International Surfing Day - Saturday, June 20, 2009

Please contact Stephanie (stephanie_rousso@yahoo.com for more information or to volunteer for this event.

After Party Sponsored by MySurfari

May 2009 Chapter Meeting Minutes

 Guest Speaker

Marty Healey from DEP spoke about water quality, desalinization plants and the Matazas Inlet access issue.

There may be a possible field trip in the works for Surfrider to the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM Research Reserve). Details are still to be worked out.

Awards & Donations

The JaxPride Award was displayed and passed around to the membership.

A $290 donation was made by Paulie Gregg to Surfrider. He has worked on numerous events for us and we thank Paulie for the check.

International Surf Day

International Surf Day was discussed. The membership was once again reminded that it is going to be held on Saturday June 20^th. The event is led by Stephanie Russo and Paul Hayden will be assisting. Please contact Stephanie (stephanie_rousso@yahoo.com )  for more information or to volunteer for this event.

•    Sisters of the Sea will be working at the life guard station.

•    We still need volunteers! A signup sheet was passed around and it’s still possibly to sign up. Water, gloves and bags will be provided and Michael Poolt from MySurfari  will host a party at The LandShark which will be the HQ for this event.

Black Tie & Baggies

Black Tie and Baggies final report was given. We asked that if anyone has any pictures, please send them in to us at firstcoastsurfrider.org and we will have them posted.

•    The Chapter netted over $3,500 and the proceeds to be spent on the following:

•    Upkeep of equipment

•    Educational materials

•    Feather banners

•    T-shirts - Three designs will be tried out on a small batch basis

•    Business Cards - Which are easier to carry than pamphlets

•    Shelving for storage

Pictures from the event are now on-line for your viewing pleasure. They are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/firstcoastsurfrider/sets/72157618114726130/ Thanks to George Arco for processing and posting them and Stephanie Rousso for providing the camera.

 Camping Trip

Surfrider camping trip is still alive. We are thinking about a September time frame

 Longboard Contest

Surfrider longboard contest scheduled for this fall. We are still looking for sponsors and volunteers. The Committee will start their meetings after ISD

 Beach CleanUp

First Coast Surfrider held their April beach cleanup last Saturday April 25th. Because if the opening of the beaches there had already been two groups cleaning up the beach. However, the beach isn’t only sand. After the cleanup we went surfing and Amanda and David had their first surf lessons. Congrats guys on starting the best bad habit you will ever have. We are planning on either surfing or some other kind of get together after all of our beach cleanups so if you have a surfboard, by all means bring it with you.

Next beach cleanup is May 23^rd at 9am just north of the Pier in Jax Beach.  If conditions allow, we will be surfing after the cleanup. Bring your boards.

Other

Paul Hayden and I were on First Coast Forum a Public Access show for the Cox Radio network.  We were interviewed by a really nice guy named Orphan Andrew regarding the environment. It aired last Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the times from them by air time.

 A White Trash Bash is planned for July 3^rd, Contact Evangeline Zamm  (chulazamm@aol.com) for more info

Tonya Beaver, one of the sponsors of the BT&B Gala was introduced. She has some pictures on her web site ( www.tonyabeaverphotography.com ).

Damon Williams, a member and someone who has always given Surfrider incredible support by donating his art works was also introduced (but had already left for the evening). 

Please support our sponsors as they have supported every one of us in Surfrider. We’ve been incredibly lucky in that these folks have been very generous to us in a bad economy.

Black Tie & Baggies Recap

The First Coast Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation held its 4th Annual Black Tie & Baggies Gala on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at the Atlantic in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.  The event was a great success and we could not have done it without the support of the sponsors and the community!

Close to 200 people attended the event.  Many people were dressed to the nines and signed up for our Best Dressed Contest. Winners for Best Dressed Man, Woman, and Couple received a unique piece of artwork by Damon Williams.  Eight year old Wesley Douglass won Best Dressed Man; Tammy Barley won Best Dressed Woman; and Tim and Lori Cassidy won Best Dressed Couple.

Paco’s Mexican Grill was our title sponsor again this year and donated the catering for the event.  The band, B-Liminal from Jupiter, Florida, rocked the house with their Sublime style music.  We also had a fashion show with styles from the local boutique Rosie True. 

After costs, we were able to raise close to $3000.  The money came from the cover charge at the door, raffle ticket sales, and the silent auction.  “This was our largest fundraising event to date,” stated Ed Cronin, Chairman of the First Coast Chapter.  The silent auction and raffle were a huge success thanks to our sponsors including Surf Sanctuary, Damon Williams, SurfFanatics.com, Tim Chew Surfboards, Tonya Beaver Photography, MySurfari, Sunrise Surf Shop, Cycle Spectrum, AquaEast, Kayak Adventures, Ripple Effect, Massage Envy, Jacksonville Zoo, TacoLu, Cabos Island Pizza, Sun Deli, Half Moon Bay Trading Company, and more.

