| MAKING WAVES, August 2004 issue: Table of Contents |   |
| Under the Wheel "Nature cares nothing for logic, our human logic: she has her own, which we do not recognize and do not acknowledge until we are crushed under its wheel." - Ivan Turgenev (1818- 1883) Anyone who has ever surfed, or tried to swim in the surf, has learned firsthand what it feels like to have mistakenly applied one's own logic to that of nature. For us, being "crushed under its wheel" is something all too familiar. Learning to work with nature, rather than against her, is a lesson that is basic to many of us, but foreign to others. And these two very different viewpoints often find themselves on opposite sides of the table, the seawall, or the courtroom.  There's an old adage that it is clearly worthwhile to go into partnership with nature; she does more than half the work and asks none of the fee. Go against her, though, and the fee that comes due is often tragic. Whether you're a solitary surfer getting worked by a wave, or the Titanic getting ripped apart by an iceberg, the wrong side of mother nature is a most unpleasant place to be. But it's part of life to weigh ourselves against those tried and true rhythms which nature offers as her daily lessons in humility. We are nature too, of course, and it seems an ironic part of our human nature to often forget that.
The water is not really our home and we are foreigners there (though watching the Olympics, and seeing Riding Giants this week reminds me there may be some exceptions). Some of us, understanding this, tread lightly. Others, afraid of what is not familiar, or considering it a foe to be conquered, go stomping forth with muddy boots, raiding the fridge with impunity and rearranging all the furniture. Your Surfrider Foundation membership puts you on the side of the light-treaders. We know that there is never such a thing as mastery of nature. "Mastering nature" is believed by the vain and foolish to be a valid substitute for self-mastery. Nothing could be further from the truth. Learning how to live in harmony with the natural world we call home, and sometimes, playground, is a wonderful step toward mastering our own nature. Seawalls, jetties, dredgings and countless forms of pollution show neither mastery of nature nor of our own weaknesses. What do huge ocean-front resorts, polluting cruise ships, and over-watered, over-fertilized lawns have in common? They all diminish the nature they purportedly seek to experience. Groomed beaches look more like the picture-postcard idea most people have of the beach, but they are sterile wildlife habitat. An ungroomed beach is teaming with life and diversity, if a little messy and squishy. The waves are pretty much the same. Which is more beautiful to you? Cover: Surfrider Foundation's Santa Cruz Chapter just established a new water quality testing lab. Local pro Ken "Skindog" Collins product tests another barrel. Correction: The byline for the Beaches Alive article in the June, 2004 issue of Making Waves was incomplete. It should have read: First published in the Winter 2003-2004 issue of California Coast & Ocean -Ed |
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 (800) 743-surf fax (949) 492-8142 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 Director of Development Steve Blank Marketing & Communications Director Matt McClain Coastal Science Manager Mark Rauscher National Grants Manager Lori A. Booth Membership Manager 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 Southern California Field Coordinator Nancy Hastings Central California Field Coordinator Kaya Pederson 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, Drew Kampion, Kevin Ranker, Pete Stauffer, Chelsea Murphy 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 Interns Yuri Horowitz Jeff Petersen |