Original Date: Saturday, September 24, 2011, 9 am – 12 noon

Rain Date: November 19, 2011

This year will be the 25th Annual Big Sweep across North Carolina. Dare County residents have been strong supporters of the event since its inception in 1987.

Given Hurricane Irene and the extra cleanup needed along our coast and inland waterways, it is our hope for this event to be even stronger than years past.

Please visit one of the below zone locations for your bags, cleanup gear, and direction on where to clean. Then bring your trash bags to the Outer Banks Brewing Station from 12-4 as your ticket to TrashFest!

• Bonnett Street
• KDH Bath House
• Jennette’s Pier
• Southern Shores Fire Department
• NC Aquarium
• Kitty Hawk Kayak & Surf School
• Kitty Hawk Bath House
• Nags Head Town Hall
• Pea Island Visitor Center
• Coquina Beach Bath House
• Chickahauk Beach Access

Should you have any questions please contact Scott Lawrence at 441-0581 or via email at Scott@boldprintdesign.com.

We would like to thank our sponsors:

DOWNLOAD A SPONSORSHIP FORM: with the different sponsorship levels Here.

A special thank you to our zone captains:

What: 2010 NC BIG SWEEP

Get out and help us clean our coast!

When: Saturday, October 2, 2010 • 9 am – 12 Noon

Where: The entire NC Coastline!

Trash bags, data cards, gloves, water and other supplies will be provided at the following locations:

• Southern Shores Fire Department
• Chickahauk Beach Access
• Kitty Hawk Kayak & Surf School
• Kitty Hawk Bath House
• KDH Bath House
• Bonnett Street
• Nags Head Town Hall
• NC Aquarium
• Coquina Beach Bath House
• Pea Island Visitor Center

Then bring your trashbag and datacard as your ticket to the after party!

What: TRASHFEST

When: Saturday, October 2, 2010 • 12 noon – 4 pm

Where: The Outer Banks Brewing Station in KDH

Free food and drink, live music and good times at TRASHFEST -

Featuring live drumming by the ToneTones,
accoustic music by SoulOne and good ole surf rock by Rubber Pants!

A special THANK YOU to our sponsors!

And another THANK YOU to our Zone Captains!

NC Aquarium

NEST

FFHS Global Health and Awareness Club

National Fish and Wildlife Service

Call or email Scott Lawrence at 252-441-0581with questions or for more information.

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INTERNATIONAL SURFING DAY SET FOR JUNE 20; BONNETT ST., 5PM

Just a quick heads up our next gathering will be International Surfing Day, 5pm at Bonnett Street in Nags Head. It’s our usual shindig: some grilling (Thank you, Boar’s Head for the kind donation!), beach cleaning and a surf if we’re lucky. We’ll also address the current issues. So come out for an evening pow-wow. Check the website for more details (http://outerbanks.surfrider.org/) and to contact us with any questions, suggestions, omissions, etc.

HANDS ACROSS THE SAND, JUNE 25.

“Hands Across the Sand” returns on June 25. Instead of staging our own version this year, we’re encouraging everyone to participate in the gathering being scheduled by Seaside Realty at Lillian Street in Kitty Hawk. It’s as easy as last time: show up 11am with plans to join hands at noon for 15 minutes. Find out more here: http://handsacrossthesand.org/

SURF. ART. SUPPORT. EVENT HELPS SURFRIDER FAMILY

Thank s to everyone who came out for Susan and Scott Lawrence for last month’s “Surf. Art. Support.”  Fundraiser at the Outer Banks Brewing Station. Anyone who knows the Lawrences and their dedication to the Adopt-a-Beach program and our annual Trashfest event, know how invaluable they are to this organization. So we couldn’t be more stoked to help raise approximately $5500 toward their medical expenses, all of which could never have happened without our tightknit community, and particularly all the artists, donors, businesses and musicians listed below. So, if you see any of the following folks, please say “thanks.”

