Shaping Room

Hurricane Katrina

High water risin', six inches 'bove my head
Coffins droppin' in the street
Like balloons made out of lead
Water pourin' into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm going to do
"Don't reach out for me," she said
"Can't you see I'm drownin' too?"
It's rough out there
High water everywhere

-       Bob Dylan (2001)

Our hearts go out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. As one of the local elected officials stated, “This is our Tsunami.”

We encourage you to donate to charities that are already working to assist the thousands of people impacted by this disaster. An umbrella organization that includes many such charities, including American Red Cross and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, is Network for Good. http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal_environ/hurricanes/?source=CNN&cmpgn=CRS

Rick Wilson

Coastal Management Coordinator

Waterman’s Ball

The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) is the official trade association of more than 300 surf industry product suppliers working to promote awareness of the surf industry and participation in the sport of surfing.  Part of their charter is to support oceanic environmental efforts through the SIMA Environmental Fund. They do this to ensure future growth of the sport and understanding of environmental activism.

Thus it makes perfect sense for Surfrider Foundation and SIMA to have a symbiotic relationship.

This all came together this past weekend at their annual Waterman’s Weekend.  The two day event allows the surf industry and friends of the environment to  raise money for key environmental organizations and also to raise awareness within the industry of environmental issues and key players. As in the past, this year’s event included a who’s who of the industry and had a waiting list in the hundreds.

The four person staff at SIMA – Sean, Melinda, Jennifer and Travis – organized another tremendously successful event and this year’s Waterman’s Weekend raised over $400,000 for ten different environmental organizations, including Surfrider Foundation.

 

That’s a photo of Chris Evans right above Andy Irons, both were honorees. The entire honoree list was:

ANDY IRONS - Waterman of the Year
CHRIS EVANS - Environmentalist of the Year
LARRY "FLAME" MOORE  - Lifetime Achievement Award
TERRY McCANN – Special Recognition Award 

The event included a silent auction as well as a dinner/awards gala. Terry McCann, the previous executive director of SIMA, was honored first and was introduced by current SIMA President Dick Baker from Op. Larry “Flame” Moore  was honored next, with a personal introduction given by Nick Carroll. Having Flame there was perhaps the most special part of the evening for all who attended as Larry has been successfully battling brain cancer for more than two years.

 

 

Next up was Chris Evans, the sixth Executive Director in Surfrider Foundation’s 21 year history. Introducing Chris was Paul Naude and George Downing, I’m not sure one could pick more meaningful people in the industry for such a task. Chris gave a stirring speech that highlighted the fact that our oceans, waves and beaches are truly “finite resources” and he pointed back to Surfrider’s 60 chapters that were being honored with the award.

 

Last was Andy Irons. He was introduced by Michael Tomson but really, What can you say about a person who was  the dominant figure in professional surfing throughout 2002, 2003 and 2004? He won the 2002 and 2003 Pipeline Masters, Triple Crown and ASP World Championship – the only surfer ever to win all three titles two years in a row. With another title in 2004 he’s now a 3X World Champion.

Amazing time. Memorable event. Notable cause.

As one of the organizations that benefited from these events we’d like to say THANK YOU to all that made it happen.

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director, Surfrider Foundation

The Power of One / Angel Rodriguez aka "El Doctor" on Frontline

WATCH VIDEO

WHO: Angel Rodriguez, aka "El Doctor". He is an ex-accountant, current full-time surfer, coach of Puerto Rico surf team, coastal activist and budding super hero.

WHERE: Puerto Rico

WHAT: Environmental warfare, protection of natural resources, leading a successful suit against the Army Corp of Engineers.

RESULT: Saved a beach, saved a break and secured another spot for Riki Desoto to paddle out.

If that’s not enough… his likeness was used for the super-hero figure for this campaign!

Membership - An open letter on it's importance

What would the NRA be without members?

What would the Republican Party or the Democratic Party be without their respective members?

What would the Civil Rights movement have been without its participants?

