information about the organization, visit sdcoastkeeper.org.
Some achievements of Coastkeeper during its 20-year history:
– Coastkeeper introduced the region to a new technology that resulted in San Diego County and Sen. Marty Block successfully passing a statewide bill that approved faster beach water quality testing. When it’s implemented, this process could allow water quality warnings within two to four hours rather than 24 hours.
– Coastkeeper helped build the Water Reliability Coalition to unite diverse interest groups in pursuit of a sustainable water supply in San Diego. Coastkeeper led this coalition to earn a unanimous City Council vote to reduce ocean discharge from Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant and implement a large-scale water recycling system. The plant could supply up to one-third of the city’s drinking water needs and will reduce environmentally costly imports from the San Joaquin River Delta and Colorado River.
– A San Diego Coastkeeper lawsuit pushed the City of San Diego to invest $1 billion in infrastructure upgrades, which reduced sewage spills by 90 percent. In 2011, volunteers identified a 1.9 million- gallon sewage spill in Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, and action resulted in a $12-million infrastructure investment by the City of San Diego to prevent future spills.
