Chile Relief Update - March 17, 2010 (archived):

Save The Waves distributes one thousand water filters to coastal Chile, works with Paul Walker/REACT Worldwide to provide medical relief

March 17, 2010 Pichilemu/Curanipe, Chile – Save The Waves Coalition, operating though a passionate volunteer ground team led by professional surfers Ramon Navarro, Greg Long and Kohl Christensen, completed the first phase of its Chile relief efforts by distributing nearly 1,000 water filters along with other essential supplies to coastal Chile. The water filters, provided by partner nonprofit Waves for Water, are now providing clean drinking water for up to 10,000 Chileans, many of who live in remote coastal areas and were cut off from clean water in the wake of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami on February 27, 2010.

Through national press recognition of the “surfers without surfboards who distribute water filters,” all of Chile is aware of the organization’s relief efforts, and the heartfelt appreciation has been overwhelming. The recognition led to an invitation this week to the home of the US Ambassador to Chile, Paul Simons, to discuss Save The Waves’ relief operations in Chile in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

“The spontaneous relief efforts by the surfing and coastal communities have been amazing,” said Save The Waves executive director Dean LaTourrette. “I’m proud that we were all able to come together so quickly and accomplish as much as we have to help the Chilean people, and that Save The Waves was in a position to help coordinate this tremendous volunteer effort. There’s still a lot that needs to be done though, and the international surf community will need to continue to lead the way.”

While Greg Long and crew were operating out of Pichilemu to the north, Save The Waves environmental director Josh Berry has been based further south in the Curanipe region, working alongside actor Paul Walker (The Fast and the Furious) and his REACT Worldwide team of doctors and medics, an organization that was founded by Walker. “The Save The Waves–REACT effort was an incredibly inspiring teamwork experience that combined Save The Waves’ years of field experience in Chile with REACT’s medical knowledge, fearlessness and energy for disaster relief,” said Berry. “Paul threw himself into the thick of the heaviest situations with passion and intelligence. The chemistry between the organizations was immediate and we’ll definitely be working together again.”

The distribution of the water filters marks the completion of phase one of the relief efforts, which were primarily focused on getting clean drinking water to those who were cut off in coastal areas. Save The Waves’ phase-two work will begin shortly, focusing on helping coastal communities in Chile’s Regions VI and VII rebuild and restore economic activity, including potentially fishing, surf tourism, and other businesses.

Chile Relief Update: March 5, 2010

CHILE EARTHQUAKE RELIEF UPDATE - 3/5/10 (archived): The primary focus of Save The Waves' initial relief mission is to help provide clean drinking water to the hundreds of thousands of Chileans who are currently without water. Save The Waves is partnering with Waves for Water to distribute water filters for clean drinking water, and currently has 1,000 filters – enough for up to 10,000 people to get clean water – en route to being distributed in coastal Chile, with more to follow. Waves for Water successfully provided clean water through thousands of filters in the wake of the Haiti disaster, as well as the Padang earthquake last year.



A second focus is to provide initial mobile shelter supplies to the hundreds of thousands who are currently without any housing. Tents, tarps, sleeping bags and blankets are being sourced and distributed in Chile to the hardest-hit areas, augmented with shipments being sent from the U.S.

Save The Waves dispatched environmental director Josh Berry and a small team to Chile on Wednesday, to rendezvous with ground crews there and assist in relief efforts. Josh and team have been securing supplies in Santiago and are slated to head out to the coast near the quake epicenter on Saturday.

Support has been from all parts of the world, including from the surf industry, and Save The Waves, local residents, and international travelers have assembled ground crews in the coastal town of Pichilemu. Teams are already running supplies from Pichilemu to the surrounding areas while organizing runs further south, to the areas hardest hit from the massive earthquake and subsequent tsunamis, with the support of Save The Waves. STW is also working closely with its local partner, Maule Itata Coastkeeper, which has an office in Curanipe further south, one of the hardest hit coastal towns, to distribute water filters and shelter supplies in that region.

High profile professional surfers have jumped in to support the relief efforts, led by Chile’s own Ramon Navarro, who was traveling to the Todos Santos Big Wave Event in Mexico when the earthquake hit. Navarro, a Save The Waves surf ambassador, is working with Quiksilver's Quinn Campbell, on the ground in Pichilemu and Billabong’s Chris Evans in California to activate swift relief efforts via Save The Waves. Says, Navarro, "I sincerely appreciate support for Chile from my international surf community, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, Malloy brothers, Kohl Christenson, Save The Waves, Jon Rose from Waves for Water, Greg Long's whole family, Patagonia and others - they have shown they’re true friends and care a lot for Chile. Chile needs your help so please get involved."

