MAKING WAVES, August 2003 issue: Table of Contents

Toward a Water Ethic “What we need today is a ‘water ethic’. It would begin with the simple realization that water is life: for all species, for the living Earth.” - Kirkpatrick Sale I remember once flying over the ocean at very low altitude in a small airplane. The water was choppy and we could clearly feel the waves as the vibrations ran between the plane and the uneven surface of the water. It was like a drum beat, the water was tapping out a rhythm, talking to us, talking to the water in our veins. Watching the sea from an airplane, or seeing images of our planet from space, we are reminded that this is truly a water planet, not an earth planet. We all know that nearly three quarters of the surface of this planet is covered by water­­what Kirkpatrick Sale calls “this liquid life”­­some 300 million cubic miles of it. Water brings us life, energy, food, travel, play and sport. For many of us, water is sacred, something deeply spiritual. There is a lot of talk about water these days. Every day we read something about it in the news, rarely anything cheery. It’s either being bottled, privatized, stolen, dammed, wasted and transported, or else it’s being polluted, poisoned, drained, evaporated or heated by nuclear reactors and returned to the ocean. Rarely is it given much respect. We waste a lot of water in this country. In my home state of California, three quarters of all the water used in our cities and suburbs is used on landscaping­­not agriculture, just landscaping. Since most of Southern California is essentially a desert, it’s no surprise that it takes a lot of water to maintain a green lawn. Though unlike much of the rest of the world, most of us no longer have to haul our water by hand from a river or a well, nor pound our clothes clean creekside, nor bathe in a pond, nor feed our family from a local body of water, yet we nevertheless need the water from these sources to accomplish these same things. For most of us, water is equated more with leisure than toil. We play and recreate at the water’s edge. Our drinking water comes out of the tap, or in bottles, and goes away down modern plumbing. Despite the logistical conveniences, we must fight every day for clean water, for safe water, for access to water. Water is insidious, everything we do involves water. It even takes 100,000 gallons of water to manufacture a single car. This issue of Making Waves tells the story about our Special Places program. Singular, threatened spots of particular beauty, fragility, uniqueness, biodiversity, or all of the above. For me, the most special place is not a place, but a thing. It’s water, the one thing that links all the official Special Places. All my favorite places involve water, be they a reef, a beach, a canyon laced with waterfalls, a hot springs, a fishing hole, or a mountain of snow. Our historical relationship with water has a deeply spiritual, reverential and ethical basis, but it’s one that’s often forgotten, or weakened, or outright co-opted for profit today. How absurd that any nation should consider weakening the laws that protect the water quality, or the very existence of, its rivers, lakes, oceans and beaches. Access to clean safe water and the places made special by it’s presence, should be a basic right for all people, and any affront to that right should be considered an affront to us all. Be it an oil spill halfway around the world, a coastline threatened by careless development, or the privatization of a local water supply, we know the fight must never stop, because every drop of water on this planet is all part of the same source, and should not be squandered. Water is our literal birthright; we are born from it, and composed of it. We must fight for it as if it were life itself, vibrating in our veins. -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 Coordinator Jenna Oldfield 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 Pete Stauffer

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