Join us this weekend in Westport, WA (June 1-3) for 2007 Clean Water Classic! The Clean Water Classic is Surfrider’s annual surfing contest that raises crucial funds for our chapters in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Weekend will feature silent auction, raffle, surf movies, campaign info and collection of some of the coolest folks in PNW. Some openings remain in women’s and juniors divisions. Every surfer that enters receives free Surfrider membership! Register today before it fills up at http://www.cleanwaterclassic.com/. Also, volunteers still needed to help staff event. Volunteer meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Friday at Islander Hotel or just show up Saturday and we’ll put you to work:) Thanks to Global Surf Industries and the rest of our sponsors. See ya there! (photo: Pro-Am finalists from 2006: Peter Devries 1st (right), Noah Cohen 2nd (left)
The Port Orford Ocean Resource Team (POORT) with support from the Surfrider Foundation, Pacific Marine Conservation Council, and Ecotrust is leading an effort to establish a “Community Stewardship Area” on the south coast of Oregon. The goal of the Stewardship Area project is to protect the rich marine ecology of the region while also promoting sustainable fisheries for the local fleet. Development of the Stewardship Area is being facilitated through a local process that involves commercial fishermen and other stakeholders in planning efforts. Parallel to this process, POORT and project partners are working to identify policy space, assemble scientific expertise, and build the necessary support at the state level for such a designation. The Port Orford Ocean Resource Team is a local non-profit that involves commercial fishermen in the science, management, and marketing of its local fishery. Surfrider has been testing water in Port Orford since 2003, and maintains a water quality testing laboratory at Pacific High School in partnership with POORT.
This summer, Surfrider is partnering with Northwest Women’s Surfcamps to educate surfers about the ecology of Oregon’s sandy beaches. Oregon’s beaches provide a home for a variety of critters including worms, crabs, and clams, and serve as a foraging and reproductive grounds for fishes, land animals, and birds. Beach ecology presentations will be held in Seaside on Teen Girl Day Surf Camp on July 28th and Women’s Week Surf Retreat on Aug 21. For more information: http://www.nwwomenssurfcamps.com/
The Coastal Zone 07 conference will be held in Portland, Oregon, July 22 to 26, 2007. The conference is the largest gathering of ocean and coastal management professionals in the world, and will feature discussion on issues facing our worlds coasts and oceans. The conference theme, Brewing Local Solutions to Your Coastal Issues, will be highlighted in presentations and forums that use case studies, lessons learned, and success stories. Oregon Surfrider is involved in two presentations at the conference, including: Smart MPA Planning in Oregon: Developing a Framework to Address Social and Economic Factors by Darci Connor, and Implementing Community-Based Ocean Management on the South Oregon Coast by Leesa Cobb. See first coment to this post to read abstracts. For more info on the conference: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cz/index.html
On April 24, Surfrider members from Newport and Portland Chapter presented public testimony to the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee in support of Senate Bill 737. The Bill was passed out of committee and is now moving to the Ways and Means Subcommittee later this month. The Bill as amended would promote the reduction of toxic chemicals that are discharged into Oregon waters. The Bill is likely to be voted on soon, so please contact your state senators and representatives to let them know you support clean water. Thanks to all of you who have already sent letters and done the Action Alert! (scroll down for more info)
Fellow Surfriders… It is May! Sun is shining, the air is warming and a new Storm Drain Catch Basin Marking season is upon us. This is a Community Service Project sponsored by the City of Portland. The City provides all the necessary supplies to volunteers and volunteers provide the enthusiasm. Please meet us at SE Steele St & SE 50th Ave across from Woodstock Park on Tuesday May 15th at 6:30 PM The adhesive we use is affected by water so if rain is forecast 12 hours either side of the event, we will not meet. The program will be running all summer long on the third Tuesday of each month. A standard rain date will be the 4th Tuesday of each month. For the oceans, John Thompson
The Salmon-Drift Creek Watershed Council will present the movie Common Ground: Oregon’s Ocean on Tuesday May 8 at 6 PM at the Friends Room at the Driftwood Public Library. Produced by Greenfire Productions, Common Ground is a documentary that addresses the issue of marine reserves in Oregon’s waters. The film features beautiful footage of the underwater world off Oregon’s coast and presents perspectives from marine scientists as well as from fishermen and others who rely on the ocean for their livelihoods. The 30-minute film will be followed by a Q & A session afterwards. Public is welcome
If you surf in Oregon, please participate in a short survey on surfer health (link below). Dr. Anna Harding and Dr. Cathy Neumann of Oregon State University are conducting this research with support from Surfrider and funding from Oregon Sea Grant. The results will provide valuable information on surfer behaviors, perception of risks, and exposure characteristics. Active participation from the Oregon surfing community is really important as the study enrollment goal is 500. If you surf in Oregon, please take a few minutes to participate. You’ll definitely find it very interesting. Thanks! http://www.stat.oregonstate.edu/surfersurvey/