Save The Waves ambassador Greg Long along with Kohl Christensen also left for Chile on Friday to transport water filters along with shelter supplies, and to help with efforts on the ground.
Patagonia, Inc., the outdoor apparel company, has stepped up and provided significant support for this initiative, and has been rallying others to join the cause.

Save The Waves is also now working with Operation Rainbow, a nonprofit with extensive experience in providing medical services to impoverished regions, to provide some basic medical supplies and relief, along with expertise, with the possibility for more involvement after initial needs are better assessed. On the ground in Chile, Save The Waves has also partnered with REACT Worldwide, a dedicated network of trained individuals who act as rapid, first responders to major disasters globally, including with direct medical aid.

Metallica Says: Fuerza, Chile!

Metallica band members thank Save The Waves supporters for their generosity in helping Chilean victims of the tsunami and earthquake:



You can also watch the video on YouTube.

Chile Earthquake Aid This Week!

Help Earthquake Victims & Donate Now:
> www.savethewaves.org

CHILE EARTHQUAKE UPDATE:

SAVE THE WAVES PARTNERING WITH WAVES FOR WATER TO PROVIDE HUMANITARIAN RELIEF

HELP CHILE NOW:
www.savethewaves.org

A massive earthquake and tsunami hit Chile this weekend. The earthquake epicenter was just 5km from Save The Waves Coalition's Maule Itata Coastkeeper office and is where Save The Waves' environmental advocacy efforts are focused. The earthquake and tidal wave damage to the area where Save The Waves works is devastating. Friends, colleagues and neighbors in coastal Chile need everyone’s help now more than ever before. The destruction to infrastructure is severe, and includes massive damage to structures, drinking water systems, power, transportation, and communication. This means that aid and relief in the next few weeks will be crucial to help save lives.

Because Save The Waves Coalition's ongoing environmental work is in the exact same area as the disaster, the organization is uniquely positioned to help direct humanitarian relief efforts in the region. Save The Waves is organizing a focused relief effort to this hardest hit region of Chile, including a humanitarian aid trip this week with a team that includes doctors, medics, and other relief workers. The organization is now accepting donations to support travel to the region to distribute water filters, medical treatment and supplies, local relief supplies, and camping gear to the affected coastal areas.

The primary focus of the mission will be to help provide clean drinking water to the hundreds of thousands of Chileans who are currently without water. Save The Waves is partnering with Waves for Water (http://www.wavesforwater.org) to distribute water filters for clean drinking water, and hopes to get up to 1,000 filters – enough for 10,000 people to get clean water – distributed in coastal Chile during the first week, with much more to follow. Waves for Water has extensive experience in providing clean water for disaster relief, and successfully distributed over 4,000 water filter systems to Haiti in the wake of the recent earthquake there, providing clean drinking water for up to 40,000 people.

Patagonia Inc, the outdoor apparel company, has stepped up and provided significant support for this initiative, and has been rallying others to join the cause.

All donations to Save The Waves for Chile earthquake relief will go directly to humanitarian work on the ground in the devastated regions near the quake and tsunami epicenter. Humanitarian aid efforts will be focused in the more rural coastal areas, between the major cities, where help and aid will generally be less available. Since Save The Waves is a small and nimble organization with years of experience in coastal Chile, support for this effort will be extremely effective, with no bureaucratic filters, no delays, just pure aid for the coastal communities that are in dire need. Donate and learn more at the link below.


PLEASE DONATE & HELP SAVE THE WAVES EARTHQUAKE RELIEF IN CHILE:
* www.savethewaves.org *

* Chile Relief & Media Contact:
Josh Berry
josh@savethewaves.org
Tel. 415-578-8388

Above photo courtesy latercera.com

International Conference on the Protection of Waves

First International Symposium on the Protection of Waves as a Natural, Economic & Sports Resource

Save The Waves Coalition is proud to announce its participation in the First International Conference on the Protection of Waves to be held next week in the Canary Islands. Save The Waves Coalition's environmental director Josh Berry will be presenting to an international audience of students, faculty, professionals and coastal experts at the University of La Laguna in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.

