In local surfrider news, we are preparing for the 2nd annual Regular Joe festival and fundraiser for the local school surf clubs. It will be September 20/21 at the inlet this year.

Registration for Sebastian Inlet Regular Joe is on the website pompano linked.

There's great pics of last year's event at http://jprimages.com/surf/regularjoe/092113/h72BDA295#h72bda295 

Help us celebrate 30 years of Surfrider and get some good first peak with only three other people in your heats. Book a heat with 3 friends if you want!

Not to say Surfrider has done great things for our coast but how come membership dues get sent to California?  It seems the East Coast is funding the Main Offices on the West Coast but get little in return?

From my limited knowledge Surfrider causes are "grass roots" here on the East Coast while CA rakes in your dues.  If I join an organization and pay membership fees I would want 100% of my fees spent in the area that I live in...go ahead and fund the CA peeps, they may toss a bone back East (or not).

Not trying to stir the pot but really what portion of memebership fees gets returned back to East Coast Chapters?

Need a new East Coast collection of Environmentally minded waterfolk.  We need our own East Coast version of what's out West where 100% of the $$$$ stays in the area.

Local chapters do receive a reasonable % of your $25 membership.

There is power (and economies of scale) in having one international organization.

We get a lot of support from San Clemente, not the least of which is having a salaried Florida Coordinator who helps out our chapters when she's not busy trying to talk sense into our zany state government. HQ also does things like provide insurance for our events - there are many things we couldn't do if we had to go out and purchase riders each and every time.

Chapters generate the vast majority of their funding on their own, and that money stays local. Come to Regular Joe and surf with us! Your contribution will be appreciated and used right here in Brevard.

To answer Surfmic's question , just under 30% of each membership is given directly back for our use.  And we're allowed use those funds, as well as the ones we generate independently, however we see fit, without having to get any nat'l. sign-off.  It's definitely 'grass roots'.  As Mike points out, nat'l Surfrider Foundation leads the fight for our oceans & beaches on a much higher level than we, locally, would ever have time nor resources to do.  Although your perception is that they're Cali-centric, they're working all over the globe.  Check out the latest campaigns.  www.surfrider.org.  Sign the petition to ban underwater seismic testing.  It kills sea mammals.  The southeast is the center of this fight, especially here in FL.  Here's the details:  http://sebastianinlet.surfrider.org/campaigns/seismic-testing/

Anyway, we appreciate your bringing up these questions Surfmic.  Hope you can join us at an upcoming event, perhaps Regular Joe!  It's a good time!

Mahalo,

Alec Buchness -
Treasurer, Sebastian Inlet Chapter

Greg, you should come back here for Regular Joe!

Sebastian Inlet chapter will be at LongDoggers Indialantic and Satellite Beach locations all day tomorrow, Sunday 8/31.

We're helping LongDoggers celebrate summer, surfing, and sea oat planting.

Stop by and learn about what we're doing; and events like Regular Joe, Space Coast Saunter, and the Ocean-Reef-Beach Festival!