NC LEGISLATORS STAND UP TO OFFSHORE DRILLING; STATE PUSHES TO PUT STRUCTURES ON SHORELINE

Now, for some quick thanks on the political front, particularly to Walter B. Jones for voting twice against two US bills that would have expanded offshore drilling off NC — one of only two Republicans to break party lines — and Sen. Kay Hagan for helping to ultimately defeat the measure in the Senate. Likewise, Stan White stood up for Dare Co. in a similar state legislation. Unfortunately, that still passed, so please contact Rep. Tim Spear (tim@timothyspear.com) and ask him to fight against offshore drilling in the house.

Meanwhile, the state is moving ever closer to allowing hardened beach structures in NC, a slippery slope to say the least when it comes to coastal protection. To learn more and fire off an ‘action alert’ click here: http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog/entry/north-carolina-legislature-removes-coastal-protections

18^th PADDLE RACE ON FOR JULY 23 AT KDH BATHHOUSE

Planning for our 18^th Annual Paddle Race is officially in the works. The date is July 23 at the KDH bathhouse. This annual fundraiser is responsible for the bulk of funds we use throughout the year — primarily the annual scholarships — so please plan on paddling, selling raffling tickets or doing whatever you can to back up last year’s ultra-successful effort. For info how to help, please contact coordinator Brent Nultemeier at bndesign@mac.com

LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLERS EARN SURFRIDER SCHOLARSHIPS

And speaking of successful efforts, we’d like to congratulate this year’s scholarship winners. This was our most competitive batch of applicants to date, Tyler House of First Flight High School and Caroline Lowcher of Manteo High School were ultimately selected for being both outstanding students and tremendous coastal stewards, receiving $750 for their studies next fall. (And congrats, as well, to the teachers and staff for producing such an incredible batch of graduates.)

OUTER BANKS SURFRIDER UNVEILS NEW WEBSITE

Finally, in case you hadn’t heard, we have a brand new website (http://outerbanks.surfrider.org/), so please set your browsers to keep up to date with our full calendar, events. And thanks to Scott and Susan Lawrence of BoldPrint Design for doing such a stellar job.

And thanks, again, for your support.

Sincerely,

Your Outer Banks Surfrider Executive Committee

To make the most impact, make it personal – explain that both the Dare Co. Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau oppose drilling; that Dare. Co. accounts or $200 mil more annually and 5000 jobs than petroleum promises the state.

And that with last year’s disaster –and no new regulation — it represents a direct threat to our community.

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Before we say anything else, we want to remind you about the “Art. Surf. Support.” Event on May 15 — a benefit for Scott and Susan Lawrence at the Brew Station. We’ll have a Cornhole Tournament with music by Rubber Pants, raffle off a surfboard (custom shortboard thruster in white, retail $425) — courtesy of Mike Rowe of 158 — plus a surf gear yard sale and a silent art auction featuring local artists. It all goes to raise funds to help Susan as she beats breast cancer. The Lawrences are invaluable members of the chapter – single-handedly running our Adopt-a-Beach program and organizing Trashfest each year – and this a great way to show your appreciation. So start digging through  your garage for old boards, fins, bags, accessories that you don’t use to donate to the cause. To arrange for a donation pick up, please call Ivy at 256-0423 or ivyray@earthlink.net. Then come join the fun on the 15th.

The next big event after that is our Spring Camping trip to Frisco Woods on May 21st. We’ll be hanging, grilling – hopefully surfing – and most definitely cleaning a beach down south. This is the perfect opportunity for any Hatteras Island members to come hang out and discuss local concerns; and also great way for the chapter to generate ideas as a whole. If you’re interested, please email us (outerbanks@surfrider.org) ASAP so we make sure to reserve the appropriate number of campsites.

Now to websites: namely the new one — http://outerbanks.surfrider.org/ — designed by Scott and Susan Lawrence at BoldPrint. (We told you they were invaluable.) This one has some features that will help members stay on top of all our local issues and upcoming events. Check it out, bookmark the link to stay up-to-date, and let us know what you think. (And be sure to thank the Lawrences when you see them.)

