Surfrider Tribe Gathers in Ventura

There was a tribal gathering of surfers just off the shores of Surfer’s Point in Ventura this weekend when over 100 California Surfrider Foundation Chapter members met at the Crowne Plaza Beach Resort Hotel for their annual conference. Surfers from San Diego to Crescent City came together to learn and share ideas about protecting, and preserving the oceans and beaches.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny and Patti were ready to cover the conference... Huntington/Seal Beach Chapter members Gene Rascon, Seth Matson and Tony Soriano were there, too,

along with Jeff Coffman and his family and Gilbert Castillon. So were Darrel and Deborah Ferguson from the Newport Beach Chapter.

The Ventura Chapter, which was celebrating its 20th Anniversary, was proud to host everyone. Conference Coordinators Sarah Damron and Nancy Hastings wasted no time in starting off the proceedings.

Media guru Seth Godin (via video) talked about “the stories we tell.” He advised everyone to find ways to tell stories that make the group’s conservation message come alive for people. “To make change happen, you have to connect,” he said. “Find people and lead them. Make them part of your tribe.”

Tribes are groups that feel passionate about something. Each of us is in a tribe – sometimes multiple tribes - or longs to be. For those of us who are passionate about preserving and enjoying the beach, we need to find others who feel this passion, too.

Jim Moriarty, Surfrider CEO, welcomed everyone by saying, “Our job is to make things happen.”

Moriarty emphasized the importance of Surfrider’s conservation message and added that members around the world are helping to spread it.

“In Rio samba bands play drums and people dance along behind them and clean up the beach. In Jamaica people are selling high-end bags to tourists and then using the money to buy cheap recyclable bags to give out.”

In the workshops that followed speakers shared their strategies on Core Advocacy Issues: Rise Above Plastics, Coastal Preservation, and Know Your H20.

Rise Above Plastics (RAP):

Bill Hickman’s focus is on education and research. “We need to get more cities on board with bag bans,” he said. One way to reach people is with the RAP Activist ToolKit, which is linked to the Surfrider site.

Amy Bloom gets the word out with monsters and puppets. Children make them out of trash. She pointed out that “Three year-olds can be pretty bossy with their parents about not using plastic.”

Ximena, from Monterey, got a $54,000 NOAA grant to hire 50 “Marine Debris Technicians” to speak at community meetings about ways people could reduce their plastics footprints. The technicians spoke to close to 3000 people.

Michael Stewart shared a novel idea – turning “Waste into Waves.” He’s working with Marko Foam to convert discarded Styrofoam into recycled “Eco-Surfboards.” The boards are light weight and have a 50 – 70% reduced bio-footprint.

Coastal Preservation:

Mark Rauscher said “Seawalls kill beaches.”  He explained that buildings and structures need to be placed in a way that results in “beach nourishment.” Some may need to be moved, he added. For more on this go to beachapedia.org

Nancy Hastings talked about the restoration of the Malibu Lagoon. People’s intentions were good, she said, but it ended up damaging the wave break. When a project like this is underway it’s important to make sure that all the issues are considered.

The San Francisco chapter has been trying to save Sloat Beach. After the highway collapsed a 600-foot-long rock revetment was installed and the beach became a dumping ground.

Know Your H20:

Joe Geever summed up our water goal: “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” He showed a 3-minute clip of the animated film “Cycle of Insanity” to dramatize how waste permeates our water system.

Brad Snook (SLO) and Paul Jenkin (Ventura) told about projects in their areas – the Morro Bay region treatment facility and Green Streets Project. Jenkin and Cynthia Hartley developed a computer map to show low-impact ways to reduce water run-off.

Paul Herzog focused on Ocean Friendly Gardens – using plants, hardscape, drainage and fertilizers in ways that don’t impact water runoff and pollute the beaches. Anyone can do an OFG. It’s not just surfers or people who live near the beach. An OFG manual is on beachapedia.org

Luncheon speaker Brian Brennan, a California Coastal Commissioner and former Ventura Chapter Chair, said we need to “build coalitions of ‘stakeholders’ in the environment…not just surfers.” His advice to the group was: “Look at it, get on it:...and get it done.”

The afternoon workshops resulted in spirited discussions on: Media, Policy and Legislation, and Youth Outreach.

Scientist and filmmaker Randy Olson focused on ways to improve public service announcements (PSAs). His advice: Don’t get bogged down in the details – tell individual stories. Provide: “Facts wrapped in an emotion.” We need to make people feel and care.

For example, the Center for Disease Control couldn’t get people interested in a “dull” topic like Disaster Preparedness. So, it created a Disaster Preparedness Guide for a Zombie Invasion. That did the trick. The next day it got 30,000 online views…and crashed the Fox News server.

Ericka Canales explained the ins and outs of the regulatory world. Knowing who makes the decisions and how it happens is critical.

Denise Erkeneff explained how to connect with students and get the next generation involved. Talking their language is the key and building relationships.

…After spending the whole day inside just steps from the ocean, Surfer’s Point beckoned. And the Surfrider tribe headed out to catch the last waves of the day.

To be continued…