The conference aims to explore and promote the environmental, economic and recreational value of waves as a natural resource. Waves and their surrounding culture and environment hold great significance for the environment and for coastal communities. Waves as a natural resource exist in all coastal areas, yet waves are largely overlooked in coastal planning, community development, environmental awareness and the political process. The surf zone is also a focal point of diverse marine flora and fauna and waves have an important economic dimension that is increasingly becoming apparent through economic studies and the growing popularity of coastal communities.

Waves are the backbone of sport and leisure activities such as surfing, windsurfing, and other popular ocean pursuits. Yet waves are also constantly at risk of destruction or damage from development, pollution, erosion, climate change and other threats. This conference will promote and explore the benefits of waves and their importance to humanity.

Presented by: Spanish Surfing Federation, Canary Islands Surfing Federation and the National Sports Council
Organized by: Ángel Lobo Rodrigo and Tony Butt
With the support of: School of Law at University of La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
More Information: www.fesurf.net and www.fcsurf.es

Location: Aula Magna, Faculty of Law, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands
Dates: February 25 & 26, 2010
Languages: Spanish and English

Speakers:

− Tony Butt. PhD Physical Oceanography, University of Plymouth
− Dr. Angel Lobo Rodrigo. Lecturer in Administrative Law, University of La Laguna
− Josh Berry. Environmental Director, Save The Waves Coalition
− Jaime Saavedra Rodríguez. Economist and Consultant
− Ana González Pérez. Professor of Financial Economics and Accounting, University of La Laguna
− Marcel Bonnet Escuela. Professor of Institutional Economics, Statistical Economics and Econometrics, University of La Laguna
− Xavier Pascual Lorente. Road, Canal & Ports Engineer; Head of Engineering and Architecture at Sener Consultants Spain
− Jorge Núñez Fraga. Professor of Zoology, University of La Laguna
− Antidia Citores. Lawyer specialized in European and International Issues, University of Pau and Pays de L’Adour, France

Conference Objectives:

− Understand the physical mechanisms behind the generation, propagation and breaking of ocean waves for surfing
− Understand the natural environment within which coastal ocean waves exist
− Become familiar with legal methods that can be used to protect the waves
− Understand the impact of coastal ocean waves on the local economy
− Study ways of intervening in the coastal environment without destroying waves
− Understand the economic importance of coastal ocean waves for energy and tourism

Conference Schedule:

February 25, 2010:

- Waves as a Natural Resource
- Wave Generation, Propagation and Breaking
By Tony Butt, Physical Oceanographer
- Marine Ecosystems and Waves
By Jorge Núñez Fraga, Reader in Zoology
-The Coastline and Waves
By Tony Butt, Physical Oceanographer
- Waves as an Economic, Sports and Social Resource
- The Sea as a Source of Energy
By Ana González Pérez, Professor of Financial Economics and Accounting
- Practical Examples of the Importance of Waves as Recreational, Economic and Natural Resources
By Josh Berry, Environmental Director, Save the Waves Coalition

February 26, 2010:

- Tourism & Waves
By Jaime Saavedra Rodríguez, Economist and Consultant
- The Surf Industry
By Marcel Bonnet, Professor of Institutional Economics, Statistical Economics and Econometrics
- Legal Protection of Waves
By Angel Lobo Rodrigo, Lecturer in Administrative Law.
- Classification of Waves as Entities of Worldwide Historic and Cultural Heritage (Europe and UNESCO)
By Antidia Citores, European and International Lawyer.
- Sustainable Coastal Intervention
- Practical Examples of Sustainable Coastal Intervention
By Xavier Pascual Lorente, Civil Engineer
* Closing Round table: Towards a Policy of Sustainable and Respectful Coastal Intervention
-Ángel Lobo Rodrigo (Chair)
-Tony Butt
-Josh Berry
-Antidia Citores
-Representative of the Coastal Planning Department
-Representative of the Canary Islands Government

For a complete conference schedule, click here.

Save The Waves Releases “Surfonomics” Study at Mavericks Contest

Complete study now available – $24 million per year in economic value at the fabled break:



February 12, 2010, Half Moon Bay, CA – Save The Waves Coalition announced it has completed its second “Surfonomics” study, a measure of the economic value of the world-famous big-wave break at Mavericks in Half Moon Bay, California. The study found that the surfing site and area has an estimated economic value to visitors of nearly $24 million per year, based on approximately 420,000 annual visitors.

