Found this on the beach in NJ yesterday. Now don't laugh, but you have to pay to get on the beach here in the summer. Most towns give you a beach tag or a beach "badge". If you aren't familiar with a beach badge, it is a thin piece of plastic, I'm guessing vinyl, about 2 inches square. They are dated of course so you can't use them next year.

Take a look at this one; it is 27 years old! There is no telling if this was in the ocean for 27 years, or if it spent some of that time buried in the sand. Maybe it went a few hundred miles south during a Nor'easter and made its way back. Maybe it did that ten times. Maybe it circumnavigated the entire North Atlantic. Belmar is two towns away from me, less than a mile.

The point is that besides being a bit faded and a little bent at the edges, this little piece of plastic is entirely intact 27 years later. We all pick up our share of plastic on the beaches; rarely is it dated. Makes me wonder how old some of the other stuff we are picking up is.

John Weber

Conservationists and citizens who care about our oceans and coasts will be wearing blue this Wednesday January 13 to show their support for a new national ocean policy in what is being called, “Wear Blue for Oceans Day.”

In June President Obama called for the nation’s first ever policy to protect our Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes, which many hope to see finalized in early 2010 and made official through an executive order. At present management of marine resources is determined by 20 different agencies operating under more than 140 laws each with different goals and often conflicting mandates. In public hearings across the nation this fall the administration heard widespread support for a unified ecosystem-based policy centered on the protection and restoration of the sea’s living resources – much like the policy the administration is in the process of creating. Only a healthy ocean can help assure a sound economy, good jobs, maritime security and viable coastal communities.

“Wear Blue for Oceans”Day events and rallies will be held in 10 cities across the nation, including San Francisco CA; New Orleans, LA; Washington D.C.; Honolulu, HI; Cambridge, MA; Houston, TX; St. Petersburg FL and Anchorage, AK. Those who can’t attend in person are encouraged to wear blue wherever they are and upload photos of themselves to http://wearblueforoceans.org/.

Supporting organizations include: Blue Frontier Campaign, Conservation Law Foundation, Environment California, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Gulf Restoration Network, In Defense of Animals, Natural Resources Defense Council, Ocean Champions, The Ocean Conservancy, Ocean Defenders Alliance, Ocean River Institute, Pacific Environment, Save Our Shores, Save the Waves, Sea Stewards, Surfrider Foundation

Some quotes from those working on ‘Wear Blue for Oceans’ Day:

“A strong national ocean policy will provide major benefits to those who use and enjoy the ocean. This is a historic opportunity for the President to take action in support of clean beaches, healthy oceans, and sustainable fisheries,” said Pete Stauffer, Ocean Ecosystem Project Manager of Surfrider Foundation

“Like a Clean Air Act for our air, or a Clean Water Act for our water, we need a national policy to protect our oceans for this and future generations,” said Sarah Chasis, Director of the Ocean Initiative at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“For too long we have ignored the health of the Gulf of Mexico and other ocean water, believing these ecosystems would remain a limitless resource despite our continued abuse. However, our ocean and coastal resources are degrading and far too many species that are dependent upon them are at risk. A strong national ocean policy will help us protect and restore these resources for future generations,” said Cynthia Sarthou, Executive Director of the Gulf Restoration Network

“New England’s oceans and coasts make up a large part of our heritage and our future. We need a strong National Ocean Policy that protects and restores the special places that we use and enjoy,” said Sean Cosgrove, Marine Campaign Director for the Conservation Law Foundation.

“People are ready for a national policy that recognizes that a healthy ocean is essential for our safety, livelihoods, recreational enjoyment and spiritual renewal. A new wave of seaweed (marine grassroots) citizen action is emerging that aims at nothing less than the restoration of the blue in our red, white and blue,” says David Helvarg, President of the Blue Frontier Campaign.

NOTE:

For more information on Wear Blue Day visit http://wearblueforoceans.org/ .

For more information on the national policy, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/oceans.

January 13, 2010 has been dubbed “Wear Blue for the Oceans Day” http://wearblueforoceans.org/ . The purpose is to demonstrate widespread support for the Obama Administration to establish a National Ocean Policy through issuing an Executive Order. This is a great opportunity to organize an event around or spread the word through your networks.

Last June, President Obama established an Ocean Policy Task Force to develop recommendations for a National Ocean Policy and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). The Task Force process is nearing completion – see interim reports and comment opportunities on their website - and in early 2010, the Obama Administration will be considering its response to the Task Force recommendations.

This is a historic opportunity to help shape the future of ocean and coastal management. Please help spread the word!

"We have a stewardship responsibility to maintain healthy, resilient, and sustainable oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes resources for the benefit of this and future generations."

President Barack Obama, June 12, 2009

Improving and maintaining healthy ocean water quality has been one of our top priorities since our organization was founded 25 years ago. Next year the Surfrider Foundation will be rolling out an exciting new program called "Know Your H2O."

This program, which was piloted by our San Diego Chapter, is the next evolutionary step following our successful Blue Water Task Force water quality testing program. Know Your H2O seeks to educate the public on how they can have a direct impact on enhancing ocean water quality. Not only will this program speak to those audiences along our nation's coasts, we will be using it to message to audiences across all of the United States regardless of proximity to the beach or coastline.

Along with educational tools and materials, one of our goals is to create a stand alone interactive website for the program. That is where you come in...

The Surfrider Foundation is currently entered into an online contest on the social media site Youtopia. The winners of this contest will be eligible to receive $15,000 worth of design and/or strategic communications services from their menu of core offerings: strategy consulting, identity design, web design, print design, and online movies. In this time of tight budgets, this will tremendously help us spread the word about how to keep our ocean waters healthy.

Please visit the Youtopia website and vote for the Know Your H2O Flash Movie Website.

This action is free and takes just a few moments to complete.

As well, please do pass on this request to any of your friends or contacts who you feel would be interested in assisting the Surfrider Foundation find a new educational effort.

And visit the Know Your H2O blog at http://knowyourh2o.blogspot.com/

Surfrider members from Washington, Oregon, and California recently participated in a meeting of the West Coast Ecosystem-Based (EBM) Management Network in Port Orford, OR. Co-sponsored by the NOAA Coastal Services Center, the meeting convened practitioners from six community projects to discuss best practices for implementing ecosystem-based management. Discussion topics included stakeholder engagement, collaborative science, integrated governance, and ecosystem protection and restoration. Attendees included elected officials, scientists, managers, and ocean users. To learn more about the West Coast EBM Network, please click here . To learn more about Surfrider engagement in ecosystem-based management, please click here. Thanks to Paul Jenkin (Ventura, CA), Gus Gates (Florence, OR), Jody Kennedy (Grays Harbor, WA), Kathy Greer (Grays Harbor, WA), Leesa Cobb (Port Orford, OR) and Pete Stauffer (Port Orford, OR) for participating!