Surf Rider Foundation & Smart Fin

Barry, Wounded Warriors is a "charitable" organization that gives you no "rights" whatsoever except possibly the right to waste your money.

IMO THIS is despicable...spending about half of the donated money on the deserving veterans and spending 40% on bull**** lavish expenses for the WW executives.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/03/1...top-executives-amid-spending-controversy.html

 

blah blah blah... ...yawn...
I could care less if you, or anybody here thinks I'm cool, or queer.

 

Actually I think Barry was doing the conflating. Fungus made a post about the WW organization, and Barry seemed to imply he was disparaging about actual wounded veterans, which I don't think Fungus was.

 

You are without a doubt the dumbest person on this forum. I wasn't saying anything about vets moron but ww as an org. Just try to follow along.

 

I do think, scotty, both you and fungus are right. My bad.
And I was aware that Wounded Warrior isn't what it represents itself to be; just forgot about that factoid.

Barry, the Dumb ass.....as fungus declares.

 

o barry Capt has OG status too.

 

Wow, you're really making progress.
Hey, no one is perfect. I too am a dumbass! I live in south Florida and call myself a surfer. Dumbass surfer. Fact.

 

I don't like surf-rider. They want to get rid of groins, which basically turn a close out section of beach into great waves. It's why NJ has so many breaks. Sand collects on the side of jetties/groins from the long-shore current causing waves to break at an angle, thus creating great waves and they also allow you to get out easier when it's huge. Without groins/jetties nj/long island would have 1/20th the descent breaks they have right now and crowding issues would be insane.

We don't have many groins/piers/jetties at our beaches and you can see the result up here. Lots of close outs at most beaches.

With all the crap/pollution being thrown into the ocean and these clowns are worried about jetties because they are "unnatural". A surfboard is unnatural. Maybe we should ride rafts made of bark.

I'm all for clean water and public ocean access, but they lose me with stuff like that so I don't support them.

 

- The OCMD chapter is still around.
- Your local chapter runs on what the people who show up want to do. If beach access and clean-ups is your thing, then show up and I am sure they would be more than happy to work with you on it. If you have another issue that aligns with Surfrider, I am sure they would be willing to help. Provided you want to work, too.
- The Army Corps of Engineers ceased hard structure (groins) approaches decades ago. Surfrider in Delaware has supported groin repairs and improvements in the past and continue to do so. The Corps doesn't have much of a budget for new groins, or anything else for that matter.
- There is no such thing as a perfect organization. If you seek it out, there is always something you can ***** about and make an excuse not to be involved.
- Plastic bags (and other single use plastics) suck. If everyone did the right thing perhaps we wouldn't need laws but that just isn't realistic. I am sure polluters like paper mills, power plants, and sewage treatment facilities would just do the right thing without any public pressure or laws. Not.
- Surfriders more recent success' has been with beach access issues.
- Surfrider National has also been way more receptive to what local chapters wish to focus on in recent years.

 

7-10 years ago during the battle over access in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Surfrider aligned with the Southern Law Center and environmental groups (Sierra club, etc) that fought the surfers, fishermen and others who wanted to keep the access to the beach and waves -for both pedestrians and ORVs. At that point they ceased being an org that was fighting for surfers IMO.
JTS

 

There will always be failures due to human stupidity. But the beat goes on. Fight for Mother O in your own way, get your licks in. There are other groups in your area that are more effective. Support them. Surfrider was organized to be a confederacy of local chapters,some are great and some suck. But the forces that want to monopolize the beach access to build condos, and spew poison into the ocean for industry and make bank off of old technology such as fossil fuel and rip rap are the impediments in the growth of our planet. Be on the right side of history. Or not. Its a free country we live in, full of choices.

 

This^^^

When they became an environmentalist group (which is exactly what they are now IMHO), and ceased to be
primarily about protecting surf breaks and access (which I will admit they still do some of), they lost me and my money.

 

I must say that if Surfrider said, "we give you little poopie bags to pick up garbage on the beaches, and the perfect opportunity to pick up hot granola chicks", I would join, if I were young and stupid.
1) But they don't provide hot chicks,
2) and I am no longer young and stupid.

Other than that, i get the impression they have become useless.

just saying.

 

In name only maybe, but unwanted an ineffective.

 

What you may not realize is that you stumbled into the reason why Surfrider is losing support. They became a nutjob environmentalist group instead of a beach access and clean beaches group. They crossed over into a political realm where you piss off half of the population.

