Demonstration: Stand Against Illegal Sand Mining

TAKE A STAND. SAVE OUR SAND!

Save Our Shores & Surfrider Monterey are hosting a public demonstration to end illegal sand mining. We want you there!

Join our community in support of the California Coastal Commission’s fight to end harmful erosion caused by the CEMEX sand mining plant in Marina. Your voice counts! We’re organizing a public demonstration to encourage the CEMEX operation to cooperate and comply with the Commission’s “notice of intent” letter (a precursor to a cease-and-desist order) sent in March of 2016. So far, no action has been taken by either party.

It’s time we took a stand to save our sand, beaches, federally threatened species, sensitive marine habitats, and tax dollars for necessary beach nourishment + coastal armament projects, and our Sanctuary.

What the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary needs now is community unity and public display in support of closing the CEMEX sand mine for good. Let’s expedite this process. Let’s make our voice heard and make homage to one of the greatest community and social unifiers of our time: Martin Luther King Jr.

This demonstration will be a part of a documentary about the illegal sand mining operation and the local community knowledge surrounding the environmental, economic, and social impact the mine has along the Southern Monterey Bay.

LOGISTICS

RSVP for updated meet-up details or email info [at] saveourshores.org for questions!
WHEN: Monday, January 16th from 10:00am-noon (Martin Luther King Day)
WHERE: 3399 Dunes Dr, Marina, CA 93933 (park along the road where permitted, demonstration group will walk together along the beach to the dredge pond, conducting a causal beach cleanup along the way)
WHO: Save Our Shores, Surfrider Monterey, Film Crew, and Community Members
WHAT: Documentary Shoot, Marine Conservation and Health, Ocean Activism, Erosion Awareness, Sand Mining, MBNMS, Dredge Pond Watch Program
NOTE: Demonstration will occur rain or shine! Please RSVP for information updates
COST: Free

QUICK FACTS

* The annual average sand extraction is documented to be well above 200,000 cubic yards, which is more than twice the allotted amount of sand initially mined prior to the Coastal Act.
* Sand is a precious resource, vital to the integrity of our coastline. The MBNMS is already home to the highest natural erosion rate along the entire 840 mile coast of California.
* It’s estimated that the CEMEX Plant is directly responsible for 50-75% (≈ 2 feet or 8 acres) of the annual shoreline erosion occurring along the Southern Monterey
* This man-made erosion comes with embedded environmental, economic, and social costs. In 2012, the Center for the Blue Economy estimated that the recreational value of lost beach area caused by the CEMEX Plant is valued at more than $1,104,804 annually, a figure that does not calculate non-market costs or current day appreciation.
* The plant operates without a current Coastal Development Permit.
* The Local Coastal Program from the City of Marina turned their decision making powers over to California Coastal Commission in February of 2016.
* The six decade old mine was deemed illegal based on several Coastal Act violations cited in a “notice of intent” letter (a precursor to a cease-and-desist order) issued by the California Coastal Commission against the operation in March of 2016.
* Since then, the current mine operator, CEMEX, an international building materials company, has been granted multiple extensions to respond to the notice.
* In a recent study conducted by Ed Thorton (professor emeritus at the Naval Postgraduate School and an internationally recognized expert on coastal processes), CEMEX has doubled if not tripled their mining yield without notifying or confirming with the Coastal Commission.
* To date, no action has been taken by either parties.