Surfrider Foundation, MAKING WAVES, Feb. 2003

MAKING WAVES, Feb. 2003 issue: Table of Contents

By Nicki Hmielewski

It's heartbreaking to think that someone who is only 22 years old can look at her beach with pre-pollution nostalgia and say, "I remember when..."

We recently heard from Amber Callahan about the changes going on in Folly Beach, South Carolina. The once pristine surf community that she frequented while growing up is now getting trashed.

A student of marine biology at Greenville Technical College, Amber tries to make the three and a half hour drive up to Folly Beach as often as she can to surf. But her last few visits have been disheartening. The ocean view which she always looked forward to seeing as she turned onto the main road into town, has now been completely blocked by the recent construction of large hotels and resorts. Sitting in the lineup at Wash Out, one of Folly Beach's standout breaks, Amber says that the view from the water is no better. "There is trash everywhere. I watch people packing up after a day at the beach and just walking off, leaving all their picnic remnants and empty drink bottles. Smokers just put their butts out in the sand, and leave them there in little piles."

Amber Callahan

To Amber, the above scene raises the frustrated question, "Where do they think it all goes?" As Amber has experienced, attempts to reach out is not always as successful as she would hope. "I try to educate people around here about littering," she says, "...and they get offended! Like I'm disrespecting their lifestyle."

As a reaction to the increasing amounts of trash cluttering the beach she holds so dear, Amber took it upon herself to do a personal beach clean-up. "I must have spent several hours, just walking and stuffing my bag with people's left behind waste." This is the embodiment of the Surfrider spirit. It is purely instinctual for someone who loves the oceans and beaches to remove something harmful. If, on their way back from a surf session or a sunset walk, everyone were to pick up one thing that someone else has left behind, it would make a difference.

Amber plans on eventually using her degree in marine biology to work toward stemming the destruction of our ocean resources and bringing about further understanding of coastal habitats and environments. "I don't think enough people realize how important the ocean and its conservation is to us and future generations. It amazes me how it can be so overlooked and unappreciated."

For more information about how you can get involved on a local level, please contact your local chapter directly - go to the Surfrider Chapter web page for chapter contact info.

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