San Mateo County Chapter
In partnership with other Surfrider Foundation chapters and a coalition of marine protection organizations, the San Mateo County Chapter's mission is to protect the unique resources of the Monterey Bay and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries. The chapter's Blue Water Task Force water quality testing program strives to improve the purity of water flowing from local coastal streams. Other chapter programs maintain, expand and improve public access to the region's shoreline, their beach cleanups work to keep beaches free of trash, and they offer a variety of educational events to the public.
The San Mateo Chapter's Blue Water Task Force Volunteers and the County of San Mateo work together to regularly monitor the water quality along the coast. They also own and operate their own water quality monitoring lab in Princeton by the Sea. If you are interested in becoming our Blue Water Task Force Volunteer, please contact the chapter today! Since the chapter was founded in 1998, they have made significant achievements:
- Established a Beach Cleanup Program: the chapter hosts regular member-supported cleanups of local beaches, particularly after busy holiday weekends and through the summer months.
- Launched Blue Water Task Force: This task force works with the County of San Mateo Environmental Health Department to frequently test the water quality at San Mateo County beaches and bring unsafe levels of contamination to the attention of residents.
- Central Coast PWC Campaign: In 2002 the San Mateo chapter became the first chapter in the nation to call for the restricted use of personal water craft ("PWCs" or jet skis) within the boundaries of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). In 2003, they issued a Joint Position Statement with a coalition of environmental groups on the use of PWCs within the boundaries of the MBNMS, and in June 2006 the National Surfrider Board of Directors by a unanimous vote approved the Chapter's Central Coast PWC Campaign position.
- Constructed their own water testing facility in collaboration with the Sewer Authority Midcoast (SAM).
Check out the San Mateo County Chapter blog at http://www.surfrider.org/smc/
Other Surfrider Foundation Chapters Nearby
| Chapter | City | State | Driving Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crescent City Chapter | Crescent City | CA | 308 miles |
| Humboldt Chapter | Eureka | CA | 245 miles |
| Huntington Beach-Seal Beach Chapter | Seal Beach | CA | 357 miles |
| Isla Vista Chapter | Isla Vista | CA | 259 miles |
| Long Beach Chapter | Long Beach | CA | 353 miles |
| Marin County Chapter | Larkspur | CA | 030 miles |
| Mendocino Chapter | Caspar | CA | 148 miles |
| Monterey Chapter | Pacific Grove | CA | 068 miles |
| Newport Beach Chapter | Newport Beach | CA | 370 miles |
| San Francisco Chapter | San Francisco | CA | 019 miles |
| San Luis Obispo Chapter | San Luis Obispo | CA | 180 miles |
| Santa Barbara County Chapter | Santa Barbara | CA | 263 miles |
| Santa Cruz Chapter | Santa Cruz | CA | 044 miles |
| Sonoma Coast Chapter | Sebastopol | CA | 067 miles |
| South Bay Chapter | Manhattan Beach | CA | 338 miles |
| South Orange County Chapter | Dana Point | CA | 388 miles |
| Ventura County Chapter | Ventura | CA | 293 miles |
| West Los Angeles-Malibu Chapter | Santa Monica | CA | 328 miles |
