Residents of Ocean Shores have established a local chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a nationwide organization that focuses on implementing ocean-friendly policies and practices. The new chapter, which also hopes to reach people on the South Beach and inner harbor, is now the only Surfrider group on Washington’s outer coast.
About 50 people attended a kickoff event hosted by local organizers and state leaders from the foundation on Feb. 27 at the Oyhut Bay Grill in Ocean Shores, according to Bruce Rittenhouse, who co-chairs the executive committee of the new chapter.
After officially incorporating the chapter at the tail end of 2023, the group wants to build a base of members and volunteers as beach cleanups and other environmental initiatives approach.
“Beach cleanups are our big thing,” Rittenhouse said. “That’s where we can get volunteers because people want to help with that.”
While additional memberships will help the chapter pay for startup expenses and continued events, a “full, robust network of volunteers” will help the group execute a post-Fourth of July beach cleanup, which Rittenhouse said could require 40 to 50 people.
Grays Harbor is the sixth local Surfrider chapter in the state, joining others in Bellingham, Port Angeles and the Puget Sound region. The foundation, which is a nonprofit, was started 40 years ago by a group of surfers in Malibu, California who were “concerned about the environmental threats posed by escalating coastal development at their favorite surf break, Surfrider Beach,” according to the Surfrider website. Today there are about 200 chapters in total, lining the east and west coasts, dotting the Gulf of Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska.
The Surfrider Foundation also employs an administrative, legal, environmental and marketing staff at the state and national level. The foundation lobbies for environmental bills and initiatives in Congress and the state Legislature, usually centered around plastic pollution, water health or coastal protections.
Liz Schotman, who works as the regional coordinator for Washington state, helping local chapters form and connect to each other, said the foundation recently lifted a moratorium on new chapters that was induced by a lack of staff to support the growing number of chapters.
Grays Harbor is “such a necessary spot” for a new Surfrider chapter, Schotman said.
A group of Ocean Shores residents came together about a year ago with a combined goal to reduce plastic on local beaches, but without a formal mechanism to build momentum for the cause. Along with Schotman, part-time Ocean Shores resident Kelly Jones, a member of the Surfrider chapter in Olympia, suggested they piggyback on the work of the established foundation instead of starting their own nonprofit.
“I said, ‘look, here’s an easier way, don’t reinvent the wheel — join, and then customize it to what the needs are here in Grays Harbor,’” Jones said.
“It’s basically what we were wanting to do — protect our oceans, beaches, waves and beach access,” Rittenhouse said. “It’s great because Surfrider has all the infrastructure set up.”
The local group plans to use Surfrider’s framework to implement an “ocean-friendly restaurants” program in Ocean Shores, which encourages restaurants to be more mindful about the use of plastics.
Schotman said the program is “a grassroots business approach to addressing the sources of plastic pollution we see a lot on our beaches.” Schotman said Surfrider has also “soft-launched” a program for ocean-friendly hotels.
Rittenhouse said local chapter members will be present at upcoming community events and is planning a beach cleanup for Earth Day, April 22.
So far, he said, the group hasn’t faced any pushback for the work they want to do.
“It’s a good thing, people like the beaches,” he said.
“We want to work with people. We’re not calling for bans on plastic or anything like that,” he added. “We want to work proactively and help make it a better place to live.”
Contact reporter Clayton Franke at 406-552-3917 or clayton.franke@thedailyworld.com.
