Surfrider News and Events: Cocoa Beach Chapter
By Tony Sasso
Last month we began our Surfrider Foundation discussion talking about dawn patrols. As many know, any good dawn patrol starts with a little prep the night before. I’ve always found having my equipment ready and packed the night before — board wax, water, towels, sunscreen — sucks less than trying to do it before the sun comes up. The direction of this ramble is to explain the preparation required to create a Cocoa Beach Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.
Many of us have been members of Surfrider for years and are currently members of the Sebastian Inlet Chapter.
Under the leadership of Greg Gordon, Rick Hayes, and Sebastian Aravena, with the assistance of Erika D’Avanzo, Surfrider Regional Director, we in the northern reaches of the chapter territory formed a Cocoa Beach subcommittee of the Sebastian Inlet Chapter, something several of us locally have been working on for about three years. Along with many fine people working behind the scenes, this year one person stood up to begin the process to charter a full-fledged Cocoa Beach chapter: Tim Chastain. The process of chapter formation is very specific and we are in the midst of completing that, including a campaign and event calendar for the upcoming year.
The simple version of this process is: getting a P.O. box; putting together bylaws; developing an organizing committee (Chuck Savard, Jim Dale, Fred Hillman, Biff Brannigan) and an initial slate of officers (Tim Chastain, Tony Sasso, Chris Cribben, Jo Brannigan and Valerie Westmoreland); collecting dues; conducting a membership drive times two (we have over 50 new members); developing campaigns for local issues (such as ASR/sand bypass, water pollution/water quality, beach clean-up, IR Lagoon and tires, red tide, dune awareness and protection); preparing media programs, a website, and a newsletter; and setting up membership, fundraising and awareness-raising events.
Then…we get reviewed by National Surfrider, and if all goes right, we are awarded a chapter charter.
Why a Cocoa Beach chapter? Let’s be perfectly clear. This is not an “us-or-them” situation. We have a very long stretch of coastline from Daytona Beach to Vero Beach, and an ever-longer set of issues, many of which differ by locality. In addition, the geographic distance, the number of local members, Cocoa Beach’s tradition as the East Coast surfing capital, and our leadership in environmental issues put us in a logical position to create another chapter. We can enhance the work of the Sebastian Inlet and other state chapters to lobby legislators and other government officials in the fight for beach access, clean water, and preserving our surf breaks. We want to thank The Beachside Resident for helping keep you informed about the work of Surfrider in Cocoa Beach. Watch this column for more information about this chapter, issues, events, and a calendar.
Now, who’s ready for that dawn patrol?
See you in the water.
Our web link is under construction, but you can reach us by calling Tim Chastain at: (321) 868-7233, or via email at: cocoabeach@surfrider.org.
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