Shaping Room

State of the Beach 2005 - Focusing on Beach Fill

Surfrider Foundation just launched its State of the Beach Report for 2005.  This year’s report focuses on beach fill, commonly referred to as beach nourishment.  Why is this a hot topic?  Well, as discussed in the intro to the report, our beaches are disappearing in many areas because we’ve blocked off the historical sources of sand supply by damming rivers and building jetties, groins and seawalls.  We’ve also made the problem more acute by building too close to the shore.

The best long-term solution is moving back from the shore, but that’s obviously easier said than done.  We don’t want more seawalls, so beach fill is often all that’s left.

As discussed further in the Indicators section of the report, we believe “beach nourishment” is a somewhat misleading term, because although we’re “feeding” the beach, it’s not necessarily getting healthier.

Beach fill is neither inherently good nor bad, but we think it’s important that states and municipalities go into these projects armed with the facts.  What are both the initial construction costs and the ongoing costs for “re-fill” of the beach every “X” years?  Who will pay for this? Is the imported sand compatible with the natural sand?  Will there be ecological impacts at either the dredge site or at the filled beach? Is there adequate public noticing?

We illustrate some of the issues that arise with beach fill projects by presenting case studies of beach fill projects in Bogue Banks, North Carolina; Puerto Rico; and San Diego, California. At some sites the project was well planned and executed; in other cases there were big problems.  See which is which.

Also, read the Perspectives titled “Fill Effects”, “Beach Management”, “Beach Barriers”, “Florida Beaches” and “Sand Dollars” for views on these issues from researchers, managers, beach/ocean users and others.

More details regarding beach fill policies and an inventory of projects in each state are available in each of the state reports.  For instance, check out this one for Florida.

Rick Wilson

Coastal Management Coordinator

The View from Inside the Logo

Surfrider Foundation has become a unique organization for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the logo. It is a powerful graphic vision of a place visited only by surfers, and yet it symbolizes much more than a surfer’s dream. The inside of a perfect wave is an extraordinary gift from nature to those with a special combination of courage, judgment, and determination, the very qualities that exemplify an organization dedicated to preserving all that the ocean gives us whether we are tuberiders or not.

Now, a tuberide is usually a solitary adventure, and for a while I was the guy with a lot of ideas about a “Cousteau Society” for people who ride surf in one way or another. But by the summer of 1984, I realized that establishing a solid foundation for a new version of surfing would, unlike tuberiding, have to be a team effort.

And so the Surfrider Foundation was born thanks to brainstorming with L.J. Woods, Steve Merrill and his ideas for the Baja Assistance Program, Lance Carson’s legendary reputation, the extraordinary Tom Pratte and his pioneer environmental activism, the unifying voice of body surfer Chris Blakely, and Santa Cruz kneeboarder Dan Young’s invaluable contributions. The team was later augmented by Donna Oakley, from Surfer’s ‘The Surf Report” to shape up our first newsletter and Marcia Davis whose accounting skills kept us solvent and functional.

These “co-founders” all made significant contributions in many ways, though none so timeless as when, in the spring of 1985, David Moeller joined the board and created the logo for Surfrider that endures to this day.

Photo: George Greenough © 2000 Harold Ward

Now there are many who see the logo and think of George Greenough’s “Innermost Limits of Pure Fun” and the footage he shot inside the tube in the late 60s. In fact, in 1974 George gave me a 3x5 frame grab from the film that looks exactly like the Surfrider logo, and over the years I used that blurry print to explain the symbolism behind the logo and the challenges facing every Surfrider member.

Photo: Woody Woodworth

But truth be known, the vision that became Surfrider’s logo was entirely David Moeller’s, a guy who still boats in to Cojo on big south swells, and continues to be a successful graphic artist in Huntington Beach.
And if you ask David, he in turn credits the sharp and perfectly focused shots of Woody Woodworth as HIS inspiration for the graphic symmetry of the image that united us all twenty years ago.

So next time you glance at Surfrider’s logo, stand in David’s place on a surfboard, or ride on your knees like George, or snap a photo like Woody – and realize the vision also belongs to you, and every person who feels inspired by a sight so rare, so powerful, and so beautiful – and who is dedicated to making the future of riding waves a wonderful experience for generations yet to come.

 

Glenn Hening

Founder, Surfrider Foundation

On the road 4: … and access for all… on the Jersey shore

One of Surfrider Foundation’s core tenets is “access.”

We believe that coastal regions, beaches and the ocean should be accessible, enjoyed by everyone. We believe the ocean isn’t private property and we’ve gotten involved in many campaigns dealing with this issue.

It’s one thing to fight for access, even Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury has picked up on this. But it’s another thing entirely to build an educational program that brings things to the next level and not only introduces people to beaches, but also teaches them to surf.

