Support Your Local Surfrider Foundation

This bill was actively supported by the Siuslaw, Newport, and Portland Chapters with many letters of support, an op-ed piece in a local coastal newspaper, and assistance in getting businesses and organizations to sign on to the support letter. Although there are scarce known quantities of oil and gas in Oregon’s waters, the passage of this bill makes it crystal clear that offshore drilling off Oregon is not the answer. In a time when many other states are looking at opening up their coastal waters, Oregon is sending a strong message to its Federal delegation that the health of our coastline and environmental legacy is more important than short term economic benefits.
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This constitutional amendment will help to support the Texas Open Beaches Act, which passed in 1959 to guarantee public beach access all of Texas’ 367 miles of coast. It will also help to defend the TXOBA in any litigation cases that challenge the law.
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For over two years, project participants collaborated on research, public education, community outreach, and development of draft ordinance language. The shared goal, established through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the city, was to address the Stewardship Area’s management objective to “protect water quality”.
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The petitioners proved the dredge-and-fill project would destroy the beach and coastal environment by directly burying seven acres of reefs. The silty material would have also killed marine life, including endangered sea turtles, and seriously harmed the surfing, fishing and diving.

This decision was upheld in August by the FL Dep’t of Environmental Protection when they threw out the project’s application.
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The chapter worked closely with the Environmental Defense Center and several members of Surfrider’s Environmental Issues Team to provide technical reports and comments at and leading up to the Coastal Commission hearing.
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* Memorial Day – Labor Day – Montrose Beach and 57th St. Beach
* Labor Day – Memorial Day (off season) – Montrose, 57th, Osterman & Rainbow Beaches are open to surfing at your own risk.
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“This is a second significant ruling in two weeks for the Gaviota Coast” explained Gaviota Coast Conservancy President Mike Lunsford. “The laws and policies protecting the Gaviota Coast, mean very little if they are not followed by local decision makers. This decision restores reason and fair play in the permitting process, and puts Orange County developers on notice that this community will not stand by and allow them to play fast and loose with the Gaviota Coast.”
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“The Surfrider Foundation looks forward to cleaner beaches as a result of the improved bottle bill in NY. Thank you to the legislators who championed this cause and the ones who compromised to allow this,” said Steff Zellinger, volunteer with the New York City Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
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Throughout the process the Monterey Chapter was instrumental in garnering community and business support, addressing the myriad issues which City Staff had questions about, and amassing a strong coalition of 18 community and environmental organizations to support the ordinance. City residents were resoundingly in favor of the switch to recyclable and compostable alternatives, and the city council’s vote was unanimous.

This decision opens an opportunity for public acquisition of the property to fulfill the long held dream of restoring this relatively small, but critically important part of Southern California’s network of coastal wetlands. The Chapter has advocated using the space for “treatment wetlands” since the project’s inception.

The Santa Cruz Chapter was very active in encouraging Scotts Valley City Council to take this action, and we are pleased to see more and more local businesses eliminating polystyrene food containers from their stock. We believe this ordinance will not only help protect our many sea creatures which mistake small pieces of polystyrene for their natural food, but will also help convince other nearby jurisdictions to enact and enforce similar ordinances.

The Chapter worked with twelve partner organizations in the “Wipe Out Plastic Takeout!” Coalition. Their long-range goal is a polystyrene-take-out-container-free county!

Through the Joint Management Plan Review process, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary considered revisions and additions to its management plans, which created an opportunity to revisit the management of MPWC in the Sanctuary. The chapters along the Central California Coast participated in this process in hopes of affecting change to MPWC regulations.
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On November 4, 2008 the State Water Resources Control Board approved using Beach Grant funds from Prop 13 to backfill the beach funding for the fiscal year July 2008 through June 2009. There is also an option to extend this funding source for the 2009-2010 Fiscal Year. Surfrider will continue to work on this issue to identify a long term sustainable funding source to continue to fund this program for the future.
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This ban eliminates smoking on the beaches thus improving the health and recreational experience of all beachgoers, reduces cigarette butt litter, reduces potentially harmful effects of cigarette butts being mistaken as food by birds and marine life, reduces the risk of burn from unextinguished cigarette butts in the sand, reduces the choking hazard of butts by children playing on the beach, and improves local water quality from cigarette butts leaching toxins into the sand and water zone.

