Sea Lion Barker – 2018 #1

Spring in Your Step

Jolly pops here to somersault you into Spring with a mandate to jettison joy to MMCC Los Angeles supporters. And boy do I have jolly joy to share. First, we are about to embark on aMobile Visitors Center tour of Rolling Hills. We’ll be open on April 15th and every Sunday in May next to the George Canyon Nature Center at the corner of PV Blvd North and PV Blvd East

Bring the family, kids, neighbors and friends … learn about the sealand sea lion pups that are arriving daily at our hospital. Get your picture with our new dock and life-like sea lion statues. Here’s a shot our setup crew doing a site visit to map out the space.

We can’t wait to see you! 

February was a great month. We shindigged for 4 Thursdays at Smog City Brewery where the fine owners hosted MMCC Los Angeles to donate 10% of beer sales!

Thank you so much to Laurie Porter and Sam Pennington for being so generous to include us in this fundraising opportunity. They even hosted Andy & Renee to play music on the last Thursday. Thank you Randy Bowers for sponsoring these fine musical ambassadors of MMCC Los Angeles.

On February 16th we had a toe tapping fundraising concert where Mediterranean guitarist Pavlo and his band serenaded guests from all over Los Angeles at a cool theater in Little Tokyo.

The night was highlighted by Pavlo dancing with a spry grandmother!

Thanks to Gary Smith, our newest ambassador in the Port of LA, for riding the wave of good feeling from the guitar galapazoo by recruiting several organizations to donate $500 each. A big shout out to Thomas Jacobsen, Millenium Maritime, and the Los Angeles Port Pilots Association!

I just got the stop talking sign from the production crew. Talk soon.

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Art & Sea Lion Discovery Camp

Parents all over the South Bay and L.A.Harbor! Dandi here with a brand new cheer.

 

GivemeaC. Clapclap. GivemeanA. Clapclap. GivemeanMMMMandaPclapclap. What does that spell? The coolest funnest most interesting happy art and sea lion science day camp in the whole wide July of 2018.

That’s right. If a youngster at your kitchen table will be a 5th or 6th grader this Fall, click here to learn about camp details and to register.

The day camp is a joint venture between MMCC Los Angeles and Angels Gate Cultural Center, our cool neighbors on the hill right above our sea lion hospital. Your child will love starting their day at Angels Gate with an art experience, followed by a science experience and animal viewing, then back for more art.

 

The camp runs each day from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday, July 9th – 13th. If the week fills up quickly, we’ll add a second week. Angels Gate has many professional artists to inspire your child’s creative interests. We have experienced staff and volunteers to explore the scienceof a sea lion hospital and of ocean conservation. Reserve your spot today! Tell your friends so they can secure spots for their children and make our first camp experience a wonderful success. I wish I was a kid!

Speaking of our wonderful volunteers, here’s a few pics from our 3rd annual Volunteer Appreciation Night in February. Awards for our dedicated volunteers; wonderful food cooked by volunteer chefs, smiles all around by our seating-room only crowd, and, laughter with the musical improve comedy from Opening Night musical improv group. Some events start with thenational anthem. Our dinner started with Flaviya singing her song “Lonely Seal”.

When you have a mission to help seals and sea lions, it naturally leads to hard working, passionate supporters and volunteers.

Until next time, I’m Dandi Lyon.

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Pups, Pups and more Pups

Readers and whisker counters. In spite of the tango talk above, let’s all lower our voices just a tad, put our hands up to our ears, and listen to the growing yelps and barks of hungry sea lion pups arriving daily.

No one should be surprised, as year afteryear we’ve averaged 25 new patients per month for a total of nearly 8,000 seals and sea lionsadmitted since 1992. We really need your financial support! Please consider donating throughour new “Buy a Seal a Meal” program to feed the frenzy of flippered friends.

2017 was no different, as seen on this poster of patients admitted from many beaches from north of Zuma to Seal Beach.

Search the graphic to tally the total of needy pinnipeds from your sandy hot spot. Note the large numbers from Dockweiler, Santa Monica and Redondo Beach. Even a few from Catalina Island. Our nerdy number crunchers convinced our artist to match map regions with colors, to connect the rescue organization that gathers the glad-to-be-rescued. You can help by calling the proper rescuer if you see a stranded pup on your fav beach.

We displayed this poster a few weeks ago in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium where we showed off our Mobile Visitors Center to the directors at the Los Angeles Dodger Foundation, in hopes of securing a grant for kids to see the mobile visitors center or take a field trip to our hospital.

Go Dodgers! Go MMCC LA supporters. Ol’ 38 is not good at gratitude … but … Thank you.

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The Sea Lion Barker can be reached at development@marinemammalcare.org, 555 W. 5th St. 35th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

A publication of Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, Inc. A 501(c)(3) charity. EIN 47- 5249182.

 

Sea Lion Barker –2017 #6

Stowaways & Seal Savviness

Jolly the Jubilant Pops here! It’s here! It’s here! The coloring book arrived just in time for our Supplies for Seals Drive. And look who is on the front cover!