            “The event was a huge success,” stated Valerie Zevens, chairman of the event committee.  “It’s amazing what we can do with the help of a dedicated committee and the generosity of local businesses and the community.” 

If anyone has any pictures, please send them in to us at firstcoast@surfrider.org and we will have them posted. - Thanks  EC

April Beach Clean Up Results

First Coast Surfrider held their April beach cleanup last Saturday, April 25th. We’d like to thank the following volunteers for their time and efforts:

•  Paul Hayden
• Amanda Stout
• Jay Ford
• David Hunt
• Donald Ster
• Donny Barley
• Evangeline Zamm
• Matt, Wylie and Angie Sparks

 Because of the opening of the beachse there had already been two groups cleaning up the beach. However, the beach isn’t only sand. We cleaned up along First Street and the parking lots along that road. We picked up more than 100 lbs of trash. Some of the stranger pieces of trash were:

• A bike seat
• Bib and pacifier
• Three wheeled skateboard
• Nickle plated earing
• Calculator

 After the cleanup we went surfing and Amanda and David had their first surf lessons. Congrats guys on starting the best bad habit you will ever have! We are planning on either surfing or some other kind of get together after all of our beach cleanups so if you have a surfboard, by all means bring it with you.

 Thanks again,

 Ed Cronin

Chairman, First Coast Chapter

Surfrider Foundation

April Meeting Minutes

Minutes for the First Coast Surfrider Chapter Meeting that met at Cabo’s on 4/14/2009 at 7:00PM for the purpose of the Monthly Chapter Meeting.

Total members in attendance: 20
Guest speakers: Emily from the Guana (GTM) Reserve
Presiding Chairperson: Ed Cronin

Guest Speaker

Emily Montgomery from Guana Reserve (GTM) spoke about the Coastal Training Program. The Guana Reserve has about 60,000 acres on it most of which is submerged land. They work with NOAA and have education, biology, and facilities (ranger) programs. They have an educational center by the Gate Station that includes a life size replica of a right whale. It costs $2 for adults and $1 for children to enter the education center. They work with the schools to provide educational trips to the center.
  The Coastal Training Program is for businesses and community officials. The purpose is to educate them on environmentally conscious efforts in their businesses. The other purpose is to better equip them with environmental knowledge when it comes to making decisions. The program is always looking for ways to get other environmental organizations involved.

Past Events

• The Beach Cleanup on March 21st was successful. We had 20 volunteers from Surfrider and Sisters of the Sea. We collected 120 lbs of trash. The most unusual item collected was a small cardboard box with writing all over it criticizing someone. We did not get to surf due to poor surf conditions.
• The Springing in the Blues Festival was on April 4th and 5th. We had our booth at the surf contest on Saturday. Thanks to Ed Cronin, Val Zevens, Donny Barley, Julie Lawler, and George Arco for manning the tent. Thanks to Stephanie Rousso for volunteering. We spoke to 10 people about our chapter.
• The Beach Blast 2009 was on March 29th at the St. Augustine Pier. The event was a success. Adam did a great job.
• The Surfrider / Sisters of the Sea Summer Kickoff Concert on April 10th had a great turnout. Brett Bass from Grandpa’s Cough Medicine won the Dean Guitar raffle. The concert was broadcast on www.synclive.com and is still available for viewing.  Thanks to SyncLive and Paulie Gregg for putting on the event.  The final donation amount will be presented at the next meeting. 

Upcoming Events

• Beach Cleanup – The next one will be held on 4/25 at the Jax Beach Pier at 9am. After the cleanup, we will have a group paddle out – don’t forget to bring your boards!

• Black Tie & Baggies is this weekend (4/18) from 7 PM to 10 PM at the Atlantic.  You don’t want to miss this event.  $10 at the door gets you great food from Paco’s and live music from B-Liminal, as well as a fashion show from Rosie True and the chance to win great prizes!

•  International Surf Day is on June 20^th.  Stephanie Rousso will be leading this event with help from Paul Hayden.  Sisters of the Sea have volunteered to be the site captain at the Jax Beach Lifeguard station site.  We would like to have 4 other sites.  We need volunteers for site captains and for the event in general.  Water, gloves, and bags will be provided.  Michael Poolt will be hosting a party for the event at the Landshark Café.  It will be a luau/BBQ.  All Surfrider and Sisters of the Sea members will get in free. 

