Surfrider Foundation, MAKING WAVES, August 2004

MAKING WAVES, August 2004 issue: Table of Contents

Take a Swipe Kid...

In college, during the summer months, I was employed as a forestry firefighter. On wildland fires, working with hand tools like shovels, heavy rakes and axe-like hoes, we formed up in lines to cut firebreaks before the advancing fires. We were always told by our growling boss to, "take a swipe kid," at the vegetation with your tool and leave the rest for the person behind you. When you looked back down the mountain at the end of our line of workers, you'd see a clear, clean line of firebreak. We learned that everyone doing a harmonious small act creates big effect. Many of us never lost the feeling that came with that understanding.

Surfrider matinee sign at Sony Studios

Robert F. Kennedy once said, "each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, she sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest of walls of resistance..." This is clearly the basis of grassroots efficacy.

We are effective too. One seemingly small act is demonstrably added to a much larger effect for progress in our mutual goals of coastal protection. There is just no doubt about it. In this issue of Making Waves you will see a number of small acts that are clearly building current. The creation of new Chapters in Texas and New York; the San Luis Bay, California Chapter's win on starting a sewage upgrade study; California's South Bay Chapter's watershed model, educating thousands of young people are examples of such acts. The Northern New England Chapter's work with state water testing labs in Maine and the Newport Beach California Chapter's 20-foot billboard that raises public awareness for clean ocean water are part of the stream of activity that is growing. In this issue you'll read about a surf magazine, Surfer's Path, "going green" in its production methodology. At the Save Strands Beach Concert in California, surf clothing company Ocean Pacific raised funds and awareness for protection of a local surf gem and on Earth Day the Buffalo Exchange reached out all across America to raise funds and awareness of Surfrider Foundation's mission. Companies like Billabong, one hang tag at a time, are promoting Surfrider Foundation activism every single day.

Day in and day out, our work is strengthened by many single acts merging to produce larger results. While there are many opportunities to get involved that one could choose from, let me highlight just one. On October 15, 16 and 17, at the Costa Mesa, California Hilton, Surfrider is hosting our 20th Anniversary Surfrider Foundation Coastal Summit. (See story on page 7 for details.) This occasion is unique in national coastal grassroots work. America's top coastal activists will all join and be trained by the best and brightest the U.S. has to offer. Internationally renowned oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and others will offer their perspectives on this work and its future. Perhaps a small but potent contribution could be to merely attend and to learn.

Twenty years of Surfrider Foundation activism has paralleled the advice of my old forestry boss, and created a powerful movement where there was once only a few seemingly unrelated single, small acts. The Surfrider Foundation's national staff, board and chapters thank you for your constant support.

Sincerely,

Christopher J. Evans, Esq.,
Executive Director

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