April Meeting Minutes 2012
The meeting was called to order at Humbrews in Arcata on April 8, 2012.
Officers Present:
Jen Savage - Chair
Scott Willits – Treasurer
Casey Schuetzle – Secretary
MJ Mazurek – Volunteer Coordinator
Treasury Report
Scott Willits reported the balanced at $2,008.58. The current balance does not include recent funds raised from the week membership drive and the Beach Ball 2.
Beach Ball 2
Jen Savage reported the Beach Ball 2 as a successful evening for everyone involved. We had a variety of people who came to check it out and a ton of local support provided from volunteers to raffle donors. What a fun evening! Some of our major donations for the raffle came from the Nighborhood, Arcata Photo, Flying Fish Surf Shop, Patagonia, Vintage Avenger, The Tides Inn, Praxis Fitness, Justine Caywood CMT, Casey Skin Care Studio, Wood Foot Surfcraft, Revolution Bicycle, and Kayak Zacks. THANK YOU!
Membership Drive
The membership drive was also a complete success. We are 10 new members shy of our goal, but Surfrider Humboldt is still stoked to announce 33 new members have joined! Outreach was also a key factor during the membership drive. Folks learned about the programs and campaigns Surfrider is currently doing and the all the recent work we supported at Camel Rock through the Trinidad Land Trust. Surfrider will be hosting another membership drive next year to boost more membership sign ups. Currently there are 150 previous members and 33 new/renewing members; this includes only 8 in Trinidad! Expanding membership is a big priority. Memberships are helpful for greater political pull, provide support for programs/campaigns, and keep people involved within the chapter. Surfrider Humboldt currently has a position open on the executive committee for Vice Chair. Anyone interested in becoming VC should be prepared to invest time in outreach and building membership for the chapter. A big thanks to KHUM, and Mike Dronkers from the Surfrider executive committee for ramping up the membership drive on the radio!
Bag Ban Update!
Surfrider volunteer coordinator and MJ Mazurek and Vanessa Vaquez of Humboldt Baykeeper are scheduled to meet with HWMA representative Brent Whitener on Thursday the 19th of April to discuss status of the bag ban ordinance. When MJ will reports back about the meeting we will update you!
Hold onto Your Butts Campaign
Jen reported on the number one most littered item, cigarette butts. A PSA has been created to raise awareness on the issue of cigarette butt litter. Check out the video here! The next plan of action for “Hold on to Your Butts Campaign” will be a ground-up approach though education by putting posters near smoking areas at bars that warn of the far-reaching damage cigarette litter causes.
Cleanup Report/Earth Day!
The next cleanup is a collaborative effort with Green Week, Humboldt Baykeeper and Tobacco Education Network in celebration of Earth Day on Sunday, April 22 at the North Jetty from 10am – 1pm. It gets even better!! Los Bagels has sponsored our cleanup and is providing Bagels and Coffee, and the Tobacco Education Network has free t-shirts. We are encouraging volunteers to bring either a re-useable bag or five gallon buckets for picking up trash along with re-useable gloves in effort to create less waste. During the meeting Beth Werner from Humboldt Bay keeper mentioned that Les Schwab tire center offers recycling for tires collected on the beach. We also hope to get rid of the oversized beige couch that has been hanging out on the dunes near Bay Sreet.
Post-Meeting Volunteer Training
After the meeting, MJ trained future volunteers on how to do outreach for Surfrider Humboldt. She also shared her expertise on how to screen print for Ban the Bag events, and how to make re-useable bags out of old t-shirts.
Upcoming Events April/May
April 22nd 10am-1pm Earth Day Beach Cleanup at the North Jetty
May 3rd 6:30pm Ocean Night featuring Ocean Frontiers
May 12th 10 – 11:30am HWY 101 cleanup Seawood Drive Exit North of Trinidad.
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To volunteer at any event please email Humboldt@surfrider.org