Someone mentioned their stance regarding Hatteras Island. In that case they went against the surfers of Hatteras Island because the radical environmental agenda always comes first.

 

Around 6 years ago surfers standing @ our local surf break asking why Surfrider wasn't doing anything to improve our local surf break!

After some lengthy research locally, regionally and nationally; Surfrider Foundation is the only organization who advertises representing our interests. Their is or was Surfer's Alliance, information on them is so stale dated appeared no longer active and other small local Surf Clubs like OC Surf Club. Considering how enormous our industry is, SR is all we have to serve surfers interests.


Several years ago Surfrider Foundation had a East Coast Convention in OC, MD, new CEO Chad Nelsen flew in from California.

Chad opened the meeting with promotional speech and ended with asking the audience if they had any questions for him. No body raised their hand so I seized the opportunity some of you have already posted of your feelings/attitude/reputation of Surfrider.


Chad, I have a question, Surfrider was founded by a group of surfers saving Malibu's famous surf break from bull dozers. Surfers have abandoned Surfrider Foundation because they are NOT doing enough to save surf breaks and ever increasing issues with beach replenishment destroying sand bars, so what is SR going to do to bring surfers back in the "fold" of original SR mission? You could have heard a pin drop in that convention hall, Chad was the newly elected or appointed CEO so has to hear and answer the tough questions. Now a few years later all I can remember, Chad stated many challenges ahead of him. While I had access to SR Staff web site, have not observed any SR HQ structural changes to address and provide expertise for surfing community concerns. Chad like other HQ Staff do surf, they are very bright so don't understand why they can't engage themselves why SR was founded in the first place?



We all want clean water and clean beaches; so while surfers were abandoning SR, environmental members filled Staff positions and memberships. Surfrider Foundation has been stuck in that "gear" for quite some time and unable to move forward in my opinion. SR has a Board member who retired from Army Corp. but their is no HQ Staff or Regional SR Staffer who cascades issues/concerns for surfers much less leads/trains Chapter Volunteers to address these items at meetings. In some if not most cases, surfers are "free spirited" much easier to drive farther to catch a wave that deal with organize attempt to repair/maintain local surf breaks. Many of you have already expressed your disdain so far; I'm not faulting that as I hope SR is listening.


If SR was the catalyst addressing surfing would you financially support them? We should, memberships alone can not sustain a National organization, another shock I learned from Chad during further discussions at the Convention. If you open up any surfing magazine all those manufactures who feed off us contribute millions to top 10 and surfing competitions than to organizations like Surfrider. That's F*CK UPED, the revenue stream of these publicly traded and private owned companies is beyond believe as so little is given back to those who are trying to preserve it. SR does have a few major contributors but not what it should be compared so many like national organizations funding sources.


Surfrider environmental campaigns outweigh maintaining surfable beaches and to retreat on a platform of calling "Surfing Access" to public beach in California serving the needs of surfers doesn't mean much on our coast. I want you to do better than hang your hat on just one surfing related campaign. We must understand SR must pick and choose your battles as they do drain your funding but its so un-balanced if you studied regional conflicts in New Jersey, Delaware and Florida where little resources and attention was provided SR Chapters and surfers.

 

I stood up to the CEO of Surfrider Foundation to send a message and hope Chad has not forgotten it, many factors do influence how the SR will develop a action plan to address surfers and I hope they do? If SR fades away, nothing will replace them, it just doesn't exist.


We must support SR in spite of their short comings with hope we don't remain the silent majority ......................................

 

1) Hope they fade away...and fast.
2) We must NOT support SR,
3) Your post is moronic.
4) buh bye.

 

Same with Clean Ocean Action.
A good cause gone bad because of political agendas and because the majority of beach (non local) users just don't give a flying fuk. Most will never realize cause and effect of their actions upon the environment and don't care.
I've spent a lot of time with both organizations and have felt fulfilled during my time with these organizations and we felt like we actually accomplished something but when you come to grips with the tasks at hand and all the hoops you need to jump through; is it worth your time and effort?, sure, but don't expect a pat on the back.

 

BC,

# 3 is a stretch ...............


Now I'm reminded why I don't post, spent 5 years with SR, my 2 cents from inside and outside previous experience on Board of multi-million dollar environmental group so know the Industry well enough to make comparisons as never been accused of throwing mud against the wall hoping it would stick.

Your contempt of SR is shared by so many, those are challenges for not only SR but any ORG who looses direction ................