When you go there, you’ll get the full details on International Surfing Day’s cook out on June 20 and our 18th Annual Paddle Race on July 23. Brent Nultemeier is once again heading up the paddle race, so please contact him if you’d like to help find sponsors – or just sell raffle tickets. (bndesign@mac.com).

As far as long term issues are concerned, we’re currently trying to figure out how to best fight efforts to repeal the plastic bag ban in Dare County. Surfrider HQs’ been super helpful so far in terms of drafting letters and action alerts. Now just need to figure out how to build some local momentum. We’ve got ideas in the works, which we’ll unveil shortly, but please fire us suggestions/ideas. And, if you haven’t already, please use this ‘action alert’ to tell your NC senator to keep the bag ban in place –http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=3917 — then forward it to any NC residents. Once we get public comment info, we’ll work on gathering support from visitors and members outside the state.

The latest news on offshore energy is mixed. First the bad news: barely a year after the Deepwater Horizon there’s new pressure to push for drilling — both in the state legislature and from VA and SC’s governors. (We’ll keep you updated as we know more.)
The good news is at the final state scientific advisory panel in Manteo the bulk of the comments were anti drilling (including the chamber of commerce.) Also, Dare Co. approved the Skyco turbine, which is a baby step toward gauging the feasibility of wind farms off NC. Still, it was by no means a certification of wind’s potential – one commissioner called it a waste of the companies’ money – so let’s hope it all goes well and we can get some renewable energy pumping before Big Oil can slide its way in. (Actually, another Hands Across the Sand demo is in the works for June 25; we’re currently overwhelmed with the existing schedule but any member who wants to lead the charge, let us know — outerbanks@surfrider.org — and we’ll put you in touch with the appropriate parties. )

Now a quick thanks to Adam Norko and Seaside Vacations for helping raise $529 for the chapter last week via their Facebook promotion. If you haven’t ‘liked’ them, go ahead and do it now as a sign of appreciation.

And speaking of appreciation, we’d like to thank everyone who served on the Outer Banks Surfrider Executive Committee the past two years– and welcome everyone who signed up to serve for two more: John Wasniewski, Chair; Matt Walker, Vice-Chair; Ivy Ingram, Secretary, Jamie LaVier, Treasurer; Brent Nultemeier, Membership Coordinator; Scott Lawrence, Adopt-a-Beach, Coordinator. (If the names sound familiar, it’s because they’ve all served in some capacity in the past.)

More importantly, we’d like to applaud the two exiting members — Secretary Cara Muglia and Vice-Chair Kurt Korte — for their service and continued support. This past admin’s seen a whole lot of battles – from fighting oil drilling offshore to KDH high-rises – and we couldn’t have done it without Cara and Kurt. If you see them, around please say ‘thanks.’ Maybe even give ‘em a wave (or a beer.)

Finally, we’d like to thank all the long time non-board members who’ve stayed active and the influx of fresh faces in recent months – as well as our ‘sleeper cell’ of local members who strike when an issue arises. It’s you guys who really help make the difference we need it.

On that note, please check out the website and Facebook page to stay on top of what’s happening. Hope to see you in Frisco. And – again — thanks.

Sincerely,
Your Outer Banks Surfrider Executive Committee

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Event:

Art.  Surf.  Support.

Date:

Sunday, May 15th 2-6pm

Location:

Outer Banks Brewing Station (Backyard) featuring the band Rubber Pants

What:

Surf Gear Yard Sale - second hand surf & skate gear will be for sale in the backyard including boards, fins, wetsuits, racks, and more…
Cornhole Tournament – starting at 3pm – Prizes!
Art Auction –  Come out and bid on your favorite local artist’s pieces – on display in the backyard.

Have something to donate or need more info?  Call Ivy at 252-256-0423

View the event on Facebook

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