23rd Annual Waterman's Weekend Beneficiaries

The SIMA Environmental Fund aims to continue the fundraising legacy and raise $400,000 at the 2012 Waterman's Weekend. All proceeds will be distributed in the form of SIMA Environmental Fund grants to 20 returning beneficiary groups. The 20 ocean-environmental organizations will dedicate those funds to programs that will address water quality and ocean pollution issues; defend beaches and surf breaks from development; or provide public education about ocean conservation.

Each organization was chosen by the SIMA Environmental Fund Board of Directors based on their commitment of funds to specific projects that will protect and preserve oceans, beaches and/or surf breaks. In selecting the 2012 SIMA Environmental Fund grant recipients, the SIMA Environmental Fund Board of Directors requested that applicants submit a proposal detailing how the funds would be used to improve the ocean ecology or surf locations. Each organization's proposal included a description of the specific program that the grant would be directed to, including the expected environmental impact.

Following is a list of the 2012 SIMA Environmental Fund grant recipients along with a description of the program(s) to which the organizations will be directing their grants:

Alaska Wilderness League:Dedicated funds will assist with advocating for a comprehensive federal, science-based planning process and to pursue actions to protect Arctic marine ecosystems and subsistence resources from further harm from industrial activities.

Algalita Marine Research Foundation: Funds will be used towards the Plastic Ocean Pollution Solutions Youth Summit.  The Summit will teach students about the problems resulting from plastic marine debris in the world's oceans.

Assateague Coastal Trust: Dedicated funds will assist with watershed patrols, water quality monitoring and the Chesapeake Agricultural Practices Campaign. The funds will also benefit Coast Kids, a family-focused environmental education program, and Grow Berlin Green, a campaign to establish Berlin, Maryland, as a model community for environmental protection.

Cook Inletkeeper: Funds will be used for outreach and education efforts to reduce toxic pollutants entering the North Pacific Gyre. Efforts will revolve around the Electronics Recycling Day in Homer, Alaska.

Heal the Bay: Funds will support the health and safety research of more than 500 beaches and watersheds from Oregon to the border of Mexico for Heal the Bay’s Beach Report Card program for one full year.  

KAHEA: The Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance: Funds will be used to build a coalition of Hawaiian oceans activists by challenging nearshore development, defending public beach access, building educational materials advocating for public policies and developing an Action Alert Network.

North Shore Community Land Trust (NSCLT): Funds will be used to permanently protect Pupukea Paumalu and the local waters, community stewardship of public beach access, and other efforts to preserve Oahu’s North Shore.

Ocean Defenders Alliance: Funds will go to expanding their marine debris and underwater clean-up campaign’s range of operations in La Jolla, Coronado Islands, Point Vicente and the Infidel wreck restoration by Catalina Island.

Ocean Institute: Funds will support the Watershed Education Program designed for students for hands-on education about the environmental impact of their behaviors.

Orange County CoastKeeper: Funds will support efforts to reduce the health threats caused by urban runoff pollution in Orange County, Calif., through advocacy, enforcement, education, collaboration, and water monitoring efforts.

Paso Pacifico: Funds will be dedicated to engaging the local Nicaraguan surfing community in protecting their marine and coastal environment through education and coastal clean-ups, as well as helping strengthen the Nicaraguan Surfrider Foundation chapter.

Reef Check: Funds will be used for the continued expansion of the Reef Check California program and its goal to improve marine management in California through education, training and community engagement.

Santa Barbara Channelkeeper: Funds will assist their Advocacy and Enforcement Program which will reduce disposable shopping bag use, compel the city of Santa Barbara to repair aging sewage systems and help the LA Regional Water Quality Control Board to enact a Total Max Daily Load program to address excessive nutrients in the Ventura River.

Santa Monica Baykeeper: Dedicated funds will assist their DrainWatch Water Quality Monitoring Program which will identify the dominant sources of pollution in Santa Monica Bay through end of pipe monitoring.

Save the Waves Coalition: Funds will assist their World Surfing Reserves program to preserve outstanding waves and surf zones around the world; Endangered Waves program that encourages communities worldwide toe address threats to the surfing coastline; and also their Chile Program that is designed to reduce industrial pollution in several coastal areas with world-class surf.  

Seymour Marine Discovery Center: Funds will be used towards their school programs, including their exhibit hall enhancement, exhibit renovations and volunteer training. These programs educate the public about the role marine science plays in understanding and conserving the world's oceans.

SINADES - Natural Systems and Development Civil Association: Funds will be used for their Young Environmental Ambassadors program, which empowers a group of local youth to conserve and protect the community's most important resources - the beaches and surf breaks of Todos Santos and Pescadero, B.C. S., Mexico.

Surfing Education Association: Dedicated funds will be used to stop illegal shark feeding in Hawaii, stop sand dumping on Waikiki Beach, increase public access on the North Shore and monitor the increase of boat slips that may change surf sites at Kewalo and Ala Wai Harbor.

Surfrider Foundation: Funds will enable efforts to save, improve and protect surf locations, protect the quality of water in the surf zone, ocean environmental education, as well as the continued fight to protect Trestles.

WiLDCOAST: Dedicated funds will support the conservation of threatened surfing areas on the Baja California Peninsula through public and private land conservations, WiLDCOAST chapter development in Punta Abreojos, Bahia Asuncion and Bahia Magdalena.