The answer to all of these is “much less” or perhaps even “irrelevant”. They would be much less meaningful in the grand scheme, much less worth our attention and much less impacting of our daily lives. The Surfrider Foundation aspires to gain the significance of these groups. We want to become “the voice for coastal-protection issues”. We want as much weight as possible in our local voice as we collectively fight to effect change. Frankly put, we’re irrelevant without a strong membership pool. Without a strong and growing membership we’re as relevant as the many organizations that don’t make your radar on a daily basis. We’re white noise.

The argument to save your local break deserves more than to end up as white noise.

The fight to monitor and clean our oceans, waves and beaches is too important to end up never happening.

The story of fewer and fewer beach access points is too worthy to end up not told.

The crucial part of addressing all these elements is membership. The linchpin in making us relevant is our membership. Membership is our blood. New members increase our relevancy and new activists are bred from this ever-expanding group. In my opinion, we don’t have a choice other than to grow as fast and as purposefully as we can. It helps us locally as well as nationally, we all see the coasts under siege... growing membership is our key response to this challenge.

To me, our membership “girth” roughly equates to our relevance. It’s not a direct equation, as the “activist variable” is really what sets us apart from the pack. The Surfrider Foundation WILL become a fighting voice for coastal protection. We WILL seize relevance in people’s minds with the power of the top-of-mind organizations mentioned above. We will do this with your membership and your commitment to help us build our membership.

We are 45,000 members today. The question in my mind is how fast can we reach 100,000. We must grow because we need more ammunition to fight coastal battles all over the nation and eventually outside the United States. Harry’s, a famed right point break in Baja, Mexico was just bulldozed. I was asked why that happened. The answer is very, very simple… lack of local membership and activists. The Pupukea coast on the North Shore of Hawaii is literally up for sale. It WILL be purchased. The question in my mind is can our membership influence its purchase to have a strong environmental protection element to it. On the east coast it’s hard to even get to the beach in many places due to the insane privatization and lack of beach access. Again, membership enables the fight for access.

Join me in our goal of building our membership every single day. The Surfrider Foundation is much, much larger than any of us. It’s the idea of active, coastal protection. None of us are here to make a tiny impact. We’re here to fight for our local breaks and make a difference in what matters most to us. We’re here to protect the coast.

Join Surfrider Foundation. If you are already a member, find a way to plug in. If you know surfers and coastal enthusiasts that aren’t members, ask them to join. As we enter the final lap of our summer membership push, let’s kick this up a notch or two.

Put your time, energy and money to use. Join us.

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director

Surfers Have Once In A Lifetime Opportunity

On the Hawaiian Island of Oahu lies the most recognized seven-mile stretch of surf on earth - the world famous North Shore– the “seven-mile miracle.” Quietly standing guard is the striking 400-foot high coastal bluff overlooking Pipeline and  Sunset Beach.

Photo: Sean Davey (c)

The North Shore Community Land Trust (NSCLT) and project partner the Trust for Public Land (TPL) launched the “Campaign for Pupukea-Paumalu” last week in order to raise the final $1 million necessary to purchase and protect the 1,129 acre bluff property for the public.

 The Campaign is led by a notable group of volunteer Honorary Event Co-chairs headed by Jack Johnson, Kelly Slater, Rochelle Ballard, Mark Cunningham, and Pancho Sullivan. Supporters are optimistic that other surfing business leaders and concerned individuals from around the world will soon join the effort and pay their respects to the birthplace of surfing and the contemporary surf industry.

The Campaign anticipates announcing significant progress toward the $1 million target at the 1^st Annual Recognition and Fundraiser Dinner at Waimea Valley Audubon Center on December 3, 2005.  This event is timed to coincide with the Triple Crown of Surfing's yearly presence on the North Shore.  Therefore, the plan is to have several major contribututions in place well before the December 3 event in order to properly recognize and acknowledge donors at this special gathering of the surfing world.   

NSCLT and TPL are in active negotiations with the owner, Obayashi Corporation of Japan, in order to purchase the parcel. The community is offering the resources successfully raised from Federal, State, County, and private sources. Guided by the leadership of U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Honolulu City Council Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, the North Shore community, and the international environmental and water-sports communities, over $7 million has already been secured to support acquisition and protection.

