Making a Positive Impact on Our Coast

H I S T O R Y O F O C E A N S I D E ’ S S A N L U I S R E Y R I V E R A N D S H O R E L I N E S T R U C T U R E S

The City of Oceanside is situated around the mouth of the San Luis Rey River, where it meets the Pacific Ocean. Incorporated in 1888, Oceanside is the oldest city in North County, San Diego and much of its history remains visible today in the urban landscape. Locations like the Pier, the Strand, South Oceanside neighborhoods, and the small craft harbor, as well as, other notable sites, are remnants from a history of growth dating back to the early 1900s.

While familiar and historical locations make-up the very fabric of Oceanside’s city and culture, they also inform how the city adapts by dictating where new structures can be built to cultivate the greatest impact to changing environmental conditions. For example, the South Jetty was initially constructed to open the mouth of the San Luis Rey river and supplement flood control. Holding the importance of Oceanside’s history alongside responses to rising seas is critical to the resilience of Oceanside today and into the future.

Recently, the City Council has begun to address rising seas and the preservation of Oceanside’s iconic beaches and waves through a sand retention and nourishment project. To understand a bit more about the history of Oceanside’s coast, we’re diving into the South Jetty, whose location at the San Luis River mouth is not just a reflection of the past but what might be possible in the future.

At the mouth of the San Luis Rey River, is a pile of rocks extending out into the ocean, known by locals as the Harbor "South Jetty. " The structure, actually considered a groin, provides an array of benefits to Oceanside’s community. On any given day, surfers of all ages and skill levels can be seen enjoying the waves, on both the North and South ends. Beachgoers relax along the broad sandy beach that benefits from sand retention maintained by the structure. Fishermen spend hours on the rocks of the structure searching for their next catch. Families and young people explore the rocks, chasing crabs and viewing all the marine life that call this shoreline structure home.

The vast benefits afforded by the South Jetty are often unsung and overlooked. The structure maintains the sandy beach that stretches to the north, provides rocky habitat for intertidal species usually found in tide pools, keeps the San Luis Rey mouth relatively open, and of course, supplies north Oceanside with a consistent summer surf break.

The San Luis Rey River groin is a shoreline structure that was initially constructed in 1961 as a short jetty (396 feet) to keep sand from flowing into the river inlet. Its purpose was to stabilize the river mouth in conjunction with the Oceanside Harbor construction. In 1968, the structure was lengthened to approximately 919 feet.

Shoreline structures that are built perpendicular to the coast have the potential to alter sand flow. Since construction, Oceanside's "South Jetty" has trapped sediment pushed up from south swells and maintained sediment placed at Harbor beach decades ago. By this accord, this shoreline structure that was once built to keep the San Luis Rey River flowing, now serves a dual purpose of maintaining the sand on Harbor Beach that was placed over half a century ago, with no required sand nourishment. Surfers throughout Southern California travel to Oceanside to surf world class waves that break off the shoreline structure. While sandbars typically move and shift along the coastline, the structure creates consistent, rideable breaks on its north and south sides.

Additionally, because these consistently rideable waves attract surfers from all over, surf competitions are held at South Harbor Beach throughout the year. A wide range of ages and skill levels of competitive surfers have had the opportunity to surf competitions off the San Luis Rey River groin for decades. These competitions have helped steer some amateurs into professional surfing careers and have served as a catalyst in the surfing industry.

The San Luis Rey River groin is teeming with marine life! Best viewed at low tide, sedentary organisms like colonies of sea anemones, oysters, barnacles, and pacific mussels are visible in and on the rocks, as well as, more active invertebrates like spiny lobster and two-spot octopuses. Young people scamper across the rocks, searching for the crabs that call the groin home. Bat stars and ochre sea stars are making a reappearance here, too. Fishermen routinely catch fish such as opaleye, Corvina, seabass, and the occasional halibut. Invertebrates densely populated the sand to the north and south of the groin, making pickings suitable for the seabirds that forage on our shoreline.

These organisms are visibly present on shoreline structure’s rock surfaces and are part of a localized coastal ecosystem. As the tides fill in and these animals disappear from view, they become part of

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Following the initiation of the Beach Sand Feasibility Study, the City of Oceanside created a brand new position to address coastal erosion concerns and sea level rise and build resiliency against all these environmental stressors. The new Coastal Zone Administrator, Jayme Timberlake, hails from a similar role with the City of Encinitas and brings a myriad of nature-based solutions to our coastal erosion issues. Before working with the City of Encinitas, she worked in environmental analysis, permitting, and habitat restoration for over 15 years. To be sure, she will be incorporating her diverse experience in coastal management into tangible, thoughtful, and collaborative solutions that provide countless benefits to surfers, beachgoers, homeowners, and of course, the critters.

Content Created By, Alex Klein Resilient Cities Catalyst

Resilient Cities Catalyst (RCC) is a global non-profit that helps cities and communities create catalytic change to solve their most pressing challenges. Over the past year, RCC has been working closely with grassroots organizations, like Save Oceanside Sand, among others to promote action along Southern California's coast in response to rising sea levels and erosion. You can learn more about RCC at:

An artificial reef is a manmade structure that may mimic some of the characteristics of a natural reef. Artificial reefs may be built to enhance marine habitat, improve or build a surf break, or encourage the dissipation of wave energy thereby protecting landward structures from coastal storms and wave runup.

A groin is a coastal engineering structure, usually composed of rock, that is constructed perpendicular to the shoreline with the intent of retarding the loss of a beach and widening it by trapping passing sand. Some are built solid to be impervious to sand flow and others are built to be permeable, to allow appreciable quantities of sand to flow through.

