Save Our Shores
345 Lake Ave., Suite A, Santa Cruz.
462-5660, www.saveourshores.org
When Save Our Shores was formed in 1978, it led the opposition to local offshore oil drilling, and later, helped spark the creation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. These days, the primary focus for SOS is hosting beach cleanups and educating the public about one of the most noxious invaders to our marine ecosystems—plastic. To that end, new executive director Katherine O’Dea says ramping up the agency’s education programs is paramount. “We want to become more proactive,” she says, “not just reacting to trash that’s already found its way to the beach, but to find a systemic solution to stem the tide of that trash.”