Photo: Bilderback (c)

Successful protection will ensure that the forested hills you see in these photos will not be covered by up to 500 individual homes (as had been proposed by developers during the Save Sunset Beach struggle). The  North Shore community envisions a public recreational and agricultural area with world-class views, hiking trails, and room to roam for neighboring Boy and Girl Scout camps. Most importantly, protecting the land will protect the rural quality of life on the  North Shore and guarantee that the ocean and waves will be clean and free from urban type run-off and pollution.

Through positive negotiations with Obayashi, NSCLT and project partner TPL have gained confidence that the government and community support for protection will result in conservation of the property’s special resources for the benefit of the public within several months. Importantly, during Jack Johnson’s visit to the landowner this summer we learned that they want what the community wants – preservation, not development. This is great news after a 17-year effort to protect the property.

Photo: Bilderback (c)

“Opportunities to protect global treasures such as Pupukea-Paumalu come along only once in a lifetime. If we work together, this beautiful area will be preserved and enjoyed by people today and future generations,” notes Honorary Co-Chair Jack Johnson.

NSCLT has set up a special restricted savings account for all donations generated by the Campaign for Pupukea-Paumalu and all of these tax-deductible donations are designated specifically for the acquisition and protection costs for Pupukea-Paumalu.

The components of the Campaign to raise the final $1 million include the major Campaign recognition and fundraising event on December 3 at the  Waimea Valley Audubon Center  personal appeals, funding proposals to surf companies and foundations, articles and advertisements in major surf publications, accepting donations online at www.northshoreland.org as well as the sale of original artwork and prints such as the Bill Braden painting of the property that was personally delivered to the landowner in Tokyo, Japan. 

The Pupukea-Paumalu parcel of land defines the North Shore and is  the key to its future.  If everyone gives as generously as they can to NSCLT for the Campaign for Pupukea-Paumalu, the surfing community can be proud to have preserved the cultural, natural, and community resources of Pupukea-Paumalu for future generations, for the people of Hawaii, and for the people of the world. 

The North Shore Community Land Trust is a tax-exempt, non-profit conservation organization whose mission is to preserve land and natural areas on the North Shore of Oahu for the benefit of the public. For additional information, please contact Blake McElheny at 808.638.0338 or at info@northshoreland.org.

Supporters can send tax-deductible contributions to NSCLT, P.O. Box 1179, Haleiwa, HI 96712 or donate online at www.northshoreland.org . 

- Blake McElheny
North Shore Community Land Trust 

Half Full or Half Empty?

Surfrider Foundation’s 2005 State of the Beach report was released on July 28, the same day as NRDC’s Testing the Waters report.  Although both reports emphasized that our coasts are in trouble and there are serious water quality problems, an EPA press release just the day before painted a much rosier picture, claiming that “only four percent of beach days were lost due to advisory or closures triggered by monitoring.”

So, when we were contacted by a reporter from the Christian Science Monitor (CSM), he was confused about who to believe.  In response, I pointed out that EPA really had no basis for saying things were good or getting better, since 2004 was the first year they required and received anything close to complete data from all coastal states.  In fact, their own “2004 Swimming Season Update” (EPA hasn’t figured out that many of us go in the water year round) states “Data trends are difficult to establish due to the new reporting requirements that began in 2003.” What we really have here, folks, is a case of Shifting Baselines.  Actually, it’s Missing Baselines, since we really don’t know what the water quality was even five or ten years ago, let alone before that.

I suggested to the reporter that he check out the Shifting Baselines website and our “Shifting Baselines in the Surf” video.  Although he contacted me later to say that the video was great and that he would recommend to it to his contacts, he didn’t reference it in his story, which appeared in the CSM on August 9 and was subsequently picked up by USA Today, CBS News and Yahoo! News.

Although the article ended up being fairly balanced, anyone reading it may come away with the impression that there is disagreement over the seriousness of the problem, or that we are well on the way to solving it. Speaking for those of us that often feel like ”canaries in a coal mine”, I’m not too comforted to know that “only” four percent of beach days were lost or that “26 percent [of beaches] had at least one advisory or closing in 2004.”  How about you?

