Gathering of the Tribes: First Ever All-Island Surfrider Foundation Meeting Galvanizes Ocean Lovers

Gathering of the Tribes: First Ever All-Island Surfrider Foundation Meeting Galvanizes Ocean Lovers

By Andrew O’Riordan

A stately, sun-kissed, grey-haired doctor gazes around the room at twenty five determined faces.  “Most people on the street think we’re just some group of surfers,” he says.  A muscular paddler from Maui shakes his head.  A lei-covered Kumu from Hualalai, Hawai’I shifts in her seat.  A bespectacled scientist from Kaua’I stares intently.  These people are so much more than that.  “We want to be the ones that kick butt to protect the environment.”

Twenty five people break into a collective smile, impressed by the simplicity of the Surfrider Foundation’s mission.  Founded a quarter century ago to defend the threatened coastline of Los Angeles, this global movement now includes 90,000 members gathered into 70 chapters.   The state of Hawai’i today hosts four chapters (Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Big Island), whose local mission is to protect the Hawaiian Ocean.

Incredibly, these chapters had never, ever all convened before.  This changed the second weekend of November, when leading Surfriders from around the state gathered at Camp Erdman on Oahu’s North Shore.  The agenda included two days of workshops, presentations, and collaborative thinking.  Attendees also helped to run the 7th Annual John Kelly Environmental Achievement Awards Party in the revered Waimea Valley.  The spirit of the gathering was collegial and spirited, yet determined.  Everyone at the conference was thinking about the big question: What will Surfrider do to preserve the dignity of Hawai’i’s most treasured resource-Mother Ocean?

“If you go to the beach, you have to pick up,” said Ryo, a UH Manoa grad student from Japan.  Smiling yet serious, he explained how every time a person visits the beach, there is an impact on the air, land, and sea.  Mere transportation and resource consumption almost always produce hidden environmental costs.  Whether in the form of carbon dioxide emissions, long-lasting plastics, or garbage, people influence the seas.  The goal is to leave no trace, and the way to do this is to figure out ways to make up for the waste we can’t help but create.

“So many people think of us as naggy, winy complainers,” said Dr. Gordon Labenz, head of Surfrider Kauai.  “And we are, no doubt about it.”  He went on to say the environmental issues facing the world, the U.S., and the Pacific Ocean are mortally serious. Corporate and development interests, if left unchecked, could pursue profit while ravaging the Hawaiian coast, because it is cheaper, easier, and faster than to protect these places.  The lives of turtles, whales, fish, monk seals, and coral reefs hang in the balance.  As dominant participants in the global biosphere, humans are also at risk.

Hour by hour, the two day long discussion between Surfrider Leaders at the foot of the Wainae Mountains on the Mokuleia coast evolved.  All kinds of ocean lovers and people  had come.  Teachers, doctors, and scientists; grandparents, parents, and children; paddlers, swimmers, and waveriders; men, women, and keiki.  In the first-ever statewide gathering of the Surfrider tribes, one thing was patently obvious:  The only requirement for membership in Surfrider is a willingness to defend the Hawaiian Ocean.   This is what matters.

The Big Island’s Kona Kai Ea chapter was strongly represented.  Current Chapter President Dr. Richard Bennett brought a sparkling enthusiasm and deep understanding of Hawaiian water issues, which he presented in a razor-ship multimedia production.  Hannah  ____________ from Hualalai grounded the meeting in native soil with Hawaiian chants, heartfelt endorsement of the aims of Surfrider, and an articulate expression of the needs and desires of Native Hawaiians.    Jeff ________ of Kona brought to bear the expertise of a Senior Manger of the U.S. Forestry Service.  The Big Island brims with these talented people, who contributed much at the All Chapters Conference.

