Coastal Blog
August 2011
August 29 2011
YOU can help California make restaurants foam free!
Last week SB 568 advanced through the California State Assembly Appropriations Committee and will be voted on by the full Assembly floor before September 9th! This is a huge step forward for the bill to eliminate polystyrene foam containers from restaurants statewide. Surfrider Foundation is a co-sponsor of this bill…
August 25 2011
Maine High Court Ruling – Scuba Diving: 6, Exclusive Intertidal Zone: 0
Six Maine Justices Rule for an Expansive Interpretation of Public Trust Activities Today, the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled in favor of beach access rights with the McGarvey v. Whittredge decision regarding the public access of recreationalists like scuba divers through the intertidal zone in Maine.
August 23 2011
Stand with Reusable Bags vs Plastic Giants’ Lawsuits
There is a growing worldwide cultural and societal shift from disposable single-use plastic bags to durable reusable bags. However, instead of adapting their business to this new opportunity, the giant single-use plastic bag corporations and groups such as "Save the Plastic Bag Coalition" are spending millions of dollars on lobbyists…
August 19 2011
Big Plastic Rewrites History
Well, that's not true, but their lobbying group did influence curriculum for California schools. In a front page article today, The San Francisco Chronicle exposes the American Chemistry Council for their tactics to change the environmental curriculum which included a section for the 11th grade teacher's edition textbook titled, "The…
August 19 2011
LEGAL BATTLE AGAINST CARLSBAD DESALINATION CONTINUES AS POSEIDON IS STILL SEARCHING FOR FUNDING
Know Your H20 Desalination Legal
On August 18, 2011, Surfrider filed an appeal from a June decision by Judge Judith F. Hayes of the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego. In pursuing legal actions such as this one, Surfrider is striving to promote and achieve the goals of our Know Your H2O program…
August 17 2011
Looking for Answers to Pollution in Cannon Beach, Oregon
Blue Water Task Force Water Quality
The Blue Water Task Force program on the North Coast of Oregon has been working with the City of Cannon Beach to document the pollution problem at Ecola Court since 2009.
August 16 2011
Santa Barbara OFG Series Steps 2 & 3 Next: Site Evaluation Hands-On Workshop & One-Day Pro Training
After a successful Ocean Friendly Gardens (OFG) Basics Class in Santa Barbara, we return there for the next steps in the Whale Tail License Plate grant-funded OFG Series: a Hands-On Workshop on Site Evaluation on September 11 and a training for professionals on October 25.
August 11 2011
Coastal Hero Retires: Peter Douglas Steps Down from California Coastal Commission Directorship
On Wednesday at the monthly California Coastal Commission meeting, Peter Douglas announced his retirement after 26 years as Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission. Peter Douglas helped to write the guiding document for management of our California coasts with the Coastal Act of 1976, and has devoted his life…
August 10 2011
California Dreaming. Parks of the Sea and Land…
People come to California for many reasons. One of the main attractions to our state is its natural beauty—on both land and in the water. According to a recent study, California receives nearly $52 billion dollars a year in “leisure and hospitality.” Much of that leisure and hospitality takes place…
August 10 2011
Beachfill Implicated in Injuries
Coastal Preservation Beach Dredge & Fill
A beach replenishment project completed last year in Harvey Cedars, NJ is implicated in this news article about a number of injuries in the shorebreak. The surf was chest high at best, yet they restricted swimming due to injuries.
August 08 2011
Can you help stop plastic pollution?
The Surfrider Foundation recently released the 'Rise Above Plastics Activist Toolkit' to help Surfrider Foundation Chapters and everyday activists plan plastic reduction initiatives at home, work and in your community. It's a great resource guide that provides insight on the dangers of plastic pollution and how one person can help…
August 04 2011
Shifting Tides: Sea level rise in US
Coastlines throughout the world are very sensitive to changes in sea level. Sea level changes where waves break, how coasts erode or accrete, the tidal flow in estuaries, and the location and extent of wetlands and coral reefs. And small changes, on the order of inches, can have profound impacts…
August 04 2011
A Socioeconomic & Recreational Profile of Surfers in the U.S.
Surf Protection Surf Economics
The Surfrider Foundation, with support from Surfing Magazine, created the Surf-First Surfer Survey to collect a national dataset on the recreational, demographic and economic characteristics of surfers.
August 04 2011
Tidal Wave of Trash
The Surfrider Foundation Huntington Beach / Seal Beach Chapter recently had an award-winning float in their local Independence Day parade that was made from beach trash. Back in March, chapter member Andre Faubert started his own 30/30 experiment: collecting trash in Huntington Beach for half an hour a day for…
