DRYING OFF: Families are taking back Orange...

DRYING OFF: Families are taking back Orange County beaches. . . . During the summer of 1992, the Department of Parks and Recreation responded to growing violence at Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches by banning alcohol and closing beach-front parking lots at 10 p.m. Results of a just-completed survey show that the crime rate is down and fewer beach-goers are being hurt in accidents. . . . “The parks’ personality has changed from a place to party to a family beach,” said lifeguard Herb White. Last year, 7.1 million people visited Orange County’s state beaches.

SHIFTING SANDS: Mother Nature doesn’t get all the credit for Orange County’s 42 miles of picture-perfect beaches. Every five to seven years, crews must replace sand that gets swept away during winter storms. . . . This past winter was mild so little sand was lost. During restoration, crews dredge 1.8 million cubic yards of sand from offshore and drop it on Sunset Beach. Summer tides carry the sand to replenish southward beaches. The next major refurbishing: spring of 1995.

THE AD END: Ever wondered how to get that message across to your special person? Take him or her to the beach this summer and hire a banner-towing plane to make your statement. . . . Doug Stavoe, owner of Newport Beach-based Pacific Drifters Corp., has some advice for first-time advertisers: “Keep it clean and straight-forward. You don’t want to put a book up there.”

PICK IT UP: Cub Scout Pack 284 in Huntington Beach knows how to have a good time and earn a merit badge in the process. Saturday mornings, the pack’s 65 members police their adopted stretch of beach in downtown Huntington Beach. . . . “On a typical day we’ll fill five or six bags of trash,” said pack mom Janet Jackson. “The boys love the excuse to go to the beach and it’s a real community service.” . . . For the name of the nearest adoptable beach, call (800) COAST-4-U.

Safer Beaches

Crime and injuries have dropped since June, 1992, when alcohol was prohibited and a 10 p.m. curfew was set for Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches. Total Crimes 1991: 560 1993: 297 Alcohol-related crimes 1991: 172 1993: 54 Visitor accidents 1991: 114 1993: 74 Sources: State Department of Parks and Recreation, Orange Coast district