If you are visited by members of your local Surfrider Foundation USA chapter, don't discount them as a bunch of surfer "dudes." What sounds like a surfer club is actually a powerful, international non-profit environmental organization with over 25,000 members.
Your local Surfrider chapter may be coming to you to report the results of the coastal water quality tests they have conducted, to protest a planned development, or to legally challenge a policy limiting access to a beach.
The organization did start off as a surfer club concerned with changes in the coast. In 1984, Glen Henning and Tom Pratte organized a group to fight for the environmental protection of surf breaks (the point at which the surf breaks in the water). They named themselves "Surfrider" after a Malibu beach.
"In the beginning they were very surf oriented," said Michelle Kremer, Surfrider Foundation's environmental and legal affairs director. "Today, Surfrider is not just a bunch of surfers. Our members include attorneys, teachers, professionals. For the most part, our chapter leaders are water users, not just surfers."
She said the organization's shift in focus was a progressive change over the years, but the pivotal event was a 1990 lawsuit they brought against two pulp mill companies in Humboldt County on the border of Oregon and California. The companies were discharging dioxin into the coastal waters, and were found to have 40,000 violations of the Clean Water Act.
While they were able to settle out of court, the case garnered a lot of publicity for Surfrider that resulted in a huge increase in membership and chapter organizations, Kremer said. Today, Surfrider has evolved into an international environmental organization with 38 local chapters in the U.S. and affiliations in Australia, Japan, France, and Brazil.
The primary focus of the organization is education and working with local chapters on issues facing their areas. Kremer said the national organization, located in San Clemente, California, does not mandate the issues local chapters investigate, but instead provides guidance, information, and expertise on the environmental problems the chapters see affecting their communities.
The Foundation provides policies and procedures for the chapters to follow and has a full-time staff member who communicates with the chapters, assesses their needs, and helps them solve issues. They also have volunteer panels of experts who provide free scientific, technical, and legal advice to the chapters.
The local organizations, which are volunteer-run, hold monthly meetings, set up their own committees, and implement projects and education programs. While the national organization's eight full-time staff members are the only paid workers, Kremer said their volunteers are dedicated. "We are very fortunate that our volunteers are very committed. They donate tons and tons of time."
Kremer added, "We are continuing to grow and get stronger. We have accomplished a lot, but there's a lot more that needs to be done."
For more information on Surfrider Foundation USA, contact Michelle Kremer at (949) 492-8170, or e-mail her at mksf@aol.com.
