Year in Review: Patch Goes Wild

A 2011 New Year's resolution for Palos Verdes Patch was to provide a closer look at the local marine environment to the Palos Verdes community.

Now that the year is coming to an end, here is how we turned a spotlight on wildlife, science and environmental news:

Whale on video

Local kayaker Rick Coleman captured video footage of off of King Harbor next door in Redondo Beach, and Patch interviewed him in October after the experience.

"When the whales pop up near your kayak, it can be heart-pounding ... you feel all the excitement through your body as this huge whale comes up," Coleman said. But when he was watching the blue whales underwater, "it was just complete peace and relaxation—it was just surreal."

Coastline on camera

The South Bay shore is home to dolphins, whales, sea lions, and more. In September, Patch went where the wild things are to produce a of the marine environment.

A harm to wildlife?

Domoic acid is a seasonal and natural occurrence in local waters that can be harmful to marine life. Patch in May took an aiming to identify what causes production of the toxin and how to prevent and mitigate it.

"Even with 10 years of information, we have a relatively short timeline on this problem, and this is something we need to follow," said University of Southern California biology professor David Caron. "We need to see if we’re seeing increases in a linear fashion.... Is it something that’s coming and won’t go away? It’s very difficult to tell the long-term trends when you have a short-term data set.

"What I can tell you is that, so far, we see no wane in this."

Also, look for a new series on Patch called "Patch of Nature."

Don't forget to check out Patch every day for your Palos Verdes news coverage.