To help our membership feel closer to the action and what is going on in the First Coast Chapter I am planning on writing a monthly newsletter for general consumption.

As we approach summer we have already accomplished a great deal as a chapter and have a lot of activities as well as a campaign planned for the coming months.

This past month we held our annual Black Tie and Baggies gala and fund raiser. The event was great success and everyone who attended seemed to have a great time. Check out the pictures on our web-site. A great deal of thanks is due to Patrick Snyder, who headed up the event, and all of the volunteers, donors, contributors and sponsors who contributed to making the event a success.

From a part of the proceeds we will be donating $500 to the Emerald Coast Chapter who continue to conduct valuable water and beach testing in the panhandle where, despite what we all have heard, they are still experiencing problems as a result of last year’s oil spill.

Please feel free to review our calendar of events for upcoming volunteer events. This coming Saturday the 21st we will be conducting our monthly beach cleanup at 16^th Avenue South in Jax Beach at 9AM and if there are waves we will have a surfing session following the clean-up.

June looks to be busy with International Surfing Day on 6/20 and another  Hands Across the Sand Event to be held on 6/25 (we will be posting more on the event in the coming weeks and you can get more information at the HANDS official web-site). In addition to our events, the FSA will also be conducting various worthwhile events throughout the summer and need volunteers. You can find out more about them by going to the FSA web-site.

We are in the process of starting a campaign to create awareness for the value of Ocean Friendly Gardens (landscapes). The practice has already found a great following on the West Coast and is gaining some attention in Florida. We are seeking volunteers who have experience or an interest in this area. We also need to gather contact information of people and entities who can help us in our efforts. Please contact our chapter if you are interested in helping. Find out more about Ocean Friendly Gardens.

Our goal with this campaign is to create awareness and help us make the best use of our water and natural resources while reducing runoff that eventually ends up in our rivers, lakes and oceans negatively impacts them as well as the creatures that live within them or use them.

Thanks again for your interest in and support of the First Coast Chapter. We look forward to your ongoing support of our campaigns and hope to see you at future meetings and events.

Mahalo,

Paul Hayden, Chair

Surfrider Foundation

First Coast Chapter

If you have any questions or comments about the Chapter’s work and direction, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Email Paul