The South Bay Chapter is part of the South Bay Coalition for Smoke-Free Beaches which includes American Heart Association, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, Beach Cities Health District and Girls Club of LA.
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Kasey Jacobs, Vice-Chair of the Connecticut Surfrider Chapter stated at the public hearing, ““Since their introduction to U.S. supermarkets in the late 1970’s plastic bags have become a ubiquitous presence. Forty years is not a long enough time period to consider them irreplaceable though. No one is inferring that Westport can solve this global problem single-handedly, but this ban is about Westport doing its part and helping further spread this global movement. We can not ignore the fact that our oceans are connected. By voting yes tonight the RTM will forever put the Town of Westport on the map as being the first town on the East Coast to become plastic bag free.” The chapter partnered with Citizens Campaign for the Environment on the campaign.

This policy would effectively follow two of the recommendations made by the Surfrider Foundation in “Solving the Urban Runoff Problem, A Vision for the Urban Watershed, Ventura, California”

1. Develop a green streets program and implement pilot projects
2. Promote and develop incentives for community-based action (i.e. Ocean Friendly Gardens)

The Ventura Chapter feels that a ‘green streets’ strategy is the best way of dealing with the ‘concrete jungle’ that is impacting the health of our oceans. With this new policy, the city will earmark 20% of the street paving fund to begin incorporating ‘Green Street elements’ into repaving projects on a citywide basis. The city will also design and construct a pilot project to set the example for expanding throughout the city.
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The plan will be phased in over two time periods, with grocery stores, food vendors, restaurants, pharmacies, and City facilities being given a 6-month period from tonight, and one year for all other retail establishments and vendors.
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After the production of a comprehensive Water Reuse Study involving numerous meetings, dozens of community leaders, and a technical advisory committee, the City Council finally took action. On October 29, 2007 the San Diego City Council approved a resolution authorizing the beginning steps of an Indirect Potable Re-Use (IPR) project in San Diego. The City Water Department was directed by the Council to:

• Execute a one-year demonstration project of the Advanced Water Treatment (AWT) process to begin July 1, 2008;

• Conduct a current flow and detention study at the San Vicente Reservoir to ensure that any treated sewage added to the inflow would remain in the reservoir for at least one year before being processed for potable purposes.;

• Perform an independent energy and economic analysis for all water supply options in the Long-Range Water Resources Plan; and,

• Conduct community education and outreach.

The serious consideration and possible implementation of IPR would be an enormous victory for the environment. Not only would this new source of water be much more environmentally friendly than options such as desalination or imported water, it would also result in reduced flows of treated sewage into the Pacific Ocean via the Point Loma Ocean Outfall.

*This campaign was completed in October 2007, but was reported in May 2008.
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On January 22, 2008, at the request of the Surfrider Foundation and San Diego Coastkeeper, an ordinance limiting residential over-watering was added to San Diego’s Jurisdictional Urban Run-off Management Plan (JURMP). Each city has to establish a JURMP to comply with the regional Municipal Stormwater Permit and the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). Securing this addition prohibition was monumental in that it sends a message to the entire region that we can no longer allow wasteful and polluting practices, regardless of whether they arise from businesses or private homes.

*This campaign was completed in January 2008, but was reported in May 2008.
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Building on prior litigation victories defending earlier iterations of the stormwater permit, Surfrider and its partners were successful in strengthening various controls on construction, industrial, municipal, commercial, and residential urban runoff discharges. Of particular interest to Surfrider, the new permit contains a requirement that local jurisdictions develop comprehensive regulations for Low Impact Development (LID) and runoff-sensitive site design standards. Such provisions will ensure that the problems of increased impervious surface cover and unsustainable changes to watershed hydrology will not continue. With most new development now required to accommodate historic water infiltration and flow regimes, Surfrider can turn its attention to enforcement of runoff standards and mechanisms to require retrofitting of existing development.

*This campaign was completed in January 2008, but was reported in May 2008.

This is a huge victory for those trying to protect cypress forests because the decision shows that the Corps must support its decision-making with evidence in the record. It also sets the bar high for what the Corps has to do in order to grant a silviculture exemption.

This campaign was spearheaded by the Sebastian Inlet Chapter with major support from the entire Florida Chapter Network.
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This issue has exasperated the amount of large beach dredging projects instead of looking back at the inlets to solve the problem.

The state’s beach management efforts to finally address beach erosion caused by Florida’s inlets (80% of the problem) will include recommendations to mitigate the erosive impacts of the inlet and recommendations regarding cost sharing among the governments.