Surfrider Foundation’s Jersey Shore Chapter has built such a comprehensive program at Asbury Park. They started this educational surf clinic a few years ago and this year they branded it “Groms gone Environ-mental.”

Knowing this didn’t prepare me for what I experienced when I walked onto the beach. The Honorable Dr. William Rosenblatt was my point man for this stop. Of course I could, and perhaps will, blog on Bill… he’s the local mayor, a psychologist, national Surfrider Foundation board member and all-around good guy. As Bill and I walked onto the beach the scene was hard to believe; there were 170 kids from all walks of life participating in a surf clinic including an inspirational message, surf lessons, beach clean-up and beach games.

The first thing on the agenda was an inspirational and educational message from Rick Blocker. Rick is the historian of the Black Surfing Association. This organization was started after someone wrote into Surfer Magazine asking if there were other black people that loved surfing as much as him. Rick was among the first to respond and the BSA was created as a network of people all over the globe that love to surf. He surfs Malibu  when he has the chance, but this day he was telling kids that they can be and do anything; that boundaries are for breaking and that the beach is everyone’s… including theirs. Over 170 kids listened to his every word. Many of the kids lived less than a mile from the beach and had never been to it… never set foot in the ocean. Some of the kids couldn’t swim. Today was the day to change that and Rick led the charge.

After another short talk from the Asbury Park lifeguards on beach and ocean safety, they were off.

Take a look at the photo below, this is perhaps the first time many of these kids have been on a board. The person in the background is a Surfrider volunteer that drove up from the Washington D.C. Chapter to participate in this event.

BTW, the person in the back is none other than “Doc” Rosenblatt. Bill pushed kids into waves for… a long time.

My second favorite image was seeing that same 100+ kids walking down a beach, that many lived close to, but had never even set foot on… picking up trash. Surfrider Foundation’s Respect The Beach program, and our Sea to Summit video make all the difference when you see things in action.

The event started around 7:30AM and this is what it looked like around 2PM. We almost came to the point where we had to pry kids off the boards.

We are surfers.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Rhode Island local, an ASP pro or an Asbury Park resident… we are a global tribe.

Photo: Paul Shelly

Another image that is welded into my consciousness was the boy below. Dreadlocks, 70’s day-glo wet suit and wearing a snorkel mask. I’m told he comes to every Surf Clinic and always has a great time.

Big kudos to everyone that put this event together, especially The Asbury Park Surf Clinic sub-committee: Robin Bowden, Christian Spinnillo, Chad Nifoussi, Howard Nifoussi, Dale Wong, John Krutak (aka Mookie), Stephanie Rinaldi and of course Brian Lynch. You all put the perfect cap on an amazing week. I just might try and make the next Surf Clinic in August!

Last but certainly not least a huge thank you to Al Ferguson for hosting an wonderful gathering in his home on Saturday night. What better way to end a day, a week, a road trip!

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director

Photo: Paul Shelly

On the road 3: Washington DC

After numerous meetings with Foundations in Manhattan and  Washington D.C., Steve Blank and I met the "DC Surfrider" chapter for happy hour. The team in DC is, as you’d expect, close to national policy than any other chapter. We had some great conversation and discussed the opportunity with Surfrider’s proximity inside the Beltway via this chapter. The recent NOAA award in some ways illustrates this. They also see the value in having a regional manager to interact with as… they don’t have one. Discussion around how chapters can share resources, intelligence, personnel and strategy was great… huge opportunity here… including some new ideas such as using license plates to get the word out.

I was also reminded, again, that the power of this organization goes well beyond people that paddle into waves. While the DC Chapter has their share of surfers at the helm of the chapter, I was struck at the huge contributions made by those that are involved due to their passion for coastal issues. We all know the coast is under siege and it’s going to take a heck of a lot more than just surfers to make the impact we desire. In fact, virtually every member of the Washington D.C. Chapter illustrates the kind of passion and commitment we’re going to need more of, the closest beach is a couple hours away, and this crew is rock-solid focused on local and national issues. To me these kinds of people are the lifeblood of this foundation.

Surfrider Foundation is much, much more than “surfers protecting some breaks;” we are a grassroots movement made up of people that invest time, energy and money in coastal environment issues.

Next stop,  Jersey  shore.

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director, Surfrider Foundation

On the road 2: Long Island

While trekking through the Northeast this past week on trains, planes, automobiles, buses, taxis and sandals… I made it a priority to visit with as many local chapters as possible. After visiting with the Rhode Island Chapter and scoring the tiniest waves I believe I’ve ever paddled out into (they want everyone to believe that the surf in Rhode Island is awful, they don’t want you to come to Rhode Island to surf… smart people) I went on to the Eastern Long Island Chapter.