“Mavericks is an iconic, world-renowned surf break that’s truly unique,” said Save The Waves executive director Dean LaTourrette. “This study provides evidence of not just its environmental value, but of its economic value as well. This further reinforces the notion that it and other special coastal areas around the world need and deserve to be protected.” The study, which includes an economic value report as well as an analysis on the value of the break from an ecotourism perspective, will be available beginning on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 at the Mavericks Surf Contest.

The study combined the economic value visitors place on the wave with intrinsic or cultural values of a coastal location with a world-class wave such as Mavericks. An important goal of the project was to build a model that can inform decision makers in coastal communities with important waves around the world. While prior studies of the value of waves have focused on the economic impacts of a contest or industry to local economies, this study looked at the benefits that surfing provides to surfers and observers by focusing on the value they place on the Mavericks wave through what they give up to experience it, as well as their qualitative comments.

The combined study, entitled “The Value of a Wave: An Analysis of the Mavericks Region and the Mavericks Wave from an Ecotourism Perspective,” was conducted by University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization, in partnership with the Center for Responsible Travel at Stanford University, under the guidance of Save The Waves Coalition.

The complete study is available just in time for the 2009/2010 Mavericks Surf Contest, which has been called on Saturday, February 13, 2010, at Mavericks Beach. Save The Waves is an environmental partner for the contest and will have a booth at the event, as well as more detail on the study.

Summary of Key Findings:

1) The wave at Mavericks has an estimated minimum economic value to visitors of $23.9 million per year. *
2) The average visitor is willing to pay a minimum of $56.70 per trip to the Mavericks surf area.
3) Surfers visit the area nearly five times more often than non-surfers and thus accrue more value from the area.
4) The study did not include the Mavericks Surf Contest, which has drawn anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 people to the area on contest day, and thus results in additional economic value to visitors each year.
5) Almost 90% of the respondents labeled surfing an ecotourism activity, and thus important to the cultural and environmental health of the community. Respondents believed that Mavericks helped to positively define the Half Moon Bay area.

* Based on estimated visitation levels of 421,431 per year
____________________________________

> Click here for more information about Surfonomics.
> Click here for more info about the Mavericks Surf Contest.


Photos: Mavericks - Large & In Charge! Both photos by Will Henry.

Saving Sloat from San Francisco Bureaucrats

The beach at South Sloat on SF's Ocean Beach is littered with giant boulders, chunks of cement and asphalt, and brick construction debris placed there to "protect" the eroding sand bluffs and city infrastructure. The City's Dept of Public Works has, since 2003, ignored community task force guidelines to stop throwing rocks at the ocean.

Boulders and other artificial hard structures are proven to worsen long-term coastal erosion. Scouring of sandy beaches is intensified by the placement of hard structures on the beach. Read here our recommendations to protect this area and restore it to a natural setting free of extreme erosion, crumbling infrastructure, and the aforementioned junk.

This week we won a compromise victory of sorts by getting the DPW to use less rock armoring and to listen to our argument for implementing long-term solutions.

The southern Sloat area is GGNRA (Golden Gate National Recreation Area) property, which means it's a national park. Why are we allowing the City to dump construction waste and other artificial structures in a national park? If you travel less than 1 mile north on this same beach, you'll find a beautiful, long stretch of sandy dunes, flourishing native coastal vegetation, and thriving habitat for a threatened bird, the Western Snowy Plover. All strictly managed and protected by the GGNRA. No erosion nor hard structures trashing the dunes. Residents and tourists stroll on the beach, fly kites, walk their dogs and sunbathe (if it's not foggy).Why isn't southern Sloat being restored to similar circumstances?

This is a problem of local government's neglect, inertia and inaction that will only be exacerbated by rising sea levels. An outdated wastewater tunnel and a misplaced roadway are the City's excuse to continue throwing rocks at the sea without implementing the very clearly marked long-term solution. Save Sloat! Write our SF City Supervisors by clicking here for this excellent petition by Surfrider. I am working with SF artist Travis Weller to produce a pretty image for the "Save Sloat!" campaign. Stay tuned.

* Click here to read detailed history & background info about this environmental issue.
* Click here for the petition to Save Sloat!

This isn't a beach, it's a junkyard for the City's construction waste:

The wave we aim to save from the City's Slaves: