MAKING WAVES, June 2003 issue: Table of Contents

LEAVING THE COMFORT ZONE FEEDING THE FIRES OF THE HEART "Take long walks in stormy weather or through deep snow in the fields and woods, if you would keep your spirits up. Deal with brute nature. Be cold and hungry and weary." -Henry David Thoreau "If I could only remember that the days were not bricks to be laid row on row, to be built into a solid house, where one might dwell in safety and peace, but only food for the fires of the heart" -Edmund Wilson Thoreau would have had something to say about seawalls were he to have walked with me last week along the shores of Solana Beach, California. In fact, he pretty much took sides almost a hundred years ago when he observed, "The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touches of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time." Since he wrote that, we, with our our steel tools have attempted to fight air, water and time by building walls against the sea. It takes a fair amount of hubris to take on such a hat-trick of nature, and unsurprisingly, we usually lose, most often with damaging consequences. Short-sighted, short term solutions rarely work as intended. Read of our victory against seawalls in Solana Beach on page four for an example. Thoreau also made clear his stand on beach access when he wrote in an 1853 journal entry, "Without being the owner of any land, I find that I have a civil right in the river—that, if I am not a land-owner I am a water-owner ... It is an extensive "common" still left." Were he here today, Thoreau would likely applaud Surfrider Foundation members for continuing the fight for our "common" water and the waves, beaches and shorelines that comprise and shape it. Surfrider Foundation members know more than most the truth of the phrase, There is no free ride. I wrote last issue of the need for better models of living on our planet, for better ways of doing the things we as humans seem designed to do. To fight for such change means to leave our comfort zones. Though we must leave our complacency and our safety nets behind, there are often unexpected discoveries when we do. In the second quote above, Edmund Wilson reminds us not to look at our days as bricks, stacked up to make for us a safe hideaway, but to instead see our days as fuel for the fires that burn in our hearts. I choose activism because it is simply a more interesting way to live. Anyone who rides a surfboard, or enters the ocean, knows the deep, primordial stirrings that result from leaving the safety net of solid ground. From an atom to a system as big as our earth, things are kept in momentum by the opposition of positive and negative forces. Science shows us that everything is in constant motion and thus constant change. Nothing is permanent, be it a shoreline, a home on the cliff, or the comfort of a heart hiding behind a wall of bricks. Best to step outside and enter the current. Better to have a full heart than a comfortable but complacent one. The challenges, inconsistencies, and uphill battles that await us in our work to protect what we love are what will keep our hearts healthy and strong. As Thoreau advises, take walks in stormy weather, deal with brute nature, be cold and hungry and weary if you would keep your spirits up. We must leave the comfort zone to truly feed the fires of our hearts which in turn temper our souls. - Joe Mozdzen -Joe Mozdzen

Making Waves The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's waves, oceans and beaches for all people, through conservation, activism, research, and education. Publication of The Surfrider Foundation A Non-Profit Environmental Organization P.O. Box 6010 San Clemente, CA 92674-6010 (949) 492-8170 fx (949) 492-8142 (800) 743-surf Web: http://www.surfrider.org Email: makingwaves@surfrider.org Executive Director Christopher J. Evans, Esq. Deputy Executive Director/Legal Director Michelle C. Kremer, Esq. Director of Chapters Edward J. Mazzarella Environmental Director Chad Nelsen Director of Development Kim Novick Marketing & Communications Director Matt McClain Coastal Science Manager Mark Rauscher National Grants Manager Lori A. Booth Membership Manager Teresa Rappé Membership Coordinator Jeff Petersen Coastal Management Coordinator Rick Wilson Pacific Northwest Regional Manager Kevin Ranker Southern California Regional Manager Joe Geever Oregon Outreach Coordinator David Revell Puerto Rico Outreach Coordinator Leon Richter Washington Outreach Coordinator Ian Miller Mail Order Assistant - Chapin Tierney Controller - Toni Craw Cash Receipts - Jill Tierney Web Master - Mark Babski Chief Financial Officer Christopher W. Keys, CPA Making Waves Staff Editor in Chief: Joe Mozdzen; Managing Editor: Matt McClain Contributors: Ed Mazzarella, David Pu'u, Chad Nelsen, Kim Novick, Todd T. Cardiff, Kevin Ranker, John Weber 2003 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman Mike Orbach Vice-Chair Jeff Berg Secretary Will Novy Hildesley Lance Andersen Megan Bailiff Kris Balliet Marc Chytilo Harold Hofer Michael Marckx Bill Rosenblatt Janis Searles Mark Spalding Kira Stillwell Robb Waterman 2003 Advisory Board Advisory Board Chairman Shaun Tomson Advisory Board Manager Jim Kempton Lisa Andersen Michael Bloom Jeff Bridges Bruce Brown Aaron Checkwood Sean Collins Russ Cogdill Susan Crank Corb Donohue Pierce Flynn, Ph.D. Alan Gibby Brad Gerlach Karen Mackay Griffiths Jake Grubb Woody Harrelson Gregory Harrison Noel Hillman Paul Holmes Bob Hurley Pearl Jam Drew Kampion Dave Kaplan Josh Karliner Mike Kingsbury Kevin Kinnear Tom Loctefeld Gerry Lopez Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and The Beach Boys Terry McCann Rob Machado Don Meek Shelly Merrick Dick Messerol Dick Metz Doug McPherson Bob Mignogna Guy Motil Sakiusa Nadruku Paul Naudé Doug Palladini Tony Pallagrosi Debbee Pezman Mark Price Gary Propper Randy Rarick Fran Richards Gary L. Sirota Kelly Slater C.R. Stecyck III John Stouffer Peter Townend John Von Passenheim Mati Waiya/Chumash People Robert "Nat" Young FOUNDING Advisory Board Yvon Chouinard Steve Pezman Bruce Johnston Tom Curren Jericho Poppler Bartlow D. Dwight Worden Volunteers/Interns Caitlin Crafts Stephanie Warren Laura Mazarrella

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