Rick Wilson

Coastal Management Coordinator, Surfrider Foundation

Eddie Would Tow?

There seems to be an increase in the attention being paid to personal watercraft (PWC) and tow-in surfing. Since the dialog has reached a level of critical mass and also due to some instances of being misrepresented we’re sharing our views on this subject.

Surfrider Foundation does have a position on PWCs, in fact we created our policy on this subject over seven years ago. It is as follows:

The Surfrider Foundation supports Environmental Protection Agency regulations that would require the use of 4-stroke engines for Personal Water Crafts which reduce petrochemical discharge by up to 97%.

Recognizes that not all waterways are appropriate for boating and use of Personal Water Craft. Sensitive ecological areas warrant Personal Water Craft restrictions and buffers to reduce negative impacts to aquatic ecosystems. Personal Water Craft restrictions and buffers should be implemented to reduce multi-use conflicts.

Supports regulations which require an age limit, educational program, and a licensing system for Personal Water Craft use.

The Surfrider Foundation is not against PWCs or promoting their use.

The Surfrider Foundation is not against tow-in surfing or promoting any specific usages of PWCs.

Our policy was written with the intention to reflect our desire to protect natural areas and enable the sport of surfing to continue to evolve responsibly. As with all of our policies, we’ve empowered our local chapters with the flexibility to apply our policies in the context of their locality. We stand behind their decisions to demand more or less stringent guidelines as is locally appropriate.

We trust you will understand and embrace our policy as we feel it promotes the protection of marine ecosystems without unnecessarily restricting future uses.

Chad Nelsen
Environmental Director

A picture worth a thousand words

Special thanks to Surfrider Foundation Europe for continuously stepping up the intensity in environmental dialog.

 

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director

Salva Tres Palmas

How can we proactively protect our oceans, waves and beaches to avoid constantly fighting projects that threaten them?

That is just the question the Rincón Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is trying to answer and they are working with the entire community to try and achieve it. It is a lofty goal and one that will require some major changes in the way that the community addresses future growth. To do so, we hope to demonstrate that economic growth, environmental conservation and preservation of community character do not need to be at odds.

A first major achievement towards this sustainable future was the establishment of the Reserva Marina Tres Palmas – the first marine reserve on the mainland of Puerto Rico and perhaps the first marine protected area designed to protect a surf spot – the big wave surfing spot it was named after- Tres Palmas.

Tres Palmas Wave  Photo: Steve Fitzpatrick

August 3rd marked a milestone in these efforts. That morning Surfrider activist Steve Tamar and two Municipal employees installed the first of five interpretive signs that describe the Reserva Marina Tres Palmas, the marine life that lives in the reserve, and also the dos and don’ts to keep the place healthy. These signs will inform locals and visitors alike of the beauty and natural resources to be found in this special place. Thanks to Surfing Magazine for sponsoring the design and production of these beautiful signs.

That same afternoon the Comité Timón (Steering Committee) met for the first time. The group met to begin developing a plan that  will guide the management of the reserve and set the stage for long term protection for some of the healthiest elkhorn coral in the Caribbean.

The Committee members represent local fishers, local businesses, local citizens, the Municipality, the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources, the local university, coral reef scientists, and the Surfrider Foundation. The group met to discuss the process for developing the plan and reviewed initial materials that will inform the process. It is clear that the group is interested, engaged and willing to work together to make a difference for the reefs at Tres Palmas.  Dr. Manuel “Manolo” Valdés Pizzini is facilitating the meetings and development of the plan is being funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation program.

Although a meeting about process and developing a plan may seem mundane, it represents a dream come true for the Rincón Chapter. Four years ago the idea of a special protected area to protect the surf, coral and other marine life was formulated as part of a long-term strategy to protect the area.  The Surfrider Foundation, other groups, and many Rincoeños have worked hard to make this vision a reality.

With the process of protecting the reefs well underway, the Rincón Chapter is now looking towards the land and is supporting a process to develop a local land use plan, increase local economic opportunities, and support better governance so all Rincoeños have an opportunity to prosper in Rincón’s future. Healthy reefs require a healthy watershed and a healthy watershed requires a healthy community.