•  The Regional Surfrider Conference and Art Auction are scheduled for 10/16-17 at Jax Beach. We are looking to reschedule our amateur Ohana Longboard Contest for the 18^th the day following the regional meeting. 

Recognition

The following companies were recognized for their generous donations to chapter events during the past month. Please return the favor by supporting those businesses.

 •     Michael Poolt of Mysurfari donated $400 from the MySurfari Kickoff Party on March 14. 

•      acme donated $10 from CD sales at the Surfrider Summer Kickoff Concert.

•     Damon Williams is donating 6 pieces of artwork to the BT&B event totaling $900.  

Other

•   Surfers vs. Fisherman at the Pier – Mickey Ross from EPIC Surf Ministries will join Ed Cronin in discussions.  Please keep in mind that both sides are causing issues.  Be sure that you are part of the solution and not part of the problem. 

•   Matanzas Inlet Access Issue – The root cause of the issue is bird nesting.  Varied authority (state and county) is also causing confusion.  We are still gathering information about this issue. 

The Camping Trip is still being looked at.  We are thinking of doing it at Talbot as it’s far enough away to be away, but close enough to home for emergencies.  We are also thinking of doing the trip in the fall. 

•   We have won the JaxPride award from the City of Jacksonville.  Thanks to John Shellhorn for submitting the application for us.  Donny Barley will be attending the luncheon to accept the award. 

•   We received a Thank You from Jax Beach Elementary School for participating in Family Science Night.

•   If you have ideas for future speakers, please contact Ed Cronin.  We have been approached by the Army Corps of Engineers and have also been suggested to bring in a speaker from BEAKS. 

•   New Attendees – Welcome to Eric & Stephanie Simcox!

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held at this same venue on 5/12/09. Cabos is on 8^th St S. and 3^rd Ave. in Jax Beach. The meeting will start at 7:00PM.

April Updates & Info

March Chapter Meeting Minutes

Minutes for the First Coast Surfrider Chapter Meeting that met at Cabo’s on 3/9 at 7pm.

Total Members in attendance:  24

Guest speakers: Michael Poolt of Mysurfari and Andrew Miller from the Mayport Village Association

Presiding Chairperson: Ed Cronin

Guest Speakers

As Andrew Miller from the Mayport Village Association spoke with the group about the Mayport Cruise Terminal issue, he showed us highlights of the film by Josh Hansbrough along with ideas they have for the area now that the cruise ship issue is behind them for the time being.

Michael Poolt of Mysurfari spoke with the group about their website kickoff party to be held Saturday March 14th at the Landshark. Michael again reiterated that all of the proceeds beyond their basic costs would be given to FCSR. 

Upcoming Events

• Our next beach cleanup will be held on 3/21 at 16^th Ave South at 9am. After the cleanup, we will have a group paddle out – don’t forget to bring your boards!
• It was also noted that local landscape architect, Bill Willbur of 3W Designs www.3w-designs.com would be meeting with us to possibly landscape our site at 16^th Ave South for free. Before work commences, we will need to get the landscaping plans approved by the city.       
• The Regional Surfrider meetings and art auction are scheduled for 10/16-17 at Jax Beach. We are looking to reschedule our amateur Ohana Longboard Contest for the 18^th, the day following the regional meeting.
• April 4^th and 5^th is the Springing the Blues Festival and surf contest at the Seawalk Pavilion. Paul West of the FSA has offered to let us have a tent and presence at the event.
• Beach Blast 2009 is still on for 3/29 at the St. Augustine Beach Pier. We have been invited to have a tent and presence at the event’s surf contest.
• BT&B is still on for April 18th and we need volunteers to assist in soliciting donations for the event. Members were asked to think outside of the box. We will be glad to accept cash, goods or services from most businesses and will recognize those businesses for their support. 

Recognition

The following companies were recognized for their generous donations to chapter events during the past month. Please return the favor by supporting those businesses.

• Aqua East www.aquaeast.com Donated two kayak rentals.
• Rachael Austin from Kayak Adventures www.kayakjacksonville.com Donated a kayak trip.
• Nothing but Soul www.nothingbutsoulclothing.com Donated $125.00.
• Paco’s Mexican Grill. http://www.pacosmexicangrill.com will be the premier sponsor for our fourth annual BT&B event. This is the second straight year Paco’s has sponsored the event and not only will they be donating the food, but also have donated $1,000 for the event.
• MySurfari’s www.Mysurfari.com Michael Poolt donated a beautiful and large mounted photo for BT&B.
• Surf Fanatics www.Surffanatics.com (John Sabo) donated $300 in gift certificates and a surf travel package (board bag, leash, track pad).
• Sunrise www.Sunrisesurfshop.com donated a Sector 9 skate board.
• Cycle Spectrum www.Cyclespectrum.com on 13th South and 3rd donated a Mango Beach Cruiser.
• Surf Sanctuary www.Surfsanctuary.com is donating a week stay.
• Tim Chew is donating a surfboard for the BT&B.