Pops is purring in paradise at the sight of my orange cap perched above my perky black eyes and nose, with a smile and spots donning the rest of my happy happy figure. Speaking of smile, you can buy this book in on Amazon Smile.  Or, come for a visit to our San Pedro hospital and education center and buy the book in our gift shop. It’s a perfect present for youngsters and adults. Stop in the visitors center.   Here’s Wheelhouse Rocker Gary Kovnat debuting our spiffy new plexiglass donation dollar dropper. I can see why he’s sporting a big smile. Everyone is jazzed after his band just finished entertaining our Supplies for Seals guests.

Ya know, our visitors center is a perfect outing over the holidays, and a perfect way to introduce family and friends to the great work we do at MMCC Los Angeles. You get a first hand view of the passion our staff and volunteers have for getting our patients healthy and whole so they can get back to their ocean home as soon as possible.

In fact, on January 20^th from 9:00 to noon, come to MMCC for our inaugural “Be Seal Savvy” chat. We have our West Coast guy Justin V from National Marine Fisheries Service educating the public about what do when a seal or sea lion is on a boat or dock!

You boaters and marina types know what we are talking about here. Get your stories ready to tell to Justin and each other. Our colleague Peter from Marine Animal Rescue has a pretty good story. This napping sea lion climbed aboard 5 miles off shore, and rode on the boat all the way to land.

Invite everyone you know to this very interesting day. Meet Peter, who took the call from boat owners and came to rescue the sea lion. Also meet representatives of Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.

Talk soon.

 

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Parades, PV & Pedro

Out of breath but filled with inspiration and exhilaration! That’s pretty much how I feel after interviewing streets full of parade watchers on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon as our decked out Mobile Visitors Center taking part in neighborhood parades. It started out at the Palos Verdes Peninsula Holiday Parade of Lights, where we drove down Silver Spur and Deep Valley road amongst local bands and other float-type holiday vehicles for fawning fans! We even got a 3^rd place prize!

Many thanks to new Mobile Visitor Ambassador Heather Stambaugh and our long-time volunteer Linda de Ambrosio and for driving the mobile VC. A few days earlier, Linda helped MMCC Los Angeles get a $1,000 donation from the California Trucking Association.

On Sunday, the mobile VC made its way down Pacific and 6^th Streets in San Pedro, where thousands of Pedro families and friends enjoyed more than 100 entries in the parade put on by the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. Our own Kelsey Wong dressed up as Splash, with fellow banner carriers Heather and Andrew leading the way.

Get used to these photos. Rumor has it our mobile VC is signed up for many community events in 2018! A cool website page is coming soon with a complete calendar.

Speaking of calendar, have you heard about the cool events coming soon? Here’s a little Save the Date Sneak Peak.

Jan 20^th – 9:00 a.m. to noon at MMCC: What do I do if I find a Sea Lion on my boat?

Feb 16^th – 8:00 p.m. at downtown Theatre: Pavlo Benefit Concert

TBD – Marine Mammal Anime Event

Dandi is feeling mighty fine about all of this!

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Supplies, Selfies & Sara

Ask and ye shall receive. Build it and they will come. Bah humbug and something or other. Does the bossy boss know why Whiskers has a desk in the back office? Because 38 Whiskers doesn’t do slogans and slaps on the back socials. Yet, here I am studying a cheat sheet of feel good phrases to con my confidence into high-fiving ideas for holiday hoedowns and similar mindless meet and greets. It’s apparently some sort of team building exercise designed to get me to better understand the chipperness of a couple of we won’t name names reporters I work with. Oh no, it also says here that I’m to participate in a role reversal exercise, where I report on how fun was our Supplies for Seals Drive. Who has time for that! I’ve got bigger issues to indulge. I just got a letter from a lady from Idaho that includes her photo. She saw my selfie stand.

This frilly fan wants me to tape her picture over the head hole, take a picture, and post it on Facebook.

It’s a good thing my brown countenance hides blushing, because lo and behold in the same mandatory memo are pictures of tables topped with stacks of supplies and a story of a steady stream of caring neighbors who brought the bounty.

Notwithstanding my ornery opinions, it appears our Supplies for Seals Drive was a success! We put out the supplies SOS. Our donors ears were perked. Now our storage shed is stocked with paper towels and tp, disinfectant bleach and detergent, vegetable oil and karo syrup, nitrile gloves and trash bags. Apparently we had donors from all over Los Angeles County. Here’s Brenda from Glendale with Emma, Leilah and Matthew tagging along from Wrightwood.

Don’t look now, but I’m flappin’ my flippers with a Whiskers Woo Hoo. Hopefully Sara our coloring book story author didn’t catch that. I heard she’s working on a sequel that features me! I don’t want it made public that there is any waiver to my not-so-charming persona.

I’m pooped from thinking of all of this fun. Time for a nap.

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The Sea Lion Barker can be reached at development@marinemammalcare.org, 555 W. 5^th St. 35^th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

A publication of Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, Inc. A 501(c)(3) charity. EIN 47-5249182.    

