Surfrider Foundation is currently engaged in an effort to organize/resurrect Surfrider Foundation's pro bono Legal Issues Team ("LIT"), which is a database of volunteer attorneys who are available when called upon to offer their expertise and work on Surfrider Foundation legal campaigns. We have created a survey that is linked to a database which records a list of LIT members, their interest and experience.

Any attorneys who may be interested in working for Surfrider Foundation on a pro bono basis are encouraged to enter their name. Please email Wes Womack if you are interested and I will send you the link to an online questionaire with the password.

After the good rains we had last week, the SFPUC posted Ocean Beach as over acceptible limits of contamination for the first time (that I have seen) since last spring. This got me thinking: over the past few months many of you expressed interest in monitoring and enforcing water quality standards at OB. While our chapter used to regularly perform water-testing as an activist project, we've currently paused the program and loaned all our gear to the San Mateo Chapter. Our results were always "zero", or "clean" if you will, so it got to be too arduous a task for a volunteer group to regularly maintain.

While the SF PUC and several other groups regularly test the waters and post the results (I get an email from the PUC when OB is posted), this is still not sufficient for many of you. While our testing program is on hold and our gear on walkabout, here's a little something you can do to test the waters for yourself:
Water Testing Kit

This handy little kit may not be the long-term answer, but you can be the canary in the coalmine among friends with this starter pack. Let me know via email if your results are alarming, and maybe we can start the water testing program back up again.

Special screening of "Chasing Dora," a surf movie with the unique twist inspired by one of surfing's most enigmatic characters.

Where: Victoria Theatre, San Francisco

When: Sunday, October 21, 2007
Doors Open at 6:30 PM - Film Starts at 8:00 PM

Come early and enjoy live music, silent auction, surf raffle and micro-brews provided by local San Francisco brewers, 21st Amendment.

Tickets: $10 General Admission and $25 VIP Admission - Tickets available online at victoriatheatre.org (VIP Tickets include premiere theater seating, drink ticket, Save the Waves membership and goodie bag.)

Live Music, Silent Auction, Surf Raffle and Micro-Brews provided by 21st Amendment.

The Filmmakers, along with local surfer / film star, Marc Andreini, will be in attendance, as well as other special guests to be included. There will be a question and answer session following the film.

Proceeds to benefit Save the Waves Coalition.

Your local Surfrider Chapter got an injection of coolness when local member and activist Allison Sparrow lent her time and expertise to building us a MySpace page. Now ready for prime-time, tell everyone you know that www.mysp ace.com/sfsurfrider is the friend to have.

Maybe you've heard it before, but how much have you really changed when it comes to using fewer plasic bags? You know the ones: you carry groceries and new clothes in them; you accept your take-out in them; and you even put your trash in bigger versions of them! But when was the last time you asked for your purchase without the plastic bag? And did you know that many of these bags are killing our oceans?

If you missed the "Altered Oceans" five-part series published by the LA Times last year, I highly recommend reading Part 4: Plague of Plastic Chokes the Seas. It will certainly give you an enlightened perspective of what our plastic waste means to the health of our oceans, be it right next to you when surfing, or thousands of miles away.

Next month a plastic bag ban goes into effect for major supermarkets and pharmacies in San Francisco. We at Surfrider are thrilled by this progress! Let's keep the momentum going by continuing to reduce and eliminate this easily avoidable single-use plastic.