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SURFRIDER TURNS FIFTEEN! Goodbye Adolescence, Hello Adulthood MAKING WAVES, Feb.-March 1999 |
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For The Surfrider Foundation and its membership, 1999 ushers in a new and exciting era. Surfrider is no longer a fledgling activist group. We are an effective, surfing-based grassroots coastal environmental group with national and international recognition. Over the past fifteen years Surfrider has developed the ring savvy to face the heavy hitters and last a full twelve rounds, or to throw a surprise knock-out punch when our opponents least expect it. Today, when the government, industry, businesses, and/or individuals threaten our coastal environment, they know they will ultimately do battle with Surfrider. As testament to Surfrider's success, the possibility of confrontation alone is often deterrent enough to make opponents think twice before moving forward with controversial plans. After fifteen years of little victories mixed with monumental and precedent setting success stories, Surfrider has proven itself to be a lasting player in coastal environmental issues. We have the ability to influence the public, the media, industry, the courts, and elected officials of the political machine. Sure, Surfrider has sustained its share of bumps, bruises, and growing pains, but we are stronger and more seasoned keepers of the coast as a result. As members of Surfrider, we are often content to pay our dues, wear a T-shirt, and proudly display our sticker on the rear window. Maybe we'll attend an annual beach clean up. If you are like me, you probably have too many things competing for your time to follow every Surfrider event closely. So it is not surprising that our membership often becomes disaffected and strays now and then. I have no doubt that sometime since my initial year I let my membership dues slide-the renewal unnoticed. Yet, whenever an issue sprung up and threatened a local beach, I resurfaced and connected with other Surfrider members. Such is the nature of Surfrider. For true waterpeople, membership is instinctual. It matters. With so many issues facing Surfrider in 1999 and beyond, it is important to understand where we came from, so that we can continue to confront coastal threats with the vigor they deserve and require. In its first fifteen years, Surfrider has had its share of ice cream headaches, hellish paddle outs, broken boards, spin cycles, and fin cuts. But it has also won its lot of dawn patrols, successful late drops, evening glass-offs, and enjoyed the ecstasy of a spitting barrel. We have paid our dues and scored; we mirror the life of any committed surfer. Where it all began Founder Glenn Henning sat atop the Los Angeles Coliseum during the track and field events of the 1984 Summer Olympics. From his perch he soaked in the aura of brotherhood which pervaded the games. He recognized the idealistic nature of the Olympics: countries and people setting aside their differences for several weeks to honor the spirit of competition and human endeavor. According to Henning, this was the "seminal moment" for Surfrider. He wanted to give back to the sport of surfing in a way that would reverse the negative stereotype so readily accepted by the media and public. He was literally embarrassed to be a surfer. Henning thought of creating a "Cousteau Society for Surfers." With the birth of his daughter that year providing added impetus to leave his legacy, Henning joined forces with Lance Carson and Tom Pratte to form Surfrider. If they only knew what a huge wave they had started! From the get-go Surfrider recorded a victory on the local level by redirecting an outfall at the Malibu lagoon which would discharge into the surf zone. Henning recalled that possessing the local knowledge that only a daily surfer could have was what made their efforts so successful. Says Henning, "We were the Brotherhood of the Barrel." When he says this, he means it. In fact, Henning didn't want to open up to me until he knew that I understood what it felt like to be, as he calls it, "inside the Surfrider logo." After fielding questions about my last surf trip, the make up of my quiver, and how often I get in the water, his tide of apprehension waned. I was like a local. Henning believes Surfrider will ultimately go down in history as a successful organization as long as it stays true to its surfing roots. "There are not a lot of Sierra Club members actually climbing rocks in Yosemite," he says. According to him, it is the thrill of riding waves that will keep members passionate and inspire growth in Surfrider. The Toddler Years In the mid-1980's Surfrider enjoyed increasing membership and public attention, but it continued to wrestle with securing funding and high turnover in staff members. Even with initial growing pains, Surfrider managed to launch the Baja Assistance Program, MAKING WAVES, surf research funded by a $10,000.00 donation from Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia, and numerous other successful campaigns to defend our coastline. In 1990, under the direction of Dr. Scott Jenkins and David Skelly, the Blue Water Task Force began its water quality testing. With the Huntington Beach oil spill and constant polluted runoff from the Santa Ana and San Gabriel River Channels, Surfrider needed a method to monitor water quality more than ever. Although former chapter coordinator Dr. Gordon Labedz's test, "would I, or wouldn't I duck dive there?" was functional, it was hardly scientific. Hence, the BWTF was a welcome addition. During this early time period Surfrider grew to seventeen chapters around the country, and Surfrider France got off the ground thanks to Tom Curren, and Surfrider Australia with the help of Brad Farmer. But Surfrider needed a major break. Like a kid needing a push into his first wave, Surfrider craved a win so it could stand up and ride on its own. Such a win came in 1991. After two years of legal posturing and litigation efforts on the part of then Legal Counsel Mark Massara, Surfrider won the second largest Clean Water Act suit in American History. Two pulp mills in Humboldt County were polluting the surf zone with untreated effluent and were found guilty of over 10,000 violations. Suddenly the little known group of "surf rebels" had national exposure. Surfrider was growing up. Adolescence Too often people equate adolescence with mischief. For Surfrider, the 1990's were years of growth, challenge, experience, and maturation. Surfrider was coming into its own. Issues that earlier on might have stumped Surfrider were handled with aplomb. Revenues from membership, mail order sales, special promotions, and corporate sponsorships were all up. An environmental and legal team, along with a supportive board, and confident and able chapter volunteers ensured that Surfrider would continue the fight for our coast. Frequent access and water quality victories kept the joy of surfing alive. Thanks to you, our membership, we have made much progress at a young age. Here are just a few of Surfrider's accomplishments over this past decade:
Throughout these growing years we have been fortunate to receive support from members and our corporate sponsors. Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder donated $50,000.00 to Surfrider. Patagonia has been a long time supporter of surf enhancement research. Clark Foam donated desks, chairs, and filing cabinets in the early days of office set-up. Body Glove was instrumental in funding the Blue Water Task Force and the Respect the Beach programs. OP and Rusty were consistent donors. And Quiksilver worked with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District to start the Teach and Test program. Each member or sponsor found a way to contribute that made sense to them. "We chose to sponsor the Teach and Test program," says Danny Kwock, Executive VP of Quiksilver, "because it was a way to make a local impact on the community in which we do business." Kwock, a former professional surfer and twenty-year Quiksilver employee, has four sons of his own. "If Quiksilver and Surfrider can teach kids to respect their local environment, then perhaps they will pass on what they learn to their parents, and ultimately their own children." While surfing and respect for the coastal environment comes naturally to Kwock and his family, he recognizes that others sometimes need to be shown how they can help. Today's Surfrider is more focused than ever. With a steady membership, forty-two chapters, and five international affiliates, we are strong and growing. Over the past year Surfrider has undertaken a comprehensive self-study of the organization: its roots, its strengths, its weaknesses, and its future direction. Surfrider now has a Strategic Plan to carry it into the new millennium with added determination and paddling power. With an augmented national staff and solidified goals and objectives, Surfrider's Mission Statement is clearer than the water at Tavarua: "We are a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world's oceans, waves, and beaches through conservation, activism, research, and education."Current Surfrider Advisory Board Chairman, Dr. Pierce Flynn, with the help of his capable staff, board, and membership, has rediscovered Surfrider's niche. According to Flynn, "Surfrider's core competency lies in its local, community-based grass roots activism, with surfing and conservation at the epicenter." Remarkably, this view sounds like Glenn Henning's "Brotherhood of the Barrel." Surfrider headquarters wants to put the waves back in your hands. Only a true local knows when his wave or beach is threatened. If you're a drifting member, reactivate. If you've lost touch, call us for your Chapter contact. Get off the couch. Get inside the Surfrider logo. -Grant Bixby is a surf-lance writer and Surfrider member living and surfing in Newport Beach. |
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