At certain times of the year Frequency: The Snowboarder’s Journal publisher Jeff Galbraith (pictured above left) has been known to get up early, trudge out into the cold with his dog, and blast low-flying, web-footed birds from the sky with a 12-gauge shotgun. While we have no interest in doing the same, nor in watching Mr. Galbraith’s bird murdering missions live and in person, we do still enjoy reading about them.
In the May/June issue of the Sierra Club’s Sierra Magazine (whose Acting Deputy Editor just happens to be Steve Hawk (yes, that one)), Jeff has written touchingly about hunting in Washington State’s Whatcom Wildlife Area with his dog Dr. Gonzo Yellow Dog and friends in a story titled On Ducks, Jobs, and Farmlands Forever.
In the story he mentions his favorite flowering shrub (the alder), LEED-certified subdivisions, and former MBHC snowboarding badass and current Shell Oil employee Dan Donnelly.
Surfers have a little more to worry about in Grisborne, New Zealand. Moko the friendly dolphin has apparently become too aggressive, according to a story on abc.net.au.
Grant Fussell, the president of the local surf club, has had to rescue six people terrorised by Moko in the past two weeks. . . “The problem is we do have a lot of people going out and getting into trouble and they’re not aware of his weight and his strength,” he said. . . . “Some [cases are] not so serious – people wanting to get their surfboards back.”
One woman nearly drowned after the dolphin wouldn’t let her go back to shore because he wasn’t “finished playing with her yet.” Some even fear that Moko may try to “mate” with a human in the near future. Seriously. Brings a whole new meaning to the term “getting dropped in on.”
This winter Portland snowboarders who want to catch a ride to Mt. Hood Meadows can do it any day of the week for $10 round trip in eco-style thanks to Mike Parziale and the Grease Bus. But there is much more to this story as Yobeat.com’sJared Souney discovered in this video.
We keep reminding ourselves that not only was there an earthquake and tsunami that wrecked Samoa, but there was also a 7.6 earthquake that hit West Sumatra yesterday (Wednesday, September 30, 2009) that has already killed more than 530 people. SurfAid has launched an Emergency Response Appeal to help the people of Padang.
Our Program Director, Dr David Lange, narrowly escaped death as he fled the Ambacang Hotel, which then collapsed, killing many and trapping others. . . Many buildings have been destroyed with people caught underneath the rubble. There is a report that schoolchildren are still trapped underneath three schools. One hospital is destroyed and another so badly damaged that staff are working in tents outside. Doctors used car headlights and torches to operate on the injured overnight.
Dr David Lange said: “People are trapped and screaming for help but they are below huge slabs which will take heavy equipment to move. I saw dozens of the biggest buildings collapsed in town, most of the damage is concentrated in the commercial centre market, which was fully packed.”
Don’t try and say that Dave “Rasta” Rastovich isn’t doing anything for the environment. On Thursday, October 1, 2009 the recent recipient of the 2009 SIMA Environmentalist of the Year Award is heading off on a 700k ocean paddle from Byron Bay to Sydney to “raise awareness of whaling in the Southern Ocean,” according to a story in The Australian.
He will embark on his ambitious Transparentsea journey on Thursday, tracking the annual migration south of humpback whales over a gruelling 36 days. . . Rastovich, 29, an environmental activist and surfing champion out of Brunswick Heads, aims to paddle the entire distance in his single-seat kayak. . . If all goes to plan, he will hit Bondi Beach on November 5. . . “What excites me the most is being able to combine the high-risk elements of surfing and sailing and the notion of endurance and pushing your body,” Rastovich says. . . “I’m eager to bring those elements together with environmental awareness initiatives.”
Well, at least he’s not pushing a longboard skateboard through the outback.
The Liquid Nation Ball 6 awarded Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers the SIMA Humanitarian of the Year award, and he took the opportunity to auction off a “one-of-a-kind” FLEABASS and help the organization raise an “all-time record amount” of more that $270,000.
Flea’s Humanitarian of the Year award was presented by pro skateboarder Tony Hawk and Surfers Healing’s Izzy Paskowitz. Well-known as arguably one of the greatest rock bass players of all time, Flea is also known for making his mark on the world through his humanitarian efforts. Flea has a selfless heart, especially for children in need, as demonstrated by his active support and volunteerism for Surfer’s Healing, where he helps autistic children experience the joy and calming effects of the ocean and surfing.
Follow the jump for the rest of the official press release. [click to continue…]
An artificial reef that will reportedly create “waves of up to 13ft” off Boscombe, Bournemouth, UK is supposed to be completed in September 2009 according to a story from the BBC. The reef is made out of “55 sand-filled geotextile bags which cover the area the size of a football pitch.”
Shaw Mead, technical director, said: “Like any major construction project, there are extensive checks to be undertaken before we can say the project is complete. “We are now starting to make all those checks thoroughly and according to the agreed specification, and I remain confident that we will finish in September as scheduled.”
Will be interesting to see if this one actually works.
If you see one documentary film this year, maybe it should be The Cove.
Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The Cove follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taiji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.
The Surfrider Foundation has teamed up with Legoland California in Carlsbad, California for the Celebrity Mosaic Project. A group of celebrities including musician Tom DeLonge, Tony Hawk, Al Pacino, Brooke Shields, Heidi Klum, Jamie Lee Curtis, Peter Facinielli, and Thomas Gibson have built their own ocean-themed Lego mosaics that will be on display in the theme park and available for auction on Charitybuzz.com. All the proceeds will be donated to the Surfrider Foundation.
“We are excited to be celebrating SEA LIFE Aquarium’s first birthday and partnering with them for the Celebrity Mosaic Project,” says Matt McClain, Surfrider Foundation’s Director of Marketing and Communications. “Their idea to use unique celebrity mosaics as a creative way to educate the public about our fragile ocean and marine environments is fantastic and aligns perfectly with our mission.”
We always figured Matt McClain for a closet Lego blockhead but we are impressed that he rolled it into his work so seamlessly. [click to continue…]
SIMA’s fundraiser for a fundraiser held June 5, 2009 at the Cyprus Shore Community Park apparently raised $50,000 to help fund the Waterman’s Ball fundraiser. Yeah, apparently that’s how these things work.
“The SIMA Environmental Fund is excited to be going into our 20th year for Waterman’s Ball,” said Paul Naudé, SIMA Environmental Fund president. “This year’s economic climate has presented many challenges, but through a combined industry effort we are determined to maintain our support of 18 proven ocean-related environmental organizations, and look forward to achieving our fundraising goal of more than $400,000 raised at Waterman’s Weekend this year. The success of this Underwriting Party was a tremendous step toward meeting this goal. We know the very deserving event beneficiaries much appreciate the support of all the event underwriters.”
Spending $50,000 to raise $400,000 is pretty good margins when you think about it. [click to continue…]
