| Ocean protectors honoured by Surfrider Foundation |
| Tuesday, 07 February 2012 10:09 |
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On Saturday, the Surfrider Foundation’s Board of Directors and Staff gathered at the Talega Golf Club in San Clemente to honor their 2011 Wavemakers.
In 2011, Peter Douglas announced his retirement from the California Coastal Commission after 34 years (26 of them as Executive Director). Peter helped to write the Coastal Act of 1976, the guiding document for management of California’s coasts, and has devoted his life to executing the ideals of that Act. He has served under both Democratic and Republican governors and has been responsible for creating one of the most powerful state land-use agencies in existence. Peter’s retirement marks the lamentable loss of a hero in coastal protection. Surfrider Foundation is extremely appreciative for his years of commitment to our oceans, waves and beaches. His wisdom and guidance have bestowed upon California’s citizens and visitors a great service that is evidenced by our healthy and accessible coastal areas.
The Marisla Foundation has been one of Surfrider’s most ardent financial supporters – providing large unrestricted grant support for more than a decade. However, their commitment to the organization goes much deeper than their monetary gifts. As the leaders of Marisla, Beto Bedolfe and Anne Earhart have served as champions of our organization to other funders, non-profits, supporters and donors. As Chairman of the Emerald Coast Chapter, Mike has gone above and beyond. He spent hours representing Surfrider at various multi-state agency meetings following the Deepwater Horizon spill. Mike has also dedicated time to engaging the public in water quality testing efforts and his leadership has been inspirational to many who felt helpless to do anything in the midst of the Gulf spill tragedy. From 2001-2007, Jeff was a member of Surfrider’s Board of Directors. He brought a business perspective and a focus on the financial health of the organization. Jeff has been a major donor for more than ten years and his gifts often support hard-to-fund, yet critically important, technology infrastructure projects. He is a Lifetime Member and a member of the Legacy Circle. In addition to his personal contributions, Jeff has introduced us to a number of other major donors, helping us to expand our network and resulting in a number of significant gifts. For more than four years, a group of dedicated volunteers within the Portland Chapter worked tirelessly to educate the public and organize support for a ban on plastic checkout bags in the City of Portland. Through a focus on grassroots activism and community involvement they achieved their goal when Portland’s Mayor and City Commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the proposed ban on July 21, 2011. In recognition of this milestone we wish to thank: Mason Brock, Ryan Cruse, Tristan Fields, Tara Gallagher, Jocelyn Gary, Gregg Hayward, Drew Kerr, Lisa Lynch, Nastassja Pace, Jacque Rodriguez, Matt Spencer and Stiv Wilson. Carl is a professor, research scientist and water quality specialist at the Hawaii Dept. of Health. He founded Hawaiian Wildlife Tours, which conducts research, environmental education, water quality monitoring and classroom teaching. For the last two years, he has been Chair of the Surfrider Foundation Kauai Chapter. He is passionate about water quality and oversees the Chapter’s Blue Water Task Force, which tests approximately sixteen beaches every month. KROQ has supported Surfrider Foundation for more than 12 years, helping to raise funds and awareness through their annual Weenie Roast concert event. Their efforts have resulted in over $300,000 in donations (including $82K from 2011’s event). They have also helped us to reach hundreds of thousands of new people through on-air opportunities and by allowing us to host an interactive booth at Weenie Roast (attended by more than 50,000 people annually). Four years ago, Surfrider moved our annual Celebrity Expression Session to Malibu. Club President Michael Blum and his fellow members welcomed us to their break and allowed us to hold our event in conjunction with their flagship contest, the M.S.A. Classic. As a result, the event has been incredibly easy to produce, the location is ideal, cost is minimal and in 2011 we were able to raise $50,000 for our oceans, waves and beaches. |
| Last Updated on Friday, 11 January 2013 17:28 |
