For the last 30 years, beaches and beachgoers alike have benefited from a federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling. Now however, set to a background of "Drill Baby, Drill!" congress has allowed this moratorium expire - opening the door for new drilling operations along all three coasts. Bummer.

Spill Baby, Spill

We hear a lot about how "safe" offshore oil drilling is now. Well, Hurricane Ike recently did a lot to dis-prove that notion.

Hurricane Ike's winds and massive waves destroyed oil platforms, tossed storage tanks and punctured pipelines. The environmental damage only now is becoming apparent: At least a half million gallons of crude oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico and the marshes, bayous and bays of Louisiana and Texas, according to an analysis of federal data by The Associated Press. More...

Newport Chapter to Receive SOLV Award

Congrats to the Newport Chapter of Surfrider for being named the 2008 SOLV Citizenship Award winner in the Community Group category. Surfrider Foundation and three other citizenship award winners will be honored at the 2008 SOLV Citizenship Awards Banquet on October 30 at the Portland Art Museum. Read more...

The SOLV Great Oregon Fall Beach Cleanup annual event was held on Saturday, September 20, 2008! More than 3,700 volunteers scoured the entire Oregon coast, over 360 miles, to rid the beaches of 40,000 pounds of debris and trash that had accumulated during the summer months. A huge thanks to those of you who pitched in.

Water quality advisories (a.k.a. the poo factor)

Sample results detected higher thannormal fecal bacteria levels at the following locations:

No advisories.

The Oregon Beach Monitoring Program (OBMP) monitors the waters along Oregon's coastline for the presence of fecal bacteria, and reports elevated levels to the public. For information on advisories, testing sites, and the program in general, follow this link.

OSP Logo Hoodies Support the site you so dearly love by sporting an OSP Hoody, t-shirt, or embroidered beanie. Stickers too. Just can't get enough of the OSP. Click here to order.

Shark research along the Pacific coast

The Shark Research Committee is requesting the assistance of the Oregon surfing community in establishing a network of volunteers willing to report encounters, observed predatory events, and sightings of White Sharks.
The online Reporting Forms are available at: www.sharkresearchcommittee.com. Check the Shark News page for regional updates.