Sea Lion Barker –2017 #5

Coloring Book

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! So many things to say that ol Pops feels flummoxed where to begin! Let’s just say I flip flopped fast out of 38 Whiskers’ office when I heard that MMCC Los Angeles is making a coloring book and that kids can color pics of me and my harbor seal spots.

When I’m around town having fun I see lots of people with coloring books. The thought of our supporters sitting around the dinner table having family time with an MMCC LA coloring book puts an extra zest in my smile! Even better, a charming children’s story writer named Sara Beacham is volunteering her tale talents to write a story for the coloring book!

Sara Beacham

 At the gala I spotted Sara and her daughter Robin. Sara! Remember me? Please oh pretty please make me a big star in the story. I will tell all of my fans that you already have a fun book published, called “Miranda and the Tiger’s Eye”.

38 Whiskers hinted that the book will be on sale at MMCC at the Supplies for Seals Drive on November 26^th! Oops. Did I spoil the surprise?

Oh well … join Jolly Pops at the Supplies for Seals Drive to find out for yourself. We are putting banners all over town. There is a prize for the person who finds them all and shows up with a bottle of karo syrup!

Talk soon.

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Flaviyake’s Lonely Seal

Dandi Dandi cotton candy! That’s what my grandpop used to call me when I’d run around the yard in front of his cottage. You know what else he used to say? The best things in life find you.

Boy is grandpop prescient! Becuz … last week an interview found me. That’s right. I got a letter from a singer named Flaviya. She wrote this beautiful poem “Lonely Seal” about a seal that was stranded at Venice Beach. Her friend plays guitar while she sings it in a magical voice. She found footage of seals and sea lions swimming under water and made a soothing video to accompany the music. I went straight to my bff’s cubicle at work and played the video for her. We both sat stunned, chills on our skin, listening and watching.

My grandmom was a reporter. She taught me when the interview finds you, let yourself be found. Do your research to prepare and show respect for the interviewee. I did, and learned that Miss Flaviya came to the United States in 2015 from Moldova to continue her music career. She reinvents herself in each video. Her entertainer name is Flaviyake, in honor of Japanese fashion designer Issey Miyake. You can read all about Flaviyake at https://www.flaviyake.com

When we met in person, Flaviya said she visited MMCC after she wrote Lonely Seal and bought a plushie sea lion.

She gave us her email address. Recently when she started getting the Sea Lion Barker, she wrote to me and offered to let us use her song for free. Flaviya said she’d love to be an ambassador for MMCC Los Angeles. She’s going to sing her song on February 16, 2018 as an opener at the Pavlo benefit concert! Even more, she offered to help us put on a “Marine Mammal Anime” festival! Anything to help sea lions. Go Flaviya!

I like being found. Until next time, I’m Dandi Lyon.

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Pool Plaster and Karo Syrup

I just returned to my desk after Tool Bag gave me a dissertation on how a pinniped pool gets resurfaced. Who needs coffee? Seriously, it is actually pretty fascinating. Did you know that within 30 minutes of applying the latest and greatest kind of plaster you have to refill the pool so the plaster “cures” properly? I never heard about plaster “drying” in water. You let this process continue for 3 days and continuously clean the water of any debris that flakes off. After that, recaulk the edge of the surface, let that dry for three days and voila, you’ve got yourself a brand new pool to let near-healthy seals and sea lions frolic about and dive for fish. That’s their last stop before being driven back to the ocean.

Tool Bag is a darn tootin good guy, really, his do-it-yourself-diatribe notwithstanding. It reminds me to educate you that this is the time of year MMCC LA performs facility maintenance, when there are fewer patients on site. We did get in a couple last week with shark bites. Ouch!! Surgery, bandages, lots of rest in store.

The patient lull is the perfect time of year for our Supplies for Seals Drive.

Come see our healing patients and bring something from this list of really needed items that we use lots of all during the year.

CLEANING PRODUCTS: 
Dawn Dish Soap (blue) • HE Laundry Detergent
Germicidal Bleach • Nitrile or Latex Gloves

PAPER GOODS: 
Toilet Paper • Heavy Duty Paper Towels

FOOD AND FOOD PREP ITEMS: 
Fish Oil Capsules • Vitamin E
Vitamin C (non-chewable) • Karo Syrup, Safflower Oil or Vegetable Oil

I’m going to ask for a vacation day on November 26^th to avoid the certain cacophony of noise. Yah right. The bossy boss isn’t going to have any of that, but a guy can try! Maybe I’ll sequester myself in an enclosure and pretend to be pool plastering. Or, sit really still next to the donation box and look like a statute which, based upon my good looks, will definitely encourage people to donate a minute or more.

Either way, see ya on the 26^th. Rain or shine. Admission and parking are free. Tool Bag even arranged to have parking arrows installed on the hill leading to our hospital, so people can find us more easily.

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The Sea Lion Barker can be reached at development@marinemammalcare.org, 555 W. 5^th St. 35^th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013.

A publication of Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles, Inc. A 501(c)(3) charity. EIN 47-5249182