Global Headquarters
P.O. Box 6010
San Clemente, CA
USA 92674-6010
Phone: (949) 492 8170
Fax: (949) 492 8142
Email: info@surfrider.org
www.surfrider.org

Surfrider Foundation
MISSION STATEMENT
The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves
and beaches through a powerful activist network.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
The Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1984 a group of surfers from Malibu, California, who were
concerned about the health risks associated with environmental threats posed by escalating coastal
development at their favorite surf spot. In the years since, the Surfrider Foundation has grown into
one of the nation’s largest volunteer-activist, grassroots, and environmental organizations.

Surfrider Foundation’s first chapters were formed in 1991. Since then, our activist network has
grown to more than 100 chapters worldwide. Each of our Chapters continue to be volunteer-driven
and coordinated by our Global office, with activists implementing environmental advocacy
campaigns and our national programs such as Rise Above Plastics and the Clean Water Program.

The Surfrider Foundation’s Global Headquarters is located in San Clemente, California. There are 47
paid staff whose primary functions are to assist the grassroots chapters and membership. Our
chapters are all volunteer-based as is our 15-member Board of Directors.

INITIATIVES
For 30 years the Surfrider Foundation has focused its core activities and campaigns on Water
Quality, Beach Access, Coastal Preservation, and Ocean Protection.

Water Quality
Surfrider Foundation volunteers, activists and members strive to prevent further pollution of our
oceans, and to restore ocean health to the baseline that existed before industrialization. Surfrider
Foundation’s Clean Water Initiative focuses on protecting water quality in coastal watersheds and in
the near-shore marine environment. The Surfrider Foundation advocates for strong water quality
regulations, adequate marine recreational water quality monitoring, reporting and posting, the
reduction of polluted discharges into the ocean and education regarding personal responsibility for
the reduction of water pollution.

Coastal Preservation
Beaches are unique coastal environments that hold ecological, recreational and economic value.
Over the years, human activities and development in coastal areas have increased, making the need
for preservation of beaches more apparent. Surfrider Foundation’s Beach Preservation Initiative
focuses on protecting beaches through conservation and responsible coastal management that
avoids the creation of coastal hazards or erosion problems, and supports research and science-
based management of coastal resources to promote sustainable, long term planning and
preservation of beach environments including public access.
Beach Access
Beaches are one of the most popular public resources. In nearly every state, some portion of the
beach is public land, which means that all members of the public have a right to use that portion of
the beach. Unfortunately, the land where people park and where they enjoy the beach is privately
owned, making availability questionable. The Surfrider Foundation’s Beach Access Initiative
promotes the right to low-impact, free and open access to the world’s waves and beaches for all
people. It is simply not equitable for only some people to have access to the oceans and beaches,
which are public resources to be enjoyed by all people.

Ocean Protection
Coastal environments are a maze of interconnected zones including the open ocean, near shore
water, beaches, estuaries and coastal watersheds. While some of these places have been
designated for permanent protection as wilderness areas, parks, reserves, preserves, conservation
areas and sanctuaries, less than one percent of our marine environment has any protected status.
Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Protection Initiative is designed to identify and protect ocean and
coastal places through the establishment of marine protected areas. In addition, waves and surf
breaks are natural recreational resources worthy of protection, and this initiative focuses on raising
awareness about the importance of waves not only recreationally, but ecologically as well.

THE POWER OF GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM

The Surfrider Foundation is the one of the world’s largest non-profit organizations dedicated to the
protection and preservation of our coastlines. Surfrider Foundation members are powerful
spokespeople and caretakers of the ocean environment. The Surfrider Foundation now maintains
over 250,000 supporters, activists and members worldwide. Together with our network of 100
chapters and global staff, the Surfrider Foundation dedicates countless hours to raising awareness
about threats facing our beaches today.

In 2006, the Foundation set an ambitious goal to attain 150 coastal victories by the end of 2010. On
December 1, 2010, the organization successfully achieved this milestone when the Obama
administration announced that it would ban new offshore drilling in the continental United States for
the next seven years. This victory, along with the 149 additional coastal victories since 2006,
exemplifies the power and effectiveness of grassroots activism.

OUR STRATEGIC PLAN

The Surfrider Foundation’s Strategic Plan paints a crisp picture of the organization’s vision, which
are healthy coasts. We believe this vision is ambitious, specific, unifying, inspirational, explanatory,
measurable and – most importantly – capable of positively empowering our mission: the protection
and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network.

We have identified three organizational goals that support our core strategy, mission and vision:
• Increase the number and scale of coastal victories by at least 10% per year.
• Support our chapters and activists by increasing and maintaining the tools and services
needed to grow our constituency, deepen the commitment to our mission, and
ultimately yield more coastal victories.
• Scale the network by creating and maintaining many avenues to engage, educate and
inspire the Surfrider Foundation network.

ABOUT SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and
enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. Founded
in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains
over 250,000 supporters, activists and members worldwide. For more information on the Surfrider
Foundation, visit surfrider.org.