07/22/2008
Pulp Mill Hearings Go Coastal
The third hearing for the City of Newport’s license agreement for rights of way of the effluent line for the Georgia Pacific Toledo Pulp Mill was packed by Surfrider Foundation's Newport Chapter members and activists last night. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), (supported by recommendations from the Newport Chapter) has made reconsideration of the wastewater permit for Georgia-Pacifics pulp and paper mill in Toledo its top water permit issue statewide. More recently, citizens and activists uncovered a license agreement with the City of Newport for the effluent line that had gone unpaid and violated for 20 years. The City has been holding hearings to take public comment and discuss a new license agreement over the past 3 months which has provided an excellent opportunity for activists and concerned citizens to highlight the larger campaign for the reconsideration of the DEQ permit. Read more here.
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07/14/2008
Care about the ocean? Concerned about climate change? Join Cycle For The Sea!
Cycle For The Sea ( www.cycleforthesea.org) is a project organized by cyclist and surfer Carly Smolak to raise awareness about the connection between climate change, transportation, and the health of our ocean & coastal environments. The project consists of a four-day bike ride along the Pacific Coast that begins in San Francisco and ends in Monterey. Because the ocean, including our surf spots and other special places, is being damaged by pollution and global warming, participants will enjoy the coastline car-free and see some of the most beautiful spots from the saddles of bikes.
Global climate change isn’t just affecting polar bears, ice caps, and island communities—it impacts all of us. Along the coast, we will feel the effects of sea level rise (and loss of coastal lands) and ecosystem shifts, as marine life forms move and change to adapt to their changing environments. In short, global climate change will change the way we live on the coast.
What can we do? Though we might not have complete control over climate change, we do have control over our individual actions and personal choices, which can contribute to the rate at which changes occur and how impacts of climate change are felt.
How can you get involved?
Join the ride: Think Critical Mass! Anyone is welcome to tag along for any portion of the ride; the best the way to do this is to meet up with us along our route for our daily 10:00am departure times (see www.cycleforthesea.org for route). Riding is free, or bring $25 contribution for food and camping costs, but participants are encouraged to donate to or become a member of their local chapter of Surfrider Foundation.
Change your habits: Become a conscious consumer and reduce your carbon footprint!
Stop using wasteful petroleum-based single-use plastic items. Instead, BYO (bring your own) reusable mugs, bags, and to-go containers.
When possible, take public transportation (like busses or trains) or ride your bike to get where you need to go. These alternatives use less energy and produce less pollution than comparable travel using cars.
Reduce energy consumption (and your bills) by replacing your old school light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. Be sure to properly dispose of your old light bulbs through your household hazardous waste.
Offset your carbon emissions from traveling to your favorite surf spots. Visit www.greensurf.org.
To calculate your carbon footprint visit: http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu.
Contribute: Your local chapter of Surfrider Foundation in engaged in various campaigns and programs aimed at protecting our ocean, waves, and beaches. These include (fill in the blank here). Contact (fill in the contact person and email, i.e. volunteer coordinator) to find out how you can participate or help financially support these efforts by visiting membership. In the ‘specific cause’ box, please type in "Cycle for the Sea" and “(Fill in your chapter’s name).”
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07/14/2008
San Diego's Morning After Mess
The big story this year was the lack of trash on the beach!! Increased awareness of litter issues, more trash and recycle bins on the beach, overcast weather and an alcohol ban all contributed to helping keep San Diego's beaches beautiful this July 4th.
Over 1,000 volunteers at six cleanup sites picked up over 4,000 pounds of trash and 28,000 cigarette butts that were left behind from the Independence Day celebration. There was visibly much less litter on San Diego City beaches this year. Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter and Sun Diego Boardshops sponsored the 5th annual “Morning After Mess” cleanup day in order to cleanup litter before it becomes marine debris and raise awareness about the state of the beaches following the holiday. Beach cleanup sites included the OB Pier, Belmont Park in Mission Beach, PB Drive in Pacific Beach, 15th Street in Del Mar, South Carlsbad State Beach and the Oceanside Pier.
"I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the beach this morning. In past years it looked like trash cans exploded but this year there was much less mess to deal with. The city workers did a great job while our volunteers focused on a minimal amount of trash along the tide line and a few streets and sidewalks that were pretty trashed” said Scott Harrison from the Surfrider San Diego Executive Committee.
