Merry Surf

Feliz navidad!

Dear Reader, Wishing you the greenest of holidays into 2009!

Keeping Chile: A New Coastkeeper

In partnership with FIMA (Fiscalia del Medio Ambiente) and Waterkeeper Alliance, Save The Waves Coalition is now starting a permanent new nonprofit environmental program to protect the Chilean coast: the Maule Itata Coastkeeper. This is Chile's first member program of the New York-based Waterkeeper Alliance, who have grassroots environmental programs in over 180 countries.



Rodrigo de la O, a Chilean activist, fisherman, strawberry farmer and lover of his coast, is the person representing the Maule Coastkeeper on the beaches and in the ocean waters of Chile's 7th and 8th regions. We will officially launch this program on the beach in Curanipe in February 2009 with a ceremony and visits from other Waterkeeper Alliance members in South America.

The mission of this Coastkeeper program is to protect coastal waters and their surrounding environment between the mouths of the Itata River and the Maule River in southern Chile through community education, environmental advocacy, aggressive litigation, citizen participation and independent scientific monitoring. WE ADVOCATE FOR CLEAN WATER AND STRONG COMMUNITIES IN COASTAL CHILE.



Please contact Save The Waves Coalition to donate your time, gear and money to this innovative new environmental program!

The Value of Waves

Save The Waves Coalition announces a groundbreaking new event, "The Value of Waves Roundtable," taking place this Friday, December 5th, 2008, in Half Moon Bay, California. This first-ever event will be at the brand-new Oceano Hotel & Spa at Pillar Point Harbor, in the shadow of the word-famous big-wave break "Mavericks." The Roundtable will bring together thought leaders and experts from multiple fields to discuss wave and coastal protection within the context of Save The Waves' new global initiative, the World Wave Sites Program.

"We're extremely excited to be hosting a gathering of experts of this magnitude," says Dean LaTourrette, executive director for Save The Waves. "These individuals are at the top of their respective fields, coming together to discuss the value of waves and coastal zones, and how to protect them. This is what Save The Waves is all about."

Participants are coming from as far as Australia, Hawaii, and from throughout the U.S., and range from environmentalists such as the Sierra Club's Mark Massara and Surfrider Foundation's Chad Nelsen, to business leaders like Reef founder and International Surfing Association president Fernando Aguerre, to writers and surf culture experts such as The Surfer's Path's Drew Kampion and author and editor Steve Hawk.

The one-day gathering will focus on a variety of topics, including the Aesthetic, Historic and Cultural Value of Waves, the Economic Value of Waves, Coastal Laws, Public Policy and Politics, Management and Conservation of Natural Surfing Resources, and the Sport of Surfing.

A full list of Guest Participants includes:

J. Nichols, Ocean Revolution
Chad Nelsen, Surfrider Foundation
Len Materman, Stanford University's Center for Ecotourism and Sustainable Dev. (CESD)
Brad Farmer, National Surfing Reserves (NSR)
Mark Massara, Sierra Club
Drew Kampion, The Surfer's Path
Ben Finney, University of Hawaii
Steve Hawk, Action Sports Group
Will Henry, Save The Waves Coalition
Chris LaFranchi, Natural Equity
Fernando Aguerre, ISA/SIMA/Surfrider Argentina
Jim Moriarty, Surfrider Foundation
Wayne Bartholomew (honorary, contributing statement)

Please note: "The Value of Waves Roundtable" is closed to the public and media attendance is by advance invitation only. For more information please contact program manager João De Macedo, joao@savethewaves.org.

About the World Wave Sites Program
The World Wave Sites Program aims to proactively designate and help preserve outstanding waves, surf zones and their surrounding environments, around the world. The program will serve as a model for preserving wave breaks and their surrounding areas throughout the world by recognizing the positive environmental, social, cultural and economic benefits of waves.

Above big wave photo: Mavericks, California by Will Henry