The Surfrider Foundation USA is a U.S.

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 501(c)(3) grassroots non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world's oceans, waves, and beaches. The Surfrider Foundation largely focuses its work on such issues as water quality

Water quality

Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...

, beach access, beach and surf spot preservation

Coastal management

In some jurisdictions the terms sea defense and coastal protection are used to mean, respectively, defense against flooding and erosion...

, and sustaining marine

Marine ecosystem

Marine ecosystems are among the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include oceans, salt marsh and intertidal ecology, estuaries and lagoons, mangroves and coral reefs, the deep sea and the sea floor. They can be contrasted with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine...

 and coastal ecosystems.

Headquartered in San Clemente, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, the Surfrider Foundation maintains a small staff, which work to support the organization's network of grassroots

Grassroots

A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...

 chapters.

The current CEO is Jim Moriarty who joined the organization in June 2005 upon the retirement of former director Chris Evans.

Mission statement

The protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network.

History

The Surfrider Foundation was started in Malibu, California in 1984 by a handful of surfers to protest threats to their local surf break at Malibu Point. The organization continued on for several years as a loose advocacy group until 1991, when the first chapters were founded. At that point the Surfrider Foundation transitioned into a grassroots activist organization. Today the Surfrider Foundation maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.

Programs

• Respect the Beach - A coastal education program to educate students
• State of the Beach - A continuously-updated report published by the Surfrider Foundation that evaluates coastal environments by a number of "Beach Health Indicators"
• Blue Water Task Force - An all-volunteer led monitoring program that tests and reports on coastal water quality.
• Ocean Friendly Gardens - An outreach program to designed to reduce urban runoff and residential water consumption.
• Rise Above Plastics - An educational program designed to raise awareness of and reduce the amount of plastic pollution in our marine environments.
• Turn The Tide Campaign (Australia)
• Know Your H2O A program designed to educate people on the link between freshwater management issues and the impact on our oceans, waves, and beaches, that advocates for practical and environmentally sound solutions.
• Beachapedia A wiki-based coastal information resource drawing on expertise of Surfrider Foundation experts and activists.

Events

Surfrider Oahu Chapter hosts the annual John Kelly Environmental Awards in Waimea Valley on the North Shore

North Shore (Oahu)

The North Shore, in the context of geography of the Island of Oahu, refers to the north-facing coastal area of Oahu between Kaena Point and Kahuku Point...

 of Oahu every year in November to coincide with the surf season kick-off, aka the Vans Triple Crown. Awards are dedicated to those who "have helped protect and enhance our coastal community and environment". Three awards are given each year; Lifetime achievement Award, Oahu-based Organization Award and Professional Surfer Award.
Lifetime Achievement

• Mark Cunningham
• Yvon Chouinard
  Yvon Chouinard
  Yvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
  
  
• Shaun Tomson
  Shaun Tomson
  Shaun Tomson is a South African professional surfer and former world champion, environmentalist, actor, author and businessman.-Life and career:...
  
  
• Randy Rarick
• Peter Cole
• Larry McElheny
• George Downing
• John Kelly

Oahu-Based Company

• Honolulu Weekly
  Honolulu Weekly
  Honolulu Weekly is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded by Laurie V. Carlson, it began publishing in the summer of 1991, ostensibly to fill gaps in investigative reporting left by the two main dailies, Honolulu Star-Bulletin and The Honolulu Advertiser, which were...
  
  
• Bill Braden
• Styrophobia
• Pacific Biodiesel
• Schnitzer Steel
• Jack Johnson
  Jack Johnson (musician)
  Jack Johnson was born May 18, 1975 is an American folk rock singer-songwriter, surfer and musician known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums, a...
  
  /Brushfire Records
  Brushfire Records
  Brushfire Records is a Haleiwa, Hawaii based record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The label, formerly known as The Moonshine Conspiracy Records, was originally made to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a surfing movie production owned by Jack Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and...
  
  
• Patagonia - Haleiwa
• Oceanit

Professional Surfer

• Duane DeSoto
  Duane DeSoto
  Duane DeSoto is an American professional longboard surfriderDeSoto won the 2010 Oxbow ASP World Longboard Championship, defeating France's Antoine Delpero in the Final at Makaha. In 1997, he finished 3rd in the ASP World Tour. He received the Professional Surfer Award at the 8th Annual John Kelly...
  
  
• The Malloy Brothers (Keith, Dan & Chris)
• Dave Rastovich
• James Pribram
• Pancho Sullivan
• Rochelle Ballard
  Rochelle Ballard
  Rochelle Ballard is a professional female surfer who is a 10 year veteran the Association of Surfing Professional’s World Championship Tour. She is considered the best female tube rider in the world and has been a pioneer to the advancement of women’s surfing in the past two decades...
  
