MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
The summer of 1999 was a busy one for Massachusetts Surfrider Chapter. They held a successful media event on the steps of the State House in June to call for passage of a state water quality testing bill that the chapter authored. The Beaches Bill (H. 3134) is similar to AB411 which recently passed in California and the pending federal BEACH Bill. Because of the persistent efforts of the Massachusetts Chapter, the bill has moved through two committees (with no opposition!) and is now in the Ways and Means committee.
    In June, the chapter helped organize the state's first annual Conference on Coastal Access. They presented initial data that has been gathered for Beachscape by chapter member Kevin Otto showing the huge percentage of Massachusetts coastline that has no public access. Also presented was information from the Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Office showing that 73% of the Massachusetts coastline is privately owned. Massachusetts has two access problems - getting to the beach and walking along it. Unlike every other state in the nation except for Maine, the intertidal zone can be private property.
    The chapter held its third annual Surf Ride benefit bike ride on Cape Cod this past May. Director Steve Darnley presided over another sun-filled ride with beautiful ocean views. Also, for the third year in a row, the Massachusetts Chapter participated in the WBCN River Rave - a phenomenal multi-band all-day concert. The chapter owes WBCN a debt of gratitude for their continued support of Surfrider activism in Massachusetts.

MONTANA
Bozeman
A permit granted to the Big Sky Water and Sewer District allowing the dumping of treated wastewater into the Gallatin River inspired the Bozeman Mountain Surf Chapter of Surfrider Foundation to begin a water testing program.
    Due to public concern over water quality, the developers of the Big Sky resort are interested in funding a cumulative effects study in the Gallatin Canyon. Surfrider Foundation's Bozeman Chapter activists are hoping to steer interested individuals towards the Blue Water Task Force water testing program. Chapter members want to collect baseline data on water quality, including algae and insects to determine the health and integrity of the river.
    On October 9th and 10th, Bozeman Chapter members participated in a two day water testing training class. Chapter activists and interested members of the community were trained in the field and the laboratory on bacteriological and chemical analysis of water by Microbiology Professor Gill Geesy of Montana State University. Also presenting were Professors Loren Bahls and Billie Kerans who taught chapter members insect analysis monitoring and algae analysis to determine water quality along the Gallatin River. To get involved contact the chapter.
 
New Jersey
The New Jersey Chapter's Blue Water Task Force has found a new home at Monmouth University. According to Assistant Dean John Tiedemann, the

BWTF is an ideal program for students seeking to satisfy the university's experiential education requirement for graduation. The field, laboratory and clinical experiences offered to the students by participating in the New Jersey Chapter's BWTF "are extremely valuable in preparing students for their professional careers," stated Tiedemann.
    Two students who will earn college credits in biology electives have already begun a pilot-testing program that includes preliminary field sampling and sample preparation and analysis. In addition, they developed quality assurance and quality control procedures and refined the field lab procedures. By summer's end they were testing weekly in Deal and Ocean Grove with testing scheduled to continue through the fall.
    Incorporating the Jersey Chapter's BWTF Program into Monmouth University curriculum gives the chapter the advantage of having testing performed by students who are working under the direction of trained water quality professionals. This gives the water quality results greater credibility. The New Jersey Chapter will use this information to monitor water quality along the Jersey shoreline.