2018 Year in Review: Surfrider Foundation, Jersey Shore Chapter!
2018 was another great year for our Chapter and the Jersey Shore as a whole! We cleaned more beaches than ever before, raised money for worthy causes, continued the fight for beach access, helped to educate the public on plastic pollution, gained new members and had a lot of fun doing it!
This year, our Chapter held monthly cleanups up and down the coast. In total, we removed thousands of pounds of trash with the help of over 400 volunteers! Special thanks to Mike Castellano, our new cleanup coordinator, who organized and worked with Monmouth County on each event.
Before we move on to 2019, we would like to “wrap up” some of the highlights of this year:
ASBURY NORTH BEACH WINTER CLEANUP
The Chapter partnered with Philly Surf Crew in February for an epic beach cleanup at Asbury Park’s North Beach! In total, we collected 980 pounds of trash with the help of over 80 volunteers!
HANDS ACROSS THE SAND
We had a great Hands Across the Sand event in May with the Sierra Club. Hands across the Sand was started by a Surfrider Foundation member in Florida and has grown into its own organization and a worldwide movement. Our event was one of 100 events in the US and there were some in other countries.
A PLASTIC OCEAN SCREENINGS
The chapter screened the film “A Plastic Ocean” in Bradley Beach and Asbury Park this year. "A Plastic Ocean” follows a team of scientists and researchers as they travel to twenty locations around the world to explore the fragile state of our oceans, uncover alarming truths about plastic pollution, and reveal working solutions that can be put into immediate effect.
The Asbury Park screening was provided in connection with our push to pass plastic ordinances in Asbury Park. The event was planned with a 30 minute Q&A session on the harmful effects of plastics. Special thanks to the AP Council members who attended!
ASBURY PARK BALLOON ORDINANCE
In September, the Asbury Park city council passed an ordinance to ban the intentional release of balloons! We would like to thank Asbury Park for listening to our guidance and taking action to curb plastic pollution!
NJ SENATE PASSES PUBLIC ACCESS BILL S1074
The Jersey Shore Chapter advocated for the passage of the “Public Access Bill” (S.1074) which passed 36-4 on June 21, 2018!
The Legislature’s action to codify the state’s obligations and duties under the Public Trust Doctrine will strengthen efforts to ensure that the public has full access to, and use of, the shoreline, tidal waters and other areas subject to the Public Trust.
Thanks to the New Jersey Senate, we are one step closer to passing this Bill! We are currently working on passing the bill in the Assembly.
SHARK RIVER CLEANUP
The Jersey Shore chapter held a cleanup in Belmar on the Shark River on June 24, 2018! Together we collected 100 pounds of trash! Special thanks to our friends at Sanuk footwear for helping out, and Beach Haus Brewery for hosting the meetup!
EMERGENCY CLEANUP IN DEAL
An emergency beach cleanup in Deal was held in July (Roosevelt Ave.) after needles and other debris washed ashore last week collected about 100 pounds of rubbish, most of it plastic.
Two Deal police officers also pitched in as the volunteers scooped up countless numbers of plastic straws, cups, bottles and lids off the sand and dunes.
INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY
In September, the Chapter held a cleanup at Ideal Beach in Keansburg on International Coastal Cleanup Day! We had a great time, with over 100 volunteers, and removed approximately 1,240 pounds of trash!
ASBURY PARK FAMILY DAY
August 2018 – The Chapter held our 12th annual Family Day at the North Beach of Asbury Park for a free day of surf lessons, food and fun for local kids! The event was a success thanks to Diana Pittet and all of our volunteers. It was amazing to see so many kids stand up and surf their first wave! We can’t wait until next year!
SEA.HEAR.NOW FESTIVAL IN ASBURY PARK
The Surfrider Foundation: Jersey Shore Chapter teamed up with C3 Presents and the crew at the Sea.Hear.Now festival in Asbury Park to Rock & Recycle throughout the festival! We reduced by staffing the water stations filling any vessel people wanted to refill with water. We reused by filling those water bottles over and over again thereby keeping over 70,000 single use water bottles from being used and discarded. We also recycled thousands of aluminum cans, with the help of audience members, and kept the event as green as possible. Thanks to everyone’s work, we heard that it was the cleanest & greenest festival Asbury has ever seen!
EAST COAST CHAPTER CONFERENCE
In October, our chapter met with chapters up and down the east coast for our annual East Coast chapter conference in Virginia Beach, gaining skills and knowledge from Surfrider staff and other volunteers. It was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate all the good work that happened in 2018, and plan for more wins in 2019.
ASBURY PARK PASSES RESOLUTION TO STOP iSTAR
On November 8, 2018, after 2.5 hours of public comment requesting iStar to stop construction at the North Beach in Asbury Park, the City Council ultimately passed a resolution forcing iStar to cease and desist construction and recommended renegotiation of the city’s 2002 Waterfront Redevelopment Plan.
The Jersey Shore Chapter would like to thank all those who came to the meeting and voiced their concerns. You were truly heard. The organizers did an amazing job: Kathleen Mumma, Catherine Murphy, Kerry Butch, Madeline Monaco, Pam Lamberton, Joyce Grant, Melanie Holzberg, Kay Harris, Robert LoBiondo, Paula Schildge, Reverend Gil Caldwell, and our own Diana Pittet & Bill “Doc” Rosenblatt made it happen!
SURFRIDER HOLIDAY HANGOUT!
The Chapter held our annual Holiday Party at Last Wave Brewery in Point Pleasant Beach on December 8! Big thanks to everyone who came out for such a fun time. Dentist (band) performed live and Ken Dannecker of Philly Surf Crew donated the delicious homemade food. Congrats to Heather Del Buono for winning the Eric Arakawa custom board!!! See you in 2019!!!!
Here are more photos to recap the year:
