If only Trump said, “I hate the Ocean.”
  
No, really.
 
Last month, amidst the Stormy Daniel’s coverage, she told reporters that Trump said “I donate to all these charities and I would never donate to any charity that helps sharks. I hope all the sharks die.”
 
Suddenly, nonprofits like the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society were flooded with donations. A bulk of the donations came from first-time donors, often specifically mentioning Trump’s comments.
 
Truly, there is no nation that would be prompted into such a grand movement of charity out of pettiness and spite. I revel in it.
 
It is also so in our nature to respond to words than actions. Because this wasn’t Trump’s first offense against sharks. He earned plenty of stink-eyes from conservationists last November when he ate shark fin stew in China. But there was no influx of donations then. No, only conservationists noticed. The general public only reacted when it was reported that he said something. It’s not enough if he does something, he has to say something to get a real rise out of the population. In Trump’s case, words speak louder than action.
 
That’s why I wish Trump said something along the lines of “I hate the Ocean.”
 
It’s not enough that he’s planning to allow off-shore drilling along the coasts. If we want the entire nation on our side, not just a dozen states out of fifty, he needs to say only those four words to provoke the public. Imagine the hordes of people rushing to the coast, picking up trash, protesting outside of state capitols, writing letters to Congress, indignantly thinking “How dare he threaten our Ocean!”
 
It shouldn’t have to be that way. We shouldn’t have to wait for him to speak to get our hackles raised. We should be enraged by this new oil leasing. By his approval of the DAPL. We should have been enraged his first day in office when they removed the Environment tab off the White House website. We shouldn’t have to wait for words, because his actions speak more than a stupid Tweet.
 
You can do something now.
 
If you live in a coastal state, contact your state representatives. The Interior Department says it will take public opinion in to account on oil drilling leases. Just such a case occurred in Florida. If you don’t count on the Federal government honoring public opinion, talk to your representatives about California’s plan. California legislatures are working on a bill that would ban drilling-based infrastructure in state-controlled waters, which can reach up to three miles from shore. This distance may be too much of an inconvenience for drilling companies to consider setting up in off-shore areas.
 
Do it for your Ocean. Do it for your beaches. Do it to go against Trump.
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Or at the very least, do it for the sharks. They live there, too.

​This is Logan! She’s a Bay Area resident who recently went hiking in Tennessee Valley with her parents. When they reached Muir Beach, they saw our Muir Beach Clean Up Station and did a spontaneous beach cleanup! Way to go, Logan! 
When more people see our Ocean Warriors at work, they get inspired to do a cleanup, too. Help Logan be a trend-setter and grab one of our BCUS bags when you next head to the beach!