| MAKING WAVES, April 2004 issue: Table of Contents | |
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East Coast Jersey Shore Chapter activists are working on a beach "replenishment" campaign on Long Beach Island. The project is the culmination of almost ten years of study and design that would qualify Long Beach Island for fifty years of periodic beach fill. The chapter isn't against the project as a whole, but is concerned about the impact on the surfing beach. The mission is to modify the beach fill design so it does not negatively impact area beaches. This involves important concerns on the economic cost and safety issues when a standard engineered beach does not work for a community. These economic factors extend to beach badges, retail shops, goods and services, accommodations, food and other purchases needed by surfers, fishermen and those with other recreational and environmental interests. Jersey Shore Chapter Chair John Weber explained that the chapter hoped to "establish a dialogue with elected officials and see what's possible in terms of modifying the project so it doesn't impact recreation." The chapter has been successful with similar campaigns in Big Cove and Sandy Hook, and is currently involved in another campaign in Long Branch. The Long Branch beach fill project is on hold due to the chapter's efforts while government officials discuss modification for surfing, fishing, diving, economic and safety reasons. Several Northeast Chapters of Surfrider Foundation recently took to the slopes of Stowe, Vermont to promote the Surfrider Foundation's Snowrider Project. Leading the effort was the Massachusetts Chapter, which in conjunction with the Rhode Island and New York City Chapters, worked to promote a greater understanding of the hydrologic cycle and the connection between snow, land and surf to recreational mountain users. The event was extremely successful in helping to raise the awareness about how the snow in the mountains affects water quality and overall health far downstream. The event culminated in a Sea-to-Summit Party, and the American Snowboarding Association sponsored snowboarding half-pipe and slope-slide freestyle contests. The Massachusetts Chapter is going big in 2004 with some tremendous outreach efforts that include beach access, educational outreach to youth, organizing new chapters in the state and implementing the Blue Water Task Force water-quality monitoring program. Part of the educational outreach includes partnering with S.T.O.K.E. (Surf To Offer Kids Environmen-tal Education) through Fletch Maynard Academy School, in conjunction with the Respect the Beach Program. The event will provide kids with the opportunity to learn how to surf and teach them the importance of ocean conservation.  Activists from the Sebastian Inlet Chapter recently gathered in Cocoa Beach for their monthly beach clean-up. Volunteers picked up at least 5,000 cigarette butts in a four-block stretch of sand near the Cocoa Beach Pier, in addition to filling twenty bags with trash. Chapter Chair Greg Gordon called the pier area the worst littered stretch of beach in Brevard County. |
"I think what the Surfrider Foundation's doing to help keep our beaches clean is great, and I recommend that Cocoa Beachers come out and help volunteer when they can," said Cocoa Beach City Commissioner Tony Sasso, who was one of thirty people who attended the clean-up event. The City plans to put ten outdoor ashtrays at specific spots at the most popular beach areas to help reduce the amount of litter. West Coast The Santa Cruz Harbor is about to discharge dredge sediments into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and our Santa Cruz Chapter is very concerned. For years, citizens complained about the noxious smell of hydrogen sulfide gas created when dredged materials were dumped on the beach. Chapter activists are concerned that the dredged materials may contain as much as twenty percent non-sand contaminants that will bio-accumulate when dispersed into the near-shore environment. The harbor has already been issued a permit to dredge, but must prove that the sediments do not contain any toxins or contaminants above trace levels. Local resident Paul Gogswell, who is working with the chapter, presented evidence from the State Mussel Watch Program that listed the Santa Cruz Harbor as a "toxic hot spot" for contaminants such as tributyltin, among others. Information from the Santa Cruz Harbor website assures the public that the dredged materials are "a harmless and totally non-toxic mixture of sand, natural organic plant life and seawater." The chapter has obtained the results of the harbor's own sediment testing and is in the process of analyzing the data to determine if the proper tests were performed, and if they were, if the results of those tests are in compliance with the Clean Water Act and Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act MPRSA). The chapter, working in conjunction with Surfrider Foundation National Headquarters, will seek legal assistance to prevent the further dumping of the sediments if the harbor is found to be in violation of the MPRSA. Mark Cousineau, from Surfrider Foundation's San Clemente Chapter, sent over some pictures from a recent beach clean-up event.  |
Pacific Northwest The Seattle Chapter's Snowrider Project efforts have catapulted into a new realm this winter, with a strong partnership developing with the Summit at Snoqualmie. On February 14, the Summit hosted the Snowrider Superpipe ClassicÐÐan event meant to promote and highlight the Snowrider Project's message. Seattle Snowrider Coordinator Mike McCann accepted a check from Booth Creek Resorts for over $600, money that was raised at the event for the Seattle Chapter's Snowrider Project.  Jodi Mau, Secretary for the Northwest Straits Chapter, again took on the coordination for this year's 3rd Annual Op Surfrider Foundation Clean Water Classic in Westport, Washington. With significant coordination help from Kerry Carnahan, Secretary for the Seattle Chapter, Jodi put together an amazing event. The Clean Water Classic is Washington's only professional surf contest. "More importantly," says Ian Miller, Washington Field Coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation, "this event is the year's biggest fundraiser for Washington's chapters. It is critical to our success in this state. Jodi and Kerry, along with the sponsors and everyone that helped with the event, did an amazing job." The Olympic Peninsula Organizing Committee is nearing the one-year anniversary of an effort to monitor fecal coliform and enterococcus levels on the outer coast of Washington State. This effort, done in partnership with Olympic National Park, continues to yield data that will be useful to recreational beach users and natural resource managers.
In Memory On Friday, January 30th, El Salvador lost one of its oldest surfers and ocean activists in a tragic car accident. Ricardo Suarez was a Sunzal legend and a dedicated Surfrider Foundation member who had the dream of cleaning up El Salvador's impressive beaches and preserving them for the next generation. One core component of his dream was the creation of a Central American Surfrider Foundation International Affiliate in the country of El Salvador. He spearheaded the initiative to motivate Salvadorian youth, hotel owners, and government officials to focus on the beautiful beach resources of El Salvador. As an active participant of the Salvadorian Surfing Association, Ricardo worked to incorporate beach cleanliness as a normative issue within the surfing world in El Salvador. With other local Salvadorians, Ricardo initiated projects in La Libertad and the surrounding beach areas. Whether it was organizing the reactivation of the La Libertad waste sewage treatment plant or preventing rock extraction from the Mizata river mouth, Ricardo actively pursued projects with infectious passion that only a true activist could have. Ricardo's life defined activism in a region that is just beginning to understand the definition. - Scott Gallic, International Affiliate Program Intern |
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