Eastern Long island is, as the name suggests, as far as one can go on the peninsula without ending up in the Atlantic. Long Island is essentially a long peninsula with beaches facing virtually due south; this means they have a more varied swell window than most east-coast beaches. I had surfed some of these when I lived in Brooklyn years ago (Brooklyn and Long Island actually occupy the same land mass) but truthfully one really has to be a local to understand what beaches are best during any particular swell. And when I went to the Surfrider Foundation Eastern Long Island Chapter meeting on Wednesday night the room was filled with just that… local knowledge.

Eugene Alper runs a tight ship. He runs the Eastern Long Island Chapter and he runs it quite well. He started on time, packed the room with volunteers, had an agenda thought out, built in some flexibility for our need to catch the last Jitney back to  Manhattan and  he routinely acknowledged the people in the audience as the true muscle for getting things done in the chapter. What caught my eye the most was the varied issues on the docket to be discussed; a boy had recently been arrested for surfing in front of a private club, strategy needed to be discussed to work alongside fishermen who were casting roughly into a right point break, development plans at Camp Hero (local break/park) needed to be understood and managed.

I was impressed. I was impressed by the magnitude and diversity in the chapter participants, the range and quantity of coastal issues on the agenda and also the respectful tone they used to hash through sometimes complex issues. Kudos to the Eastern Long Island chapter. And best of luck to the incoming team: Tom Naro as Chairman, Mara Hogan as Vice Chair, Thomas Muse as Environmental Director/Spokesperson, Jay Levine as Secretary, and Steve Matzen as Treasurer. Next time, hopefully I’ll come in the fall and hurricane season will be in full swing.

 

Next stop… DC.

Jim Moriarty
Executive Director, Surfrider Foundation

On the road: Northeast coast activist muscle

Paul Revere was an activist. So was Sam Adams. They aren’t unique though… the Northeast is full of activists.

Photo: Massachusetts Surfrider Foundation Chapter

Many environmental organizations have clout, power and influence that is centralized. A characteristic that sets Surfrider Foundation apart from others is the fact that the clout, power and influence are decentralized. Ours is in local communities. Our clout, power and influence are also something entirely different… its local know-how, long-term relationships and applied muscle. This comes together in the form of local activism.

To simplify things we’re about people that act on behalf of coastal issues. A key ingredient of this is the fact that we’re locals. We’re locals… everywhere.

We are unique because of the people that act… we’re unique because of our activists.

Knowing this, I wanted to get out and meet, listen to and further understand this core of our organization. I’ve already spent time with Southern California chapters and in an effort to get the larger picture I’m barnstorming the Northeast. I’m visiting chapters in Boston/Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Washington DC. Check out the sites of some of these chapters.

I’m a third of the way through that list and, again, the real Surfrider Foundation story is a collection of stories from or about  extraordinary people. The stories are about individuals banding together to protect something valuable to the local coastal community.

The stories are about activists. 

In Boston I marveled at Chris’s ability to juggle Harvard Med School, while driving new energy into the Blue Water Task Force, seemingly from the seat of his never-standing-still bike. This is also seen with Boston’s leader Elizabeth with her vision and foresight on local wetlands protection. In Rhode Island I was reminded, again, that Surfrider isn’t just for surfers. It’s relevant for different reasons in every region as I sat and talked with Kira, Brian, Bob and crew for over an hour and talked about the opportunities and challenges of local issues, applied technology and Latin America. These, and all those that make up the leaders and volunteers of the chapter network, are local heroes. I don’t mean to use that term flippantly… they are engaged in protection, using mental and physical muscle. 

Simple storm drain stenciling equates to educational efforts letting all know not to dump into local sewers.

Photo: Massachusetts Surfrider Foundation Chapter 

Next stop is Eastern Long island.

 

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director, Surfrider Foundation

Red Tides

Recently, large scale “red tides” have occurred in the northeast (Maine to Cape Cod), along the west coast of Florida, and throughout much of Southern California.  This has raised a lot of questions regarding the sources and effects of this phenomenon.

First, the term “Red Tide” is a misnomer. The condition is actually a bloom of algae (phytoplankton). It may be red, brown or other colors. It has nothing to do with the tide.

Most species of phytoplankton are not harmful and serve as the energy producers at the base of the food web, without which higher life on this planet would not exist. Phytoplankton are believed to generate as much as 80% of the world's oxygen supply. The two most common types of marine phytoplankton are diatoms and dinoflagellates.

Occasionally, the algae grow very fast or "bloom" and accumulate into dense, visible patches near the surface of the water. They are not necessarily harmful. During these blooms, most of the phytoplankton eventually die and sink to the bottom, where they are decomposed by bacteria. At night when photosynthesis stops, algae produce carbon dioxide and consume oxygen. These processes deplete the dissolved oxygen necessary for the survival of fish and other organisms, which can cause fish kills in bays and other enclosed water bodies.

