Tidepool Protection Program
In acknowledgement of the important role that beaches play as ecosystems, the Surfrider Foundation initiated the Beach is Alive campaign in 2002. As the U.S. embraces the new paradigm of 'ecosystem-based' management, the Surfrider Foundation believes that beaches (including Tidpools) must be treated as an integral link to marine and terrestrial systems. One of the main goals of the Beach is Alive project includes educating the public on the important ecological functions that beaches (and tidepools) provide.
Using the principles and goals of the Beach Is Alive campaign, the Malibu Chapter started a new Tidepool Protection Program in early 2005.

On April 2nd, 2005, the Malibu Chapter officially launched their Tidepool Protection Program at Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Volunteers from the Malibu Chapter met with local Girl Scouts (one troop came from Whittier!) to teach the girls about responsible actions while visiting Malibu's fragile tidepools.

Tidepool Protection Program webpage>>>
Malibu Times Magazine - full article on Tidepool Program>>>

Surf Schools and Surf Camps
Volunteers from the Malibu Chapter often attend summer surf schools and surf camps to educate kids about Surfrider Foundation, and teach them how they can do their part to help eliminate urban runoff and beach trash through reusing, reducing, and recycling.

Flipside Of Malibu
The Malibu Chapter is very proud of our educational video – “The Flipside of Malibu.” This production is the outcome of the tireless effort of our volunteers writing and re-writing the script, filming the footage, and numerous edits. The success of this project has already been noted in several local papers. Most importantly, the film is already being included in the curriculum of the Malibu High School and we are working with several other schools to utilize this creative and fun educational tool.

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Broad Beach
Success! On August 12th, 2005, the California Coastal Commission issued a cease and desist against the Trancas Property Owner's Association, ordering an end to the posting of no tresspassing or private property signs and the use of security guards on ATVs who often intimidated visitors. An attorney representing the homeowners claimed that signs had not been posted on the beach in over 8 months, which is untrue (see photo above of signs posted during our protest on June 28th). This success follows a dark history at Broad Beach of visitors being turned away or harrassed by security guards, and a more recent incident in July of 2005 where homeowners illegally bulldozed sand from the public portion of the beach onto their private property with a permit from the Coastal Commission.

Latigo Beach
For over 10 years, the Malibu Chapter has been working to stop the homeowners at Latigo Beach from systematically and creatively eliminating parking spaces - thereby reducing public access. The situation at Latigo became even more serious in the summer of 2004, when Cal Trans abandoned ownership of the road. At present, the road is now private, and parking has been eliminated on the road altogether. A history of Latigo Beach will be posted here soon - please check back.

David Geffen - Public Access
April 2005 - The pathway next to Geffen's villa was opened after he turned over the gate keys to a nonprofit organization - Access For All - assigned to manage the property. The Malibu Chapter signed on in support of Access For All an applauds their tireless effort to open access to this beautiful beach. The topic of Geffen's resistence to open his gates reached national news... even being featured in a handful of Doonsebury cartoon strips.

Read the Malibu Chapter Policy on Beach Access

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This section is presently being updated - please check back:

Teach & Test
The Malibu Chapter is presently working to launch the "Teach & Test" program in their region in 2006. Successfully launched by the South Bay Chapter, Teach and Test is an exciting new initiative to coordinate with local high schools and improve water quality monitoring in the Santa Monica Bay area. Local high schools sample ocean water at local beaches for their science courses. The Chapter then has the water samples analyzed and publishes the results in an on-going database. A study of plastics accumulation in the beach sand is also being done.

The students gain "real world" science experience and make a hands-on contribution to their community - the hallmarks of a grassroots Surfrider Foundation effort.

NPDES Permits - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) NPDES is the primary permitting program under the Clean Water Act, which regulates all discharges to surface water. It prohibits discharge of pollutants into waters of the United States unless EPA, a state, or a tribal government issues a special permit to do so.

TMDLs - A Total Maximum Daily Load is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards, and an allocation of that amount to the pollutant's sources. Read the US EPA's Introduction to TMDLs.

AB885 / Septics - Assembly Bill 885 - setting statewide standards
for Onsite Wastewater Systems. Learn more at the SWRCB website:
http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/ab885/index.html

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Perenchio Golf Course
The controversy with the Perenchio private golf park near Malibu’s famed Surfrider Beach came to a resolution on July 14, 2004 when the California Coastal Commission (CCC) approved an “after-the-fact” permit allowing continued operation of the golf park, but only after also approving a state-of-the-art water quality plan for the park, including several final environmental safeguards put forward by the Surfrider Foundation, and an agreement to donate the 10 acre park to the Malibu Lagoon State Park upon the death of the landowners. Go to the Perenchio Golf Course page for more details>>>

Smoke-Free Beaches

The Malibu Chapter serves as lead environmental group in the effort to create 34 miles of continuous smoke free beaches, the largest in the world! (Summer 2004). View the Southern CA Smoke-Free Beaches Map>>>

Download News Release (MS Word)

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