MAKING WAVES, February 2004 issue: Table of Contents

Thinking Like a Watershed "You can't act locally by thinking globally. If you want to keep your local acts from destroying the globe, you must think locally." - Wendell Berry Surfrider Foundation has always been good at acting locally. It's how we came into being, and it's still how we work today­­one local victory; one city council meeting; one classroom; one new member at a time. Of course, no one would deny the importance of a larger perspective, but the track record of "one size fits all" solutions to environmental problems is not a stellar one. What Wendel Berry is getting at in the above quote, is that global thinking can be dangerous because it is frequently oversimplified and purely statistical, and thus often becomes irrelevant on a practical, local scale. The dangers of thinking only globally include losing our sense of place and the value of local solutions, and missing out on the strength and relevance of our own community. So I'm with Mr. Berry. We can't save the world until we save ourself, and we save ourselves by thinking and acting locally, within the context of our own communities, our own watersheds, even our own bodies. If you are not already familiar with your watershed, Irecommend becoming acquainted. What is the topography of your local environment? Where are your bodies of water, your hills, your valleys and where do they drain? What plant community predominates where you live? What is the source of your drinking water? Where does it go when it goes down your drain? What is the average rainfall in your community? What does the falling rain do when it hits your property and where does it go? Does it run off quickly or slowly; does it collect, does it drain, which neighbor does it head toward? What is your property like­­where is it steep, flat, or contoured? Do your raindrops hit concrete or dirt, lawn or meadow, sand or soil? Does rainwater have a chance to collect and permeate, or does it rush off down sidewalks, driveways, and culverts? What is uphill from you, and who or what is downstream from you? The ocean is downstream of everything. That is why it's so threatened. What other flows are there in your community? Which way does the money flow, the people, the traffic, the development, the trouble and the fun? Is your community getting older or younger, more homogenous or less? An old saying in the West goes, "money flows uphill toward money." But which way do people flow? Sometimes they seem to just spread out in all directions, but we know that they tend to spread toward the coasts. You can start learning more about your watershed by visiting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "Surf Your Watershed" website at http://www.epa.gov/surf. There you can learn more about watersheds, locate your watershed, and even adopt a watershed. Or purchase Surfrider Foundation's own Sea to Summit video (see page 13). You can also learn more about protecting and strengthening your watershed (and your community) by joining your local Surfrider Foundation chapter. Personally, I also recommend just standing out in the rain and watching what happens. -Joe Mozdzen Cover: The cover image of Lundy Canyon in the Eastern Sierra of California is from Surfrider Foundation's Respect The Beach (RTB) publications. Read more about our RTB programs and watershed education on pages 3, 4, and 5.

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: info@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 Marketing & Communications Director Matt McClain Coastal Science Manager Mark Rauscher National Grants Manager Lori A. Booth Membership Coordinator Jenna Oldfield Membership Database Administrator Olaf Lohr Office Services Coordinator Chandra Boughton Coastal Management Coordinator Rick Wilson Pacific Northwest Regional Manager Kevin Ranker Southern California Regional Manager Joe Geever Oregon Outreach Coordinator Markus Mead 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: Chris Evans, Ed Mazzarella, Daniel Milnor, David Pu'u, Chad Nelsen, Jenna Oldfield 2004 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 2004 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