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Had a fabulous time at the AltaSea open house showcasing Wildlife Jewels® sealife inspired designs, the story of the precious wildlife that inspired each design, while helping to raise awareness about human's impact on the environment and highlighting the importance of protecting our oceans and our precious wildlife.
We were thrilled to have the chance to showcase our efforts merging fine arts, fashion, science, technology with education in contributing to ocean and sea life conservation. It was a truly enriching experience, and we are delighted to be part of such a remarkable event which shed light on how we can collectively save our oceans and protect sea life for generations to come.
Stay tuned as we will officially launch the Wildlife Jewels 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization site very soon!!!!
The featured wildlife and highlights:
1- Wildlife Jewels Green Tourmaline the Sea Turtle Painting + Green Tourmaline the Sea Turtle lace Appliqué Cotton Bobbinet tulle Gown.
The painting takes inspiration from a precious sea turtle Azi encountered in Hawaii. The original art is painted on canvas. The exquisite gown is composed of eco-sustainable material including elegant and luxurious English cotton bobbinet and organic cotton satin. The gown design takes inspiration from the science fiction like colors and detailed patterns of sea life, kelp, sea stars, sea urchins, and sea turtles.
About the Story:
California coast Kelp is disappearing! Kelp need our help.
Over 800 marine species depend on Kelp. Gray whales shelter their young in kelp forests. The algae can also be used as biofuel, and when fed to cows dramatically cuts planet-warming methane emissions from their burps. National Geographic
Kelp in some parts of Southern California has been reduced by 75 percent over the past century mainly due to pollution and overfishing of species that protect kelp ecosystems. In addition, between 2014 and 2016, a marine heat wave wiped out more than 90 percent of the kelp cover along a 200-mile stretch of California’s north coast. Overfishing and pollution has killed off fish, abalone, and other marine animals along the Los Angeles Coast that either preyed on purple urchins or competed with them for habitat.
2- Wildlife Jewels White Opal the Snowy Egret + Dress and the bird that inspired it.
Featuring a precious Snowy Egret Azi photographed in Solana Beach. He is one of over 50 Snowy Egrets who live in Solana Beach. Their nest is across from the Ocean and they visit the beach daily to eat!
The Egret Beach House™ is an educational program to raise awareness for and protect the Snowy Egrets from human-caused threats through arts, science, and education. This program is part of the new Wildlife Jewels® nonprofit organization and will be launched soon!!!
About the Snowy Egret:
Some of the major human caused Threats to Snowy Egrets:
Over 150,000 birds are injured or killed each year by fishing lines and fishing hooks. When a bird gets entangled in the fishing line, they go through a painful struggle. Birds suffer permanent damage to skin, feathers, muscles, nerves, and bones from the line as they fight to escape. Entangled birds are often entrapped and can't find food or escape from predators.
3- Wildlife Jewels Red Spinel the Sea Lion + the Sea Lion that inspired it.
A precious Sea Lion who is a vicitim of the domoic acid crisis. Azi spotted this Sea Lion in Del Mar and immediately called the life guards and the only marine mammal rescue in the area which is Sea World. After about two hours they arrived and took the Sea Lion. Sadly it is unknown if she recovered. The domoic acid can cause seizures and severe brain damage.
The toxic algae bloom from San Luis Obispo County to San Diego County, has been sickening and killing thousands of sea lions, dolphins, and other marine mammals since June 2023.
Algae blooms are a result of excess nutrients from fertilizer, wastewater and stormwater runoff, coinciding with lots of sunlight, warm temperatures and shallow, slow-flowing water.
"Every harmful algae bloom (HAB) has its own features and this particular bloom seems to be coming from further offshore than usual. This means that in addition to an estimated more than 1,000 sick and dying sea lions, 110 dolphins have also been killed along the California coast. And these numbers don’t include those that may be dying at sea or out on the Channel Islands." The Guardian
Photo: Beautiful Great Blue Herons at AltaSea ©Azi
About AltaSea: "AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles is dedicated to accelerating scientific collaboration, advancing an emerging blue economy through business innovation and job creation, and inspiring the next generation, all for a more sustainable, just and equitable world." https://altasea.org/