A small number of species also produce potent neurotoxins that can be transferred through the food web where they affect and even kill the higher forms of life such as shellfish, fish, birds, marine mammals, and even humans that feed either directly or indirectly on them. Some species, such as the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense and the diatom Pseudo-nitzschia australis produce potent toxins which are liberated when the algae are eaten. People are exposed principally through the consumption of contaminated shellfish.

The recent algal bloom in the northeast (the largest outbreak in 12 years) caused the closure of shellfish beds from Maine to Cape Cod. The predominant species in this outbreak was Alexandrium fundyense. The outbreak caused toxin levels in some clams and mussels to reach record highs and caused the deaths of many gulls and eider ducks.

In Florida, although historical records indicate that algal blooms have occurred for centuries, there is a concern that nutrient runoff from development, farming and phosphate mining may be making the events occur more frequently and last longer. This year, a large algal bloom formed in early January which stretched from Tampa Bay to Sanibel Island/Sarasota Bay. The algal bloom was blamed in the death of at least 44 manatees. Dead fish were reported offshore of Fort Myers and in lower Tampa Bay.

Human health effects of the algal blooms in Florida seem to consist primarily of respiratory problems, especially when winds blow onshore. During a three-month algal bloom event in 2001 Sarasota Memorial Hospital's emergency room admissions for respiratory problems were 54% higher for people living along or visiting the coast than during the same period the next year, when there was no algal bloom.

In Southern California, the recent algal bloom has been more of a curiosity than a hazard (as long as you don’t mind surfing is waves that are the color of dark tea). There have been odor complaints in some areas, especially near coastal lagoons where the algae densities are highest. Although there is speculation that record winter rains plus continuing dry weather runoff containing nutrients may have fueled the present bloom, a connection has not been proved. A positive feature has been the “glow-in-the-dark” water seen at night, created by emissions from the dinoflagellates. Whitewater becomes iridescent blue water and swimmers emerging from the water “glow” and leave blue footprints in the sand.

In the last few years there have been several reported instances of mass deaths of birds and marine mammals associated with the diotom Pseudonitzschia and domoic acid, which is produced by Pseudonitzschia. Recently, domoic acid has been identified as the cause of death of many sea lions throughout central and southern California.

More information on Harmful Algal Blooms can be found at

http://www.surfrider.org/a-z/red_tide.asp and

http://www.whoi.edu/redtide/

Rick Wilson

Coastal Management Coordinator, Surfrider Foundation

Surfer’s breadcrumbs

Anyone who has been on a surf trip is aware of the proliferation of surf brands in far-flung coastal regions of the globe. We leave “breadcrumbs.” We tend not to “tread lightly” or have “zero impact,” let’s be honest… we leave our mark.

We leave a trail of where we, as a global tribe of surfers, have been… similar to what Hansel and Gretel supposedly did… or what cookies do in your web browser, or how people are now starting to use GPS systems. Surfer’s breadcrumbs are t-shirts, stickers, sunglasses, used boards and surf trunks. As the stop sign in Kauai below shows.

It’s nothing to be far away… immersed in a totally different culture and then seeing some familiar surf sticker that reminds you of yet another sign of coastal development. So perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised a month ago when I was walking around the beaches of El Salvador, decompressing and starting to transition onto local time when I look up and see this guy.

I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was.

The thing is that I felt a sense of pride, so did he. He works at a local surf camp whose owner understands the very reasons Surfrider Foundation exists. It’s really quite simple, the camp is situated on a beautiful piece of coastal property with a nice, consistent 6’ – 8’ right breaking out the front door. They have managed to control development, but just like most regions in the world, there are problems keeping pollution under control. In some sessions I’d find my surf trunk pockets filled with trash.

Perhaps the silver lining in this story of “surfer’s breadcrumbs” is that in addition to our need to tag and leave or mark on any given location we’re sometimes also making a difference in a community. Most of the boards used by locals in locations like this one were left behind by traveling surfers. At K59 there was a kid absolutely ripping on a board that had been left behind and been broken and fixed three times. The local crew also understands that they need to address the pollution problem and are starting to work with communities “upstream” (most of the garbage flows down a nearby river and into the ocean). This comes back to a core tenant of Surfrider Foundation, the need for communication and education.

For a great success related to this story, check out what the locals did in Tres Palmas, Puerto Rico. The story there is much deeper than saving a break, it’s about community transformation and coastal preservation. It’s why Surfrider Foundation exists.

Jim Moriarty

Executive Director, Surfrider Foundation