Harrison added; “One darker note is that we found more cigarette butts than last year. Since the beach was relatively clean we sent volunteers to help cleanup the streets and sidewalks close to the beach and that is where most of the butts were found. If you choose to smoke, please hold on to your butt and dispose of it properly.”
“We had six different cleanup sites throughout San Diego County. Local environmental and citizen based groups such as San Diego Coastkeeper, I Love Clean San Diego, and Keep Del Mar Clean, helped organize each site. In addition, La Jolla Shores Surfing Association, PB Town Council and other groups pitched in with cleanups. We are encouraged by the enormous success and we hope our educational message has a lasting impact” said Bill Hickman Chapter Coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter.
In an effort to keep San Diego beautiful, Surfrider teamed up with local non-profits and city agencies to form the San Diego Clean Beach Coalition. In addition to beach cleanups, SDCBC also organized cardboard trash and recycle bins for the beaches in addition to an awareness campaign. All summer long the SDCBC wants to remind people to "Enjoy your bash but can your trash".
In addition the to “Morning After Mess”, the Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter conducts beach cleanups on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month. To view the beach cleanup scheduled for 2008 visit the Chapter’s website:
http://www.surfridersd.org/beachcleanups.php
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07/09/2008
Save Trestles Campaign Update It's HERE!
We've been asking you to stay tuned for details on the next step to Save Trestles and now it is finally here! The Secretary of Commerce's public hearing regarding the controversial 241 Toll Road extension is scheduled to take place July 25 at 10:30 AM at the Bren Center on the campus of UC Irvine.
Should the Secretary of Commerce uphold the California Coastal Commission's (CCC) decision (made at the CCC meeting in February), it would effectively stop the toll road project dead in its tracks! As such, we are hoping to motivate as many people as we can to attend the hearing! More Info. Make your voice heard here!
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07/09/2008
Fireworks Wash Ashore in New York
Jones Beach in Long Island, NY was the scene for some post-Fourth of July excitement this year when unexploded firework shells washed up on shore. Although unlikely to go off when wet, the shells could have created a hazard once they were dry. The Chinese-made shells were about 3-8 inches and included varieties such as the "Green Willow" and "Golden Coconut." The beach was closed for cleanup efforts until dawn this morning. More info.
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07/09/2008
Half of Our Reefs Are in Bad Shape
In a report issued today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) states that almost half of our nation's coral reef systems are "poor" or "fair" condition. The coral reef ecosystems (particularly those adjacent to populated areas) continue to face intense human-derived threats from coastal development, sedimentation, fishing and recreational use. And further out to sea, even the most remote reefs are threatened by illegal fishing, marine debris, and climate-related effects of coral bleaching, disease and ocean acidification. More Info.
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07/09/2008
A Swell Deal!
Swell now offers a great way to support Surfrider Foundation with a free t-shirt. Besides being the exclusive online retailer for Project Blue, Swell.com has been a supporter of our Mission for more than five years now.
More Info.
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06/27/2008
Lionfish, Tigers and Bears Oh My!
Alert! Lionfish may be on "the prowl" soon. Aquarium owners near the Atlantic have been dumping lionfish into the ocean when they grow too big for their aquariums.
Since lionfish are indigenous to the Pacific—not Atlantic—ocean they have no natural enemies. As such, scientists are now predicting an impending invasion of deadly lionfish in Floridian waters. More Info.
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06/27/2008
Shark Finning Banned in Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico
New rules filed today by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) will require federal shark fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico to catch sharks with their fins still naturally attached (previous federal regulations required only a specific ratio be applied to the fins and carcasses that are brought in, allowing shark fins to be cut off at sea).
More info. For a top 10 list of myths about sharks and to learn more about Oceana's campaign to protect sharks, click here. And check out the film Sharkwater too! You will never think of sharks in the same way after viewing this film.
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06/18/2008
Mysterious Bacteria Killing Oysters
The Northwest oyster population is under attack! An invisible microbe, Vibrio tubiashi is attacking oyster larvae and may be driving wild oysters from traditionally prolific estuaries on the southern Washington coast. Last summer, the microbe caused an Oregon shellfish hatchery (one of the largest on the West Coast) to shut down. Researchers say the rise of bacteria might be tied to the same unusual ocean conditions that have created suffocating "dead zones" that have appeared off the Oregon coast in recent summers. More Info.
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