  
• Kelly Slater
  Kelly Slater
  Robert Kelly Slater is an American professional surfer known for his competitive prowess and style. He has been crowned ASP World Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98. He is the youngest and the oldest to win the title...
  
  
• Rob Machado
  Rob Machado
  Robert Edward Machado is an American professional surfer from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, a community in Encinitas , California....
  
  

Chapters

There are 70 Surfrider chapters located along the US East, West, Gulf of Mexico, Hawaiian and Puerto Rico coasts.

US West Coast

• Crescent City
  Crescent City, California
  Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...
  
  
• Humboldt
  Humboldt City, California
  Humboldt City is a former settlement in Humboldt County, California. It was located on Humboldt Bay just south of the later site of Bucksport. The townsite was laid out 1850 but was nearly deserted by 1851.-References:...
  
  
• Huntington Beach/Seal Beach
• Isla Vista
• Long Beach
  Long Beach, California
  Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
  
  
• Marin County
• Mendocino County
• Monterey
• Newport Beach
• San Diego County
• San Francisco
• San Luis Obispo
• San Mateo County
• Santa Barbara County
• Santa Cruz
  Santa Cruz County, California
  Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...
  
  
• Sonoma Coast
• South Bay, Los Angeles
  South Bay, Los Angeles
  The South Bay is a region of the southwest peninsula of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The name stems from its geographic features stretching along the southern shores of Santa Monica Bay which forms its western border.The picture at right uses the broadest definition of the...
  
  
• South Orange County
• Ventura County
• West Los Angeles / Malibu
• Newport Oregon
• Portland Oregon
• Siuslaw
  Siuslaw
  Siuslaw is the name of a Native American tribe in the U.S. state of Oregon, and can refer to:*Siuslaw people, Native American tribe and the Siuslaw language they spoke*Siuslaw River, a river named for the tribe...
  
  
• Northwest Straits
  Bellingham, Washington
  Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
  
  
• Olympic Peninsula
  Olympic Peninsula
  The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
  
  
• Seattle
• South Coast
• South Sound Washington
  Puget Sound
  Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
  
  

US Islands (Hawaii and Puerto Rico)

• Kauai
  Kauai
  Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
  
  
• Kona
  Kona District, Hawaii
  Kona is the name of a moku or district on the Big Island of Hawaii in the State of Hawaii. In the current system of administration of Hawaii County, the moku of Kona is divided into North Kona District and South Kona District . The term "Kona" is sometimes used to refer to its largest town,...
  
   (Big Island)
• Maui
  Maui
  The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
  
  
• Oahu
  Oahu
  Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
  
  
• Rincon
  Rincón, Puerto Rico
  Rincón is a municipality of Puerto Rico founded in 1771 by Don Luis de Añasco . It is located in the Western Coastal Valley, west of Añasco and Aguada. Rincón is spread over 8 wards and Rincón Pueblo...
  
   (Puerto Rico)

US Gulf Coast

• Emerald Coast
  Emerald Coast
  The Emerald Coast is an area in the US state of Florida on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico which stretches about 100 miles through four counties, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay, from Gulf Breeze on the east side of Pensacola Bay to Panama City on the east side of the St...
  
  
• Suncoast
  Florida Suncoast
  The Florida Suncoast is a colloquial name for the west-central and southwest peninsular Florida coastal area between Tarpon Springs to the north, and Naples to the south, and includes the Tampa Bay Area. This region is sometimes also referred to as the Sun Coast...
  
  
• Central Texas
  Central Texas
  Central Texas , is a region in the U.S. state of Texas. It is roughly bordered by San Marcos to Fredericksburg to Waco, and to Brenham, and includes the Austin–Round Rock, Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, Bryan-College Station, and Waco metropolitan areas...
  
  
• South Texas
  South Texas
  South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas that lies roughly south of and including San Antonio. The southern and western boundary is the Rio Grande River, and to the east it is the Gulf of Mexico. The population of this region is about 3.7 million. The southern portion of this region is...
  
  
• Texas Coastal Bend
• Texas Upper Coast
  Texas
  Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
  
  

International

• Argentina
  Argentina
  Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
  
   International Affiliate
• Surfrider Europe
  Europe
  Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
  
  
• Ensenada, Baja California
  Ensenada, Baja California
  Ensenada is a coastal city in Mexico and the third-largest city in Baja California. It is located south of San Diego on the Baja California Peninsula. The city is locally referred to as La Cenicienta del Pacífico, or, The Cinderella of the Pacific...
  
