It's still the Year of the Ocean, and the network of groups and people sharing oceans of information keeps expanding. Check out the United Nations web site: www.ocean98.org; two sites from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: www.yoto.com and www.yoto98.noaa.gov; and the site of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and UNESCO: ioc.unesco.org/iyo for Year of the Ocean links all over the planet.

 
SKATEBOARD UPDATE
SKATEBOARDERS MAY TRAVEL LIGHT, but they carry a reputation for being destructive that has led to head-on collisions with various authorities. A way to avert these, some cities have found, is to create public skate parks. The California Legislature added this acrobatic sport to the list of hazardous recreational activities this year, enabling municipalities to provide such parks without undue liability risk. Arcata, Half Moon Bay, Seaside, Ocean Beach, and Coronado are among those that have done so. Carlsbad will open a new skate park by the end of the year.

Half Moon Bay's Cunha Skate Park, officially opened on July 26, is the community's response to complaints from business owners and pleas from skaters, according to Steve Jesperson, the City's director of parks and recreation. The City Council decided in October 1997 to build a skate park, and early this year provided the site - the parking lot of Cunha Intermediate School, which had previously been off-limits to skaters - and funds for design, done in collaboration with skaters. The City, the Cabrillo Unified School District, Friends of the Boys and Girls Club of the Coastside, private donors, skate shops, and skaters worked together.

"It only took four weeks to get the site cleaned up and slurry-sealed, to do a little landscaping and signage," said Jesperson, "and then only about a week to install the fixtures." Kevin Thatcher, publisher of the skateboard magazine Thrasher, said it was "kind of like a barn-raising, where everybody pitches in to help." The park has a six-foot half pipe, ramps, and rails, some movable. The City holds the two-year lease, with an option to renew, and is responsible for installation, maintenance, and insurance. If it continues to be successful, a larger, permanent skate park may be built. So far, skateboarders and in-line skaters have been sharing the space peaceably.

Cunha Skate Park is unsupervised, but safety regulations are posted, including a requirement that helmets and protective gear be worn. These rules have caused some dissent, but enforcement has been low-key, said Jespersen, and most local skaters seem to accept them. The park's reputation has spread, and it attracts many skaters from outside the area.      --HMH

 
The San Francisco Bay Shoreline Guide is packed with glimpses of the history, culture, and nature of the Bay Area and is a complete guide to the 400-mile Bay Trail. The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association chose it as an ideal holiday gift in 1995. Ask for it in your local bookstore or order from the Coastal Conservancy by sending a check for $16.18 ($14.95 plus sales tax) payable to Coastal Conservancy, 1330 Broadway, 11th Floor, Oakland, CA 94612.