6th Annual Paddle for Clean Water
Surfrider Foundation's message at August 10th event: "Clean Water,
Clean Election '96"
provided by the Surfrider Foundation
he "5th Annual Paddle for Clean Water" will
take place at 8:00 am on August 10, 1996 at San Diego's Ocean Beach Pier,
hosted by the San Diego County Chapter of The Surfrider Foundation. The
thousand person paddle will boast a flotilla of suriboards, kayaks, rafts,
floats and other non-motorized devices in an expression of unity for clean
water.
The massive paddle-out will coincide with the Republican
National Convention in San Diego, and will provide The Surfrider Foundation
with a forum for its message to politicians for the upcoming Presidential
elections: focus on issues, not personalities. "Keep Election '96 -
and Our Oceans - Clean."
The paddle-out is a call to action from Surfrider Foundation
to all concerned citizens. The goal is to have more than one thousand participants
in the water at once, paddling around San Diego's Ocean Beach Pier.
The Surfrider Foundation is an international non-profit
environmental organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and restoring
the world's oceans, waves and beaches through conservation, activism, research
and education.
Clean water is an issue of vital importance to millions
of Americans," said Dr. Pierce Flynn, Executive Director of The Surfrlder
Foundation. "Today's voters care about issues, and we want to bring
that focus to the attention of our politicians."
Clean water is an economic concern as well as an environmental
one. Statistics released recently by the EPA reveal that more than 40 percent
of America's rivers, lakes and streams are too polluted to swim or fish
in, and more than 3,000 beaches were closed in 1995 by pollution. Water-related
recreation Is a $380 billion industry, making it the second largest U.S.
employer after health care.
The August 10 event is the fifth annual massive paddle-out
presented by the San Diego County Chapter, and participant numbers have
been growing every year. One purpose of the paddle-out is to focus attention
on the Clean Water Act. The Surfrider Foundation supports strengthened,
rather than diluted legislation such as H.R. 961 (The "Dirty Water
Bill").
The event will feature speeches and discussions on current
issues which endanger the ocean and coast. Speakers include Surfrider Foundation
officials, environmental experts and celebrities. On-site voter registration
will take place all morning. The event will create a visual impact as eco-surfers,
paddlers, crowds and banners are viewed from the beach and Ocean Beach Pier.
Participants are encouraged to show up with surfboards,
rafts, kayaks or non-motorized devices at 8:00 am on Saturday, August 10
at Ocean Beach Pier in San Diego. For more information, contact Surfrider
Foundation's San Diego County Chapter, Clay Westling (619) 793-2594 or Donna
Frye (619) 270-3886.