  
• Pacific Rim
  Pacific Rim
  The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
  
  
• South Island
  South Island
  The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
  
  
• Vancouver
  Vancouver
  Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
  
  
• Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  
• Brasil
• Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
  

US East Coast

• Connecticut
  Connecticut
  Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
  
  
• District of Columbia
• Delaware
  Delaware
  Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
  
  
• Broward County
• Central Florida
  Central Florida
  Central Florida is a regional designation for the area surrounding Orlando in east central Florida, United States. The area represents the third largest population concentration in Florida, after the South Florida and Tampa Bay regions, respectively....
  
  
• Cocoa Beach
• First Coast
  First Coast
  The First Coast is a region of Florida, in the United States. It extends along the Atlantic, or eastern, coast of the state, from the Georgia border, past the southern end of Anastasia Island, to Marineland....
  
  
• Miami
• Palm Beach County
• Sebastian Inlet
• Treasure Coast
  Treasure Coast
  The Treasure Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida, generally considered to include Indian River, St. Lucie, and Martin counties. The area stretches from Hobe Sound in the south to north of Sebastian in the north and includes the cities of Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, and Vero Beach...
  
  
• Volusia/Flagler County, Florida
  Flagler County, Florida
  Flagler County was created in 1917 from portions of Saint Johns and Volusia counties. It was named for Henry Morrison Flagler, a famous railroad builder who built the Florida East Coast Railway. Bunnell is the county seat of Flagler County....
  
  
• Atlanta
• Coastal Georgia
  Georgia (U.S. state)
  Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
  
  /Low Country
• Massachusetts
  Massachusetts
  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
  
  
• Ocean City
  Ocean City, Maryland
  Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...
  
  , MD
• Northern New England
  New England
  New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
  
  
• Cape Fear
• Outer Banks
  Outer Banks
  The Outer Banks is a 200-mile long string of narrow barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, beginning in the southeastern corner of Virginia Beach on the east coast of the United States....
  
  
• New Hampshire
  New Hampshire
  New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
  
  
• Jersey Shore
  Jersey Shore
  The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
  
  
• South Jersey
  South Jersey
  South Jersey comprises the southern portions of the U.S. state of New Jersey between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation is a colloquial one, reflecting not only geographical but perceived cultural differences from the northern part of the state, with no official...
  
  
• Central Long Island
• Eastern Long Island
• New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
  
• Rhode Island
  Rhode Island
  The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
  
  
• Charleston, South Carolina
  Charleston, South Carolina
  Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
  
  
• Grand Strand
  Grand Strand
  The Grand Strand refers to a large stretch of beaches on the East Coast of the United States extending from Little River to Georgetown in the U.S. State of South Carolina. It consists of 60+ miles along an essentially uninterrupted arc of beach land, beginning around the Little River and...
  
  /Myrtle Beach
• Virginia Beach

Notable members and supporters

• Jeff Bridges
  Jeff Bridges
  Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
  
  , actor
• Yvon Chouinard
  Yvon Chouinard
  Yvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
  
  , founder of Patagonia
  Patagonia (clothing)
  Patagonia, Inc. is a Ventura, California-based clothing company, focusing mainly on outdoor clothing. The company is a member of several environmental movements. It was founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1972....
  
  
• Woody Harrelson
  Woody Harrelson
  Woodrow Tracy "Woody" Harrelson is an American actor.Harrelson's breakthrough role came in the television sitcom Cheers as bartender Woody Boyd...
  
  , actor
• Gregory Harrison
  Gregory Harrison
  Gregory Neale Harrison is an American actor. He is probably best known for his role as Chandler in the 1987 cult favorite North Shore and as Trapper John MacIntyre's young surgeon, Dr. George Alonzo 'Gonzo' Gates, on the CBS series Trapper John, M.D....
  
   actor
• Mark Hoppus
  Mark Hoppus
  Mark Allan Hoppus is an American musician, record producer, and television host. He is the bass guitarist and one of the two lead vocalists of the pop punk band Blink-182, as well as the bass guitarist and lead vocalist of the alternative rock band +44. He is a co-founder of both bands...
  
  , musician
• Bruce Johnston
  Bruce Johnston
  Bruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a songwriter, remembered especially for composing "I Write the Songs". Johnston was not one of the original members of the band...
  
  , musician
• Eddie Vedder
  Eddie Vedder
  Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
  
  , musician

External links

• Official website
• Official MySpace page
• Know Your H2O program and The Cycle of Insanity Film