Surf on Up to a National Beach Clean Up!

One inspirational National foundation is the Surfrider Foundation. It was founded by a group of surfers in California in 1984, and it has since grown to a national organization of ocean lovers and activists. The Foundation has over 80 chapters across the country. There are four chapters in New York: Eastern End of Long Island, Central Long Island, New York City, and the new Great Lakes chapters.

"The East End of Long Island includes the North and South Fork. 'From Moriches to Montauk' is what we usually say!" Says Jenna Schwerzmann

The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches; for all people, through a powerful activist network. They focus their efforts on five top priority issues: plastic pollution, ocean protection, beach access, coastal preservation, and clean water.

The Surfrider Foundation volunteers are the heart and soul of the organization, as the volunteers help run programs and campaigns that advocate for the local environment. People join the Surfrider community because they truly care about the ocean. Their members want to protect it from future environmental harm, and make sure the beaches are clean and accessible for generations to come.

Some recent activities by the local Eastern End Volunteers include the assistance and support for the East Hampton town as they prepared to lead a ban on the sale of helium balloons. The organization also pushed for banning other single-use plastics that we usually pick up from the beaches like straws, plastic bags, and styrofoam in our local towns, which led to bigger changes in the county and state-wide. Surfrider Foundation regularly runs beach cleanups all over the East End of Long Island, and they have a water testing program that ensures our local beaches are safe for swimming and surfing.

If you would like to join the next cleanup, it will take place in Westhampton Beach, Saturday, January 8th from 12pm to 2pm. The meeting will be in the parking lot of Rogers Beach. If you are unavailable, then they have a full calendar of events available on their chapter website where volunteers can sign up to participate. Help the Surfrider Foundation in ensuring our clean, beautiful oceans. easternli.surfrider.org