After lunch on Saturday, in the fervor of a heated discussion, Kauai scientist  Dr. Carl  Berg made a breakthrough.  “There is no separation between the environment and the Hawaiian culture.  If you destroy the environment, the culture will not survive. Whether you are eco-spiritual or Hawaiian cultural spiritual, the fact is that place has a special value that needs to be preserved.  What I am doing is working for the preservation of the Hawaiian culture.”  In this moment, it dawned on many Surfriders that the mission of this organization is even more vital than they had thought.  In Hawaii, the Ocean is alive, personified, almost human.  It is both source and medium for human relationship.  In Hawaii, it is not the exception to love the ocean as a mother.  In Hawaii, it is the rule.

Surfrider’s Hawaiian Mission

Surfrider casts a wide but specific net.  Members want to protect and preserve the world’s oceans.  It’s as simple and complicated as that.  How is this achieved?  There are as many solutions as there are problems.  City ordinances, litigation, public awareness campaigns, fundraisers, beach clean ups, surfing mentorships for troubled teens, stand-ins, public gatherings, academic conferences, and lobbying, to name but a few.  The endgame is to influence government, business, and private citizens through policy and changes in behavior in ways that benefit the ocean.  It’s as simple and complicated as that.

Does this really work?  Can a motivated group of private citizens really shape the evolution of our treasured homeland?   Is it worth the investment of time, money and effort when life is already so busy and demanding?  What is the state of Surfrider in Hawai’i?

Each island’s chapter finds itself at various stages of maturity.  

The Kaua’i chapter is the most professional, cohesive, and effective, with a high media presence, rock solid leadership, and an A-list of accomplishments, from securing a ban on single-use plastic bags islandwide to body-blocking the arrival of the Superferry.

The Oahu chapter boasts a deep arsenal of members, which is vital to confront the myriad threats to Oahu’s oceans.  This chapter has literally changed the face of Oahu, from halting the Kaka’ako development project in Town to the preserving Pupukea Paumalu on the ridges of Waimea Bay in Country.  Of course this chapter plays a key supporting role in the continuing campaign to “Keep the Country Country.”  From re-evaluating the Turtle Bay development plan, to protecting reefs and beaches, to limiting single use plastics, the Oahu chapter lives in the trenches.

The Maui chapter evinces vibrance, as a new influx of youth and energy reinvigorates members on this heavily touristed island.  Like its Kau’ai brethren, this chapter played a key role in banning single use plastics on Maui.  Growing issues on Maui are many and varied, but the preservation of Honolua Bay, the reconsideration of sewage disposal, and the protection of special places all loom large.

The Big Island Chapter (Kona Kai Ea) is a mere infant, one of the youngest Surfrider Chapters in the world. Why it took so long to take shape is anybody’s guess.  Perhaps long driving distances and a dispersed population prevented those who love the ocean from achieving critical mass.  Perhaps the abundance of pristine beaches on our wide-open island convinces us that our coasts are fine.  Maybe we do have some of the cleanest water in the state.

Whatever the reason may have been, Surfrider Foundation has arrived on the Big Island just in time.  Population and development pressures now threaten beloved Big Island beaches, especially Pine Trees.  Recently ocean lovers rallied together to demand access and preservation of this beloved seaside sanctuary, and lodged modest success.  Still, much remains to be done.  

The Kona Kai Ea Chapter has arrived to serve as a vehicle for those with the passion, vision, and commitment to take care care of what they love.   There is much to be done: Protecting special places, minimizing plastics, securing beach access, mentoring troubled teens through ocean activities, educating children and adults on sustainable resource consumption and disposal.  A host of other vital issues can be pursued under the aegis of Surfrider.   As Dr. Labenz said, “Surfrider is an empowerment organization.”  Its goals are the choices of its members.

If you want to learn more about Surfrider on the Big Island, you can browse the Kona Kai Ea Chapter on Facebook.  Elections for the new Big Island Surfrider Executive Council will take place in early 2010.  The youngest chapter in the islands will only be the sum total of its members.  It is up to Big Islanders what this chapter will become.  If the evolution of Surfrider on the neighbor islands is any indication, there is much good work to be done.