Buses are available to tonight's Gregory Canyon Landfill hearing in Fallbrook.

START: Sierra Club San Diego Office: 8304 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (parking lot is
available) starting at 4:15pm.
Stop 2: La Costa Park and Ride (located east of I-5 and on the north side of La Costa
Avenue in Carlsbad) map location.
Stop 3: The Oceanside Park and ride, which is just west of the I-5 at 128 Moreno and
Vista Way (map here).

Why is opposing the project this important to Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter? The proposed 300-acre Gregory Canyon Landfill would be built on the banks of the San Luis Rey River, threatening a major drinking water source for thousands of people. Local agencies, elected officials, environmental groups and Native Americans agree that these essential water supplies must be protected and preserved at all costs.

The County of San Diego is deciding whether to approve a key permit that the landfill needs in order to operate. We need to make sure the County gets the message that placing a garbage dump on