A jetty is a coastal engineering structure that projects out from land, usually built from quarried rock, with the intent of maintaining a river mouth or harbor opening, protecting the channel or mouth from shoaling or filling in with drifting sand.

Resilience on the coast is the capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems to survive, adapt, and grow when facing chronic stresses and acute shocks. Coastal shocks are experiences, such as extreme flooding events from king tides. Coastal stressors are experiences, such as the long-term overtopping of a beach roadway.

This term refers to the act of dumping large quantities of sediment, or sand, onto a beach.

The term “sediment” is the scientific name for sand. The word sediment can refer to the grain, its size and quality, as well as, the total sum of grains making up the beach.

A shoreline structure is a physical object that is man-made, built, into the shoreline to preserve the coast.

Getting ready for the holiday season? Holiday shopping can create a lot of waste. Some of this can be recycled, but not all! From the wrapping paper and tape to the plastic packaging many gifts come in, it’s time to rewrite the guide to holiday shopping! We are going to explore three Zero Waste strategies for gifts that replace the typical idea of purchasing items at a big box store. Not only are these ideas planet-friendly, they are fun and easy too! First, give an “experience” as a gift. There are a variety of exciting Oceanside adventures to go on. Second, try making your gifts. A Zero-Waste recipe in the kitchen is a creative option, be sure to source your ingredients locally! If making gifts isn’t up your alley, and an experience gift isn’t suitable, don’t worry! Last, we explore Oceanside businesses that promote sustainability through ZeroWaste tactics. The idea is to shop at small, local stores that demonstrate this throughout their business model.

Giving an experience as a gift shows specific thought on behalf of the sender. Know someone who loves the ocean and marine animals? Contact Oceanside

Adventures at (760) 277-3073 or visit their website at www.oceansidewhalewatching.com to schedule a private charter boat to take your friends and family on a dolphin and whale watching tour. There, you will have an expert captain and certified naturalist guide your experience while witnessing wildlife in action. Or, give Helgrens Sportfishing a call at (760)722-2133 to book an exciting fishing trip off the coast of Oceanside. You can also book online at www. helgrensportfishing.com. They offer day trips, and overnight adventures. Have a friend that likes to live life on the edge? It might be time for them to visit iFLY Oceanside to go skydiving indoors. Schedule a flight today by calling (760) 606-4359 or at www.iflyworld.com/oceanside. After that adrenaline rush winds down, you may be hungry. Part of the experience could be a dinner at one of our wonderful Oceanside restaurants. One eatery that serves great food and drinks while looking out for the environment is The Flying Pig Pub and Kitchen. They have been sustainably sourcing much of their raw materials

locally for years. In addition, they source their ingredients from local providers including seafood caught in San Diego, microgreens from Dedo Verde in Carlsbad, truffle oil from Vista, strawberries grown in Carlsbad, and of course produce from the Oceanside Farmer’s Market. At the end of the day, these experiences are a way to grow memories and not trash. Remember, opportunities are endless in this category and Oceanside has a lot to offer. Eat Local/Source Local:

Do you like to cook or bake? If so, making a gift from scratch is right up your alley! A favorite of the City’s Green Oceanside Team is to gift special foods from Zero Waste recipes. Be sure to include the recipe so the idea can be passed on to more people and further generations. When shopping for ingredients, do so locally. The Oceanside Farmers Market takes place day and night every Thursday and has many options for fresh produce, fruits, and more. You will find many vendors excited to share how they are doing their part in sustainable farming and agriculture. Once you have your locally sourced components, check out the Green Oceanside Kitchen website at www.ci.oceanside. ca.us/gov/water/services_programs/recycling/green_ oceanside_kitchen.asp for ideas on what to make and how to get the most out of your foods. Another option is Cream of The Crop Natural Food Market. Located in South Oceanside and only blocks from the beach, they feature high quality produce, clean label groceries and vitamins. Visit their website’s “local products” page at www. creamofthecropnatural.com/local to find a list foods, drinks, and products that would be a perfect gift on their own, or part of a recipe. Still looking to get out and go holiday shopping? Shop at small stores in Oceanside that utilize all of their “waste” and source materials locally. Rais Case is a collective retail/studio space in Oceanside with a mission “To make quality goods that create community and support well-being” says Owner Julie Rais. They design bags and more that serve not just one purpose, but many for our busy lives. Furthermore, all bags are designed, manufactured and shipped from San Diego, CA. Put this on your list of shops this season to find the perfect gift for that special someone, while taking in all the good they do for the planet and our community. Check out Sonara Refillery at 1012 S. Coast Highway, a store that focuses on refilling Bath, Body, and Home Products by the Ounce. Shop for products with a refillable container, and refill as needed at Sonara Refillery. You can purchase containers at their store, or bring your own! Don’t continue to pay for plastic bottles when all you use is what’s inside. This is a great sustainable gift idea that can get your friends and family in the spirit of re-using everyday containers to keep excess plastic out of our landfills. Curious what they have in terms of products to refill? Check out their website beforehand for a variety of options at diyrefill.com. Whether it be an experience gift, creating something from scratch, or shopping sustainably, we can all agree that its not always the gift that matters. It’s the thought, care, and story behind it. All the aforementioned businesses are part of the City’s Green Oceanside Business Network. These members are recognized as environmental leaders who took the extra effort to incorporate sustainable practices into their business model. Make this season unforgettable by jumping off the “bandwagon” and taking the outlined approaches to holiday shopping. Lastly, don’t forget that if you must wrap your gift, do so using newspaper or magazines. Another option is to put the gift(s) in a re-usable bag, this is like getting two gifts in one! Or, opt out of the whole wrapping scene by surprising them with quick turn from around the back, or popping out with it in hand. Consider these fun and new ways to give gifts and I bet you will stand out!