This campaign was championed by chapters throughout Florida.
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This piece of legislation will remove over 300 million gallons of wastewater from Florida waters a year and by 2025 will have created a reuse system for it.

Chapters throughout Florida partnered with Florida Ocean & Coastal Coalition and Palm Beach County Reef Rescue on this campaign.
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Thanks to the efforts of the Florida Chapters funding won’t be cut. The Florida portion of the federal Beach Act grant for next year is $526,320 and state funding will remain intact at $525,000.
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*This campaign was completed in December 2007, but was reported in April 2008.
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In late April, NY Governor Patterson announced at a press conference NY’s decision to effectively scuttle the project. Connecticut’s Governor Jody Rell and AG Richard Blumenthal also held a press conference on the shores of the Sound.

Mr. Blumenthal, who has been a consistent presence in the fight to stop this project, called this ” an excellent case study of citizens advocacy, when government and citizens groups work together” to accomplish a common goal. Dozens of environmental advocacy groups, including the Surfrider Foundation, applied constant pressure to stop Broadwater through a wide range of actions, and found a cooperative state government that listened and worked in concert with us. As Mr. Blumenthal said, “citizens and state governments have shown today that it is possible to fight the Federal Government and win.”
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The beachfront north of the Convention Center, which had been slated for commercial development, will ultimately become a public park with improved public access and beach parking, and an Environmental Conservation Center. This decision marks at least a partial victory for the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island (IPJI) and for other groups defending the general public’s right to direct access and an unobstructed view of Jekyll’s most popular beach.

Thanks to the input of Georgia citizens from around the state speaking through leading Jekyll advocates Senator Jeff Chapman, Representative Debbie Buckner, and Representative Dubose Porter, the voice of the people has emerged as the single most powerful entity in the ongoing discussion of the planned revitalization of Jekyll Island State Park.
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Since 1999, a part-time stationed tug at Neah Bay has assisted 40 vessels in distress, including a bulk carrier this February that had lost propulsion because of a fuel pump failure. Washington chapters and a regional network of conservation groups reached out to decision makers and raised awareness for this important issue and the State Legislature responded by funding the tug year-round. Until now, the tug has only been funded during the winter, but oil spills can happen any time of year. This new state funding is just for one year. Washington chapters are also working on behalf of important federal legislation that will require industry to pay for a year-round rescue tug permanently.

After years of slowly reducing the area reserved for fires, the NPS finally moved to ban fires outright last spring. Responding to the concerns of our membership, The San Francisco Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation agreed to organize the community to help the NPS maintain a series of new fire-pits, designed by local artists specifically for Ocean Beach, so that open fires would continue to be permitted.

*This campaign was completed in March 2007, but was reported in March 2008.
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On May 22, 2007, the San Diego City Council approved a final settlement with the Surfrider Foundation, San Diego Coastkeeper and the U.S. EPA that will force the City to invest almost $1 billion in its sewage infrastructure through 2013. The settlement will also ensure the continuation of the City’s successful Sewer Spill Reduction Program that has resulted in an 83% reduction in spills since 2000. Two partial consent decrees had been approved previously initiating these improvements, however due to the City’s financial situation a long term settlement was not yet possible. With the recent wastewater rate increases the City has now been able to enter into a long term agreement which will ensure continued investment in the City’s sewage infrastructure over the next six years. Surfrider is extremely pleased with the outcome of this lawsuit and the significant reduction in sewage spills we have witnessed to date.

*This campaign was completed in March 2007, but was reported in March 2008.

Following years of legal and administrative battles, the project permit was “paralyzed” indefinitely by ARPE (permitting agency) on February 22, 2008 because the project is located in a flood zone and the developers failed to disclose this detail or observe the required setback requirements.