Other Business

• Beach walkover clean-ups - At this time there have been no dates set for an organized clean-up by the city. We have asked them to contact us in the event that they need our help.
• The Palm Beach Chapter of Surfrider, The Snook Foundation, Eastern Surfing Association and the City of Lake Worth FL in a precedent setting trial against the Town of Palm Beach and the DEP, defeated a plan for a dredge and fill project planned for the beach/surfing areas surrounding the Lake Worth Pier.
• Sea Oats Project-The Environmental Law Community Action Team and the Florida Coastal School of Law will be planting sea oats at the beaches on April 4^th. It will be led by Georgine Althouse gmalthouse@fcsl.edu. Please contact Georgine for details.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held at this same venue on 4/14/09. Cabos is on 8^th St S and 3^rd Ave. in Jax Beach. The meeting will start at 7:00PM. 

MySurfari Party, March 14th @ Landshark

Proceeds going to First Coast Surfrider!  Come out for a good time and a good cause. 

February Meeting Minutes

General Info

As Andrew Miller from the Mayport Village Association was not available to join us to speak about the Mayport Cruise Terminal issue due to his having to attend an important city council meeting on the subject, Val Zevens discussed her Sisters of The Sea group and talked of their upcoming contest and joint SOS/FCSR BBQ to be held in September. 

Upcoming Events

•  Our next beach cleanup will be held on 3/21.
•  The MySurfari kickoff party is still scheduled for 3/14.
•  The Regional Surfrider meetings and art auction are scheduled for 10/16-17 at Jax Beach.
•  A fundraising event for the fight against the Mayport cruise terminal was scheduled for 2/12 at The Atlantic Theatre. Admission was $7.00 and included a shrimp platter.
• Val Zevens and Erin Handy gave an update of the upcoming BT&B event to be held on 4/18. We are still looking for sponsors and it was suggested that people who have ideas for them call Val.
• Paul Hayden gave an update of the planned 1^st Annual FCSR Ohana pro/am longboard contest that will be held on 5/24. We are still looking for sponsors. Paul also announced the t-shirt design contest. The details of that contest will be posted on the web-site and any submissions or questions can be sent to Paul.

Guest Speaker

Paul Hayden introduced Tony Iannarone from Clean Ocean Surfboards who talked about his company as well as his ideas on shaping. Tony has been nice enough to agree to donate a board for the upcoming longboard contest as well as for the 25^th anniversary of Surfider Foundation. 

Other Business

• During the meeting local shaper, Tim Chew, also made an offer to donate a surfboard to the chapter for a future event. As Tim was not introduced formally we plan to recognized him at our next meeting. Many thanks go to Tim and Tony  for their generosity and support and let’s be sure to continue to support them and their organizations as well as all of our sponsors and donors. 
• Donny Barley discussed the booth and activities at the recent MOSH Water Educational Festival on 2/7. There were over 3,500 people who visited the event and we got a lot of traffic at our both. Donny thanked all of our volunteers.
• Our treasurer, Donald Ster, noted that we have finally paid off our debt to the attorney that helped us with the Ponte Vedra lawsuit. He is also getting all of our finances up to date.
• Donny Barley introduced Mike “Doc” Christnacht from the Coast Guard Auxiliary who has offered to help us with our relations with the local Coast Guard.
• Donny also introduced John Shelhorn, who announced that our chapter was in the running for the Keep Jacksonville Beautiful Commission annual award in the Organization category for our efforts to help keep the city clean. Many thanks to John in putting together the proposal.
• We had a number of new members in attendance who unfortunately were not recognized formally. They are Kelly and Jon Weelis, Tim Chew, David Hunt, Kurtis Lofftus, Ian Guthrie. Andy Loschiavo, and Matt Hauch. Thank you all for coming and we hope to see you at future meetings and events. If we forgot anyone, our apologies and please let us know you were there so we can recognize you properly.
• Erin Handy gave an update on Right Whales and told people where they could go to report sightings. People can either contact the Marineland people or our chapter EC members.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held at Cabo’s Pizza on 3/10/09. Cabos is on 8^th St. south and 3^rd Ave. in Jax Beach. The meeting will start at 7:00PM. 

Black Tie & Baggies Date Announced

• April 18, 2009
• 7PM - 10PM
• The Atlantic in Jax Beach
• Live Entertainment 
• Fashion Show
• Prizes

More details to come.

Interested in volunteering for the event? Want to be a sponsor or donate items to the raffle? Contact us.