Stay tuned as the Rincón Chapter and Rincoeños work to make surfing, living and visiting Rincón a rich and lively experience for years to come. You can learn more about this campaign at: www.surfrider.org/rincon.

Chad Nelsen
Environmental Director

State of the Beach 2005 - The report is alive!

Perhaps some of you read that as The Beach is Alive!, which was a theme last year when we featured Beach Ecology in State of the Beach and Making Waves.  No, I mean the report is alive, meaning that it is now a continuously updated document.

As we get news regarding issues, new policies, new information sources or something as simple as a new contact person or e-mail address, we update the online report.

This helps us make the report more useful and relevant to all potential users - Surfrider activists, coastal managers and the general public.  Here are some examples of where you can help us keep the report current:

• If you find a bad link, let us know – we’ll fix it
• On the state summary pages, we list positive and negative “indicators” of coastal conditions in that state.  If you see information that is stale or if you have an item that you think should be added, let us know.  For instance, review the pages for Massachusetts, Texas, or Washington.
• Another item on the summary pages is Chapter Victories.  Let us know if we need to update this list.  Here’s the pages for New Jersey, Maine and Oregon.
• We also maintain a Bad and the Rad list.  Let us know of potential updates for this.
• Details about each chapter’s activities and issues can be found in the Surfing Areas section of each state report.  Since this information is gleaned mostly from chapter websites, it may be outdated.  Send us updates!  Here’s California and Florida to check out. Scroll down for your chapter.

Contact us any time you have information that could be a useful addition to the report. Help us keep the report (and the beach) alive.

Mahalo 

Rick Wilson

Coastal Management Coordinator

En masse

Anyone that has been to a coast knows that beaches are getting more crowded. Surfing is becoming more popular. Signs of these are everywhere; MTV has made the “beach house” an icon, there is a plethora of surf camps dotting the globe, media coverage has gone mainstream and the retail industry has embraced the ocean sports as a core marketing vehicle for soft goods.

This photo sums it all up for me.

Photo: Marcus Sanders

The photo is from the US Open pro contest that took place this past weekend. 100,000 beach goers came to the event. As you might guess, it’s a world record.

The photo is a metaphor for the impact we’re collectively making in coastal regions. That impact is large and it’s growing. If the above photo tells you part of the story, here’s another piece of information that positions coastal challenges.

More people on the coast. More people on waves. Can waves with more than a few people on them be far off?

Photo: Hayne Palmour IV

The photo happens to be from the San Diego Surfing Academy’s recent attempt to break a world record by having 100 surfers on what would be the legitimate world’s biggest party wave. It turns out that only 40 managed to catch the wave at one time.

It’s summer. Go ahead, grab all your friends and paddle out. Better yet, just paddle out as your friends are probably already there.

 

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director

Brian Lynch / The power of one

WHO Brian Lynch

WHERE Jersey Shore chapter, Asbury Park

WHAT  A few years ago the Jersey Shore chapter had a major access victory in Asbury Park. The win was centered on not just gaining access to a local break, but making surfing legal in that town. Once that win was secured, the chapter realized an entire generation of kids in Asbury Park had never learned to surf.  So they decided to keep the momentum going and emphasize the access victory by teaching local kids to surf.  Brian Lynch stepped up to this task and in 2003 architected the first local “Surf clinic”. The purpose of the clinic is to bring people of all types, ages, races and classes together to learn about the beach, get pushed into some waves and do a beach cleanup.
Photo: Tom Spader

RESULT This past month’s clinic, now branded “Groms gone Environ-mental”, was the first of the season. A second clinic is scheduled for next month. More than 170 kids came to the clinic and at the center of the chaos was Brian Lynch. Managing a few kids can be difficult… increase that number to more than 170 and it becomes an art form. He was the conductor of the programs that started at 7:30AM and went past 2PM. He’s a master. Of course Brian isn’t alone in this; there were 20 – 30 Surfrider volunteers from the local New Jersey chapters as well as from the New York City and Washington D.C. chapters. 

Brian Lynch, the power of one.

(Brian is on the left)