For those of you in the San Diego/Southern California area of the U.S., this just came in from the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation:

Get your donation matched by Jack...and a chance to win concert tickets!

As part of the All At Once campaign, Jack Johnson's To The Sea tour is collaborating with over 150 community groups focusing on plastic initiatives and sustainable local food systems, as well as environmental education, oceans & watersheds, tree planting and other hands-on community projects!! SurfriderSD is stoked to be involved but we need YOUR support to make it a success.

Donate to SurfriderSD before October 5th at 4pm for a chance to win Jack Johnson tickets for his October 9th show in Chula Vista AND to get your donations matched by Jack! This is a great opportunity to make a positive impact for the coast by supporting SurfriderSD campaigns and programs.

• $10 gets you one chance to win a pair of tickets
• $25 gets you three chances to win a pair of tickets
• $100 gets you 12 chances to win a pair of tickets AND a SurfriderSD gift bag (reusable bag, two t-shirts, license plate frame, stickers and more!)

Click here to donate and get every dollar matched.

Click here to pickup a copy of Jack Johnson's latest CD, To The Sea.
Click here to download MP3s of the songs on To The Sea

A few months back I posted a blog entry about putting together an event to raise funds to benefit cancer survivors. An event has been successfully organized around this cause:

SurfSTRONG is a fundraiser to support cancer survivors and their families. Now surfers can have a positive impact on the quality of life for others by doing what they love - surf!

For more information and to get signed up to participate or donate, please visit http://SurfSTRONG.org/

Thanks.... Hope to see you there!

There's tons of Surfrider stuff happening here in San Diego over the next couple of months!

Chapter Meeting - On the Agenda: Access to Blacks Beach
Wednesday, August 19 at 7pm
Forum Hall in University Towne Center
The City of San Diego has initiated a process to prepare a plan for the approximately 44 acres at the top of the bluff. At issue: to preserve and enhance recreation opportunities, bluff protection, habitat restoration and cultural preservation. Beach access is a fundamental issue as this is one of the few ways to access Blacks.

Stone Brewing Company's 13th Anniversary: Last Call!
Saturday, August 22 from 9:30am - 6pm
Cal State San Marcos Campus
The #1 fundraiser for the Surfrider San Diego chapter every year. There are two ways to support Surfrider through this event:

Paddle for Clean Water Festival
Sunday, September 13 at 9am
Ocean Beach Pier
Food, fun, a raffle, live bands, and the "Clif Bar Wrapper Challenge"! Check out the Paddle for Clean Water blog to learn more about the Paddle for Clean Water Festival.

Support the Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation has been protecting our oceans, waves, and beaches for over 20 years. Show your support and join Surfrider today (tell them member 118089 sent you... they'll know what that means!)

Dear San Diego Surfing Community,

Imagine a world where your passion for surfing has a positive impact on the lives of people affected by cancer. I invite you to join forces with me to turn this idea into a reality by organizing an event where surfers make a difference.

This is an opportunity for you and I to fulfill the possibility of improving the quality of life for others by doing what we love to do - surf! The following is my list of ideas but I want to hear what you think our event should include:

1.) Name of the event: What do you think our event should be named? Make it catchy, impactful, and memorable.

2.) Intention of the event: To have fun, promote health, and celebrate life while using a grass roots effort to raise funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation - a nonprofit organization that unites people to help fight cancer.

3.) Event date: To be determined. Perhaps late October or early November, 2009.

4.) Event location: Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach. Will you help research obtaining permits, etc?

5.) "Wave Count" fundraiser: This idea allows surfers to raise money based on the number of waves caught on the day of the event. Example: You make a promise to catch 10 waves. Friends, family, and businesses each donate $10 (or more!) for *every wave* you promised to catch.

6.) "Paddle" fundraiser: This is another idea for surfers to raise money which would be based on distance paddled. Example: You promise to paddle from Crystal Pier to Tourmaline and back. Friends, family, and businesses each donate $100 (or more!) for this achievement.

7.) Silent auction fundraiser: Yet one more idea to raise funds! Will you get in touch with local surf shops and other businesses and invite them to donate products, services, etc for our event?

8.) Surf lessons: Another fundraising idea. Let's invite a surf school to provide surf lessons on event day and ask if they will donate all or a portion of the money earned from these lessons to our charity.

9.) Music: DJ? Live band(s)? Both? Do you know a DJ and/or band that will donate their talents and perform for our event?

10.) Surf commemoration: Paddle out to the end of Crystal Pier at sunset to honor cancer survivors as well as those who have passed. I have a strong image in my mind of hundreds of surfers in a giant circle wearing yellow rash guards emulating the Live Strong halo. Man that would make a powerful photograph! Can you connect with a rashguard manufacturer to see if they will donate these?

Thank you for stepping up and getting involved. I look forward to hearing from you soon. We are going to make this event happen together!

Sincerely,
- James Loren

I just stumbled across some disturbing photos on the Surfrider Foundation Blog. The images show a massive amount of debris on Seal Beach at the mouth of the San Gabriel River. I can only guess that this is urban runoff after the December rain storms we had in Southern California.

Please Support Surfrider and help protect our oceans, waves, and beaches from this type of thing.