Throughout his youth, Marcus lived the life of a beach gull. He spent his days surfing and skim boarding up and down the coast of California and nights by a campfire feasting on the sand crabs he and his friends caught along the surf line. While he enjoyed this lifestyle, he pined for more. He loved Huntington Beach, it was home to him but the adventure of the unknown called to him. One day, on a whim, he turned out to sea instead of going to meet his friends at Victoria Beach. Flying for hours, he surveyed the vast ocean, flocks of birds, schools of fish and occasionally, a ship. Just as he was about to turn back, he spotted something on the horizon. His sense of adventure getting the best of him, he decided to push a little further to investigate. He quickly realized he found an island. He was excited to make such a discovery and happy for the opportunity to rest on dry land. The excitement turned to concern and disappointment as he drew closer to the island and found the beaches and lagoons awash with trash. The waves pushed piles of bags, bottles, floats, boxes and other garbage onto the otherwise pristine beaches.

Marcus settled into a tree along the shore to take in the full scope of the island. He was so upset he felt unsettled, almost like he was being watched but no Gull was there. "How could this have happened?" he thought. Marcus could not let this continue. His love of the ocean was too great to stand idle. He took to the air again to clear his head. Deep in thought, his mind exploding with ideas, the first glimmer of a plan started to form. While soaring over the island, he realized this would be a perfect home away from home for Gulls across the world. But first the trash had to be dealt with. Energized by this developing vision, Marcus made his way back to the mainland. While flying, he outlined a plan to raise awareness among Gulls around the world, rally them to his cause and transform the island from a trash heap to a paradise for all Gulls.

When he returned to his nest, he spent the next several hours explaining what he had found to his wife, friends and family. His excitement was infectious and soon the entire colony was squawking about the island and what needed to be done.

Marcus set off north to spread the word. On his journey, he met Jonny from Mavericks Colony. They became fast friends and talked for hours about Marcus' vision. Quickly, it became clear that talking wasn't enough. There was a lot to be done. Over the next several months, Marcus and Jonny encountered 9 other colonies around the world. Each faced similar issues with pollution but lacked the necessary leadership and organization to fix the problem. While this was not what they expected, Marcus and Jonny shared their vision and plans with every Gull they met. Their passion and sheer determination inspired many Gulls and word spread through the colonies like wildfire. Soon, informal groups of Gulls were working within each colony to begin the clean-up process. Marcus and Jonny bid farewell to each colony in turn but only temporarily. As they departed, they invited the entire colony to meet them in the spring at the island Marcus had discovered, now known as "Gull Island."

Marcus and Jonny finally returned to their colonies as winter gave way to spring. Realizing there is no rest for the weary, Marcus gathered a group of Huntington Gulls and flew to Gull Island to implement his plan. Jonny and Gulls from Mavericks Colony arrived soon after Huntington Colony. Just as work began, Gulls appeared from Navagio, Banzai, Muriwai, and Key West Colonies. Excitement was building; chatter was almost non-stop as Gulls pitched in around the lagoon. When Haukland, Hossegor, Fistral, Durban and Nazare Colonies arrived, the need for more organization became obvious. Marcus and Jonny selected the brightest, hardest working pair of Gulls to lead each Colony. The leaders of each Colony met daily to assess progress and plan the next day's tasks. Eventually, Gull Island was divided into 11 regions with each Colony responsible for cleaning and maintaining their region.

The progress was impressive! Friendly competition grew as Colonies tried to outdo each other. Nearly every day, Huntington Colony came out on top. Gulls from all colonies began to defer to Marcus and his wife, Katherine regarding key decisions. It was clear to all that Marcus and Katherine were the true leaders of the Gulls community. After much discussion and consideration, Jonny and the other Gull leaders approached Marcus and Katherine to be king and queen. They countered with a proposal that each colony elect a King and Queen overseeing their respective regions. These Kings and Queens would form a Seagulls Society Council, representing the needs of their colonies to the larger group. The leaders agreed with the proposal and prepared for elections. In nearly every case, the leaders initially selected by Marcus and Jonny won their respective Colony elections. The Seagulls Society Council met for the first time on May 15th. Work on Gull Island continued at a feverish pace with the newly elected leaders in place!