The Appellate Court required a review of the location of the seaward line of the maritime zone – boundary of the public beach with the land. The Department of Natural Resources (DRNA) completed its survey of the maritime zone on March 11th. The impact of this new survey is that the fence surrounding the project site is illegal and must be removed reopening the traditional beach access that had been closed by the developers. The project must also be redesigned to be outside the maritime zone and must include a new environmental impact statement given the projects close proximity to Elkhorn coral reefs and the Reserva Marina Tres Palmas.
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The Surfrider Foundation supports finding new ways to harness renewable energy, as long as local needs and impacts are taken into proper consideration and steps are taken to avoid degradation of cultural rituals. After nearly 9 months had gone by since Oceanlinx had filed its preliminary permit application, and zero public outreach and stakeholder involvement had been initiated, the company decided to withdraw their permit from consideration by FERC. For those who love surfing the south jetty, fishing and crabbing in the nearshore waters, or a nice stroll along the beach to view a beautiful Pacific sunset, this news was a major victory!
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Through public pressure and petitioning, followed by negotiations with the Town and homeowner the Chapter was able to come to a compromise. With the Chapter’s assistance the town will purchase a permanent easement to keep Access 33 open. This agreement also avoids setting a dangerous precedence of closing a public beach access.
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These committees bring together diverse marine interests, including the scientific, economic, recreational and conservation communities and tribes to address some of the toughest environmental threats facing our coastal ecosystems, such as pollution, invasive species and loss of habitat. Surfrider activists in Grays Harbor County and the Olympic Peninsula Chapter helped generate support for this initiative from coastal legislators and county commissioners. This support convinced the legislature to pass this legislation and provide $250,000 to establish coastal Marine Resources Committees.

Through persistent work with the state’s Beach Monitoring Program, the chapter was able to add this beach site to the state’s monitoring program as well as add signage informing the public of the advisories when issued. Inspection of the upper watershed by the chapter led to the discovery of manholes located along Big Creek (which outfalls at Agate wayside) that were occassionally overflowing with raw sewage. In 2006 the chapter began lobbying the city for an investigation to the cause of the overflows and an effort to solve the problem.

VICTORY! In the fall of 2007 the city finally was able to hire a contractor for infiltration and visual inspections of the sewage lines along Big Creek. The inspections led to the discovery of two infiltration breaches, that were allowing significant amounts of stormwater to enter the sewer line; thus, causing overloading on the Big Creek pump station and spilling sewage out of the manholes and into Big Creek. The breaches were repaired through a “resin-cure” or “pipe patch” method without digging up any of the riparian area around the creek.

On September 12, 2007, Texas State District Judge Patrick Sebesta ruled that the Texas Open Beaches Act is constitutional and that 16 houses on the public beach in Surfside, Texas must be removed. Sebesta’s judgment is the second judicial ruling in recent months that the Texas Open Beaches Act is constitutional.

Under the Texas Open Beaches Act, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson can ask the courts to authorize the removal of structures on the public beach to ensure proper public access. In 2006, Commissioner Patterson notified a number of property owners that he might pursue the removal of any houses on the public beach and offered financial assistance to move the houses. Several of the property owners then sued Patterson to block the removal of their houses, resulting in Judge Sebesta’s ruling.

Most of the property owners have accepted the state’s offer for financial assistance to remove or demolish their houses. A very small handful of holdouts are likely to appeal the recent ruling, however.

The Texas Attorney General’s Office – which has represented the state and Commissioner Patterson during the legal proceedings — said that beach photos provided by the Texas Chapter during a legal deposition in Austin two years ago, along with the Chapter’s fortuitous “adoption” of the mile of beach in question in 1998, were key events in the judicial process.
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At this stage, on one of his visits to the North Shore, Surfrider Japan’s Masuo Ueda spoke with Blake McElheney a prominent leader in the fight to stop the project, about the idea of approaching Obayashi to purchase the property.  Jack Johnson made a personal appeal to Obayashi executives while on tour in Japan, and the preservationists were told that Obayashi would consider it.  Local fundraising initiatives began, and an all-volunteer coalition of citizens and business leaders was formed to find money to buy the property and to place it in reserved public lands. That group, the North Shore Community Land Trust, gained widespread community support. The coalition eventually included backing by the state, the city, the military and federal agencies, which contributed to the purchase price of approximately $8 million.

The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit group, helped to steer and complete the purchase of the land for transfer to the state and city.  Fundraising for Pupukea-Paumalu continues in an effort to support the coordination of community planning and stewardship activities so that residents, visitors and surfers from around the world will be able to enjoy the property in perpetuity.  The North Shore Community Land Trust has set up a special restricted savings account for the Pupukea Paumalu Stewardship Fund. All tax-deductible donations to this fund are designated specifically for the acquisition and protection costs for Pupukea Paumalu.

The Oahu chapter played an important role in keeping the fight alive for more than 10 years, by giving financial assistance for the lawsuits, by bringing key players together such as the Trust for Public Lands and the Japan Chapter, and by spreading the word around the world about what may happen to our treasured North Shore
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