As the Seagulls Society Council worked more closely together, they realized they shared common goals and faced common foes not only on Gull Island but also back in their Colonies. On a night spent over pints of ale, Gulls shared tales of interactions with two-legged creatures known as "hoomans." The consensus was some hoomans were good, while others were good for aerial bombing practice. Some of the more feather-chilling tails included smaller colonies forced to take shelter with other colonies after they were pushed out of their homes and Gulls trapped by an invisible rope hoomans left behind. Stories like these led the Gulls to realize hoomans were the source of the trash they were cleaning up. As the night wore on and the ale ran low, more than one Gull became a little "Salty" about their interactions with these two-legged creatures.

As the realization spread through the Seagulls Society that larger threats existed, Gulls squawked for a more unified approach to these challenges. The Seagulls Society Council convened to discuss this matter and share lessons learned from the nearly completed clean-up efforts on Gull Island. Even before the meeting started, it was clear to everyone who had the vision, passion, energy and leadership skills to take the entire Seagulls Society forward. During an impassioned speech before the council, King Jonny of Mavericks Colony railed against the hooman incursions stating that "Gulls worth their salt must stand up to this threat." He continued, "We have a leader salty enough to unite the 11 Gull Colonies spread across the world! I nominate King Marcus to lead us, the Salty Seagulls Society, into the future. Who seconds this motion?!?" The room exploded with squawks of "I second!" So it came to pass that King Marcus of Huntington Colony was named King among Kings, Leader of the Salty Seagulls Society and responsible for furthering the interests of Gulls everywhere.

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In time, the mounds of trash disappeared. The waves of bottles, bags and tires crashing onto shores of Gull Island slowly became waves of cold, crisp blue water capped with seafoam. Gull Island regained its former beauty; a paradise for all Gulls to visit. So successful was the effort that the following spring, King Marcus invited members of all Gull Colonies to migrate to Gull Island for a well-deserved vacation. This afforded all Gulls the opportunity for discourse on topics including the best meals and drinks they have enjoyed, their favorite pets, seashell investments and, best of all, to meet new Gulls from around the world. Of course, this also coincided with the mating season and many new breeding pairs were formed!

On the Island Gulls tended to stay with their colony, building nests close to the King's and Queen's. To help Gulls interact with Gulls from other colonies, the Salty Seagulls Society Council hosted events, games, competitions and giveaways across Gull Island. Gulls explored the island looking for hidden treasures, flew through the hills and valleys, relaxed in the sun on the beach and socialized with friends and family.

The premier event was hosted by King Marcus. He presided over surfing, skimboarding and sand crabbing competitions. Having been the Victoria Beach Gull Skimboarding/Sand Crabbing Champion 3 years straight in his youth, along with decades of surfing at Trestles, San Clemente, Newport, and Doheny beaches, he even competed to show his Gulls how it was done!

The spring vacation was so well received, the Salty Seagulls Society Council declared it would be an annual event! All Gulls dreamed of making the journey to Gull Island each spring. Unfortunately, the distance was so great that only the most dedicated and diligent Gulls were able to join the ranks of the Elite who made the trip. Some Mythigulls made the trip twice per year!

In subsequent years, Gulls brought feathers from their colony. They were used at first to adorn nests. Eventually, other uses for the feathers were found including making decorations, ornate headpieces and to trade for needed materials. Gulls even traded feathers with Gulls from other colonies. As a result, having feathers from other colonies became a status symbol in their home colonies.

King Marcus spent a great deal of time among his Gulls, both on Gull Island and in the Colonies. No matter where he met with his Gulls, his message was always the same. All Gulls are responsible to respect and care for the land, the ocean and each other. "Leave things better than you found them…" is a common refrain embraced by Gulls from all colonies.

Charles paused for a moment after relating the tale of the Salty Seagulls Society and took a sip of water. He looked out into the gathered crowd and continued, "With great effort, Gulls around the world truly made an impact. While Gull Island has returned to its former glory, there are many places that still need attention. Until these locations have been restored like Gull Island has been, organizations like Surfriders Foundation and 4Oceans will continue the fight started by King Marcus and the Salty Seagulls Society all those years ago. And so, it is my great honor and pleasure to present Surfriders Foundation and 4Oceans with these sealed envelopes. Each one contains the password and seed phrase for a NAMI wallet with 150 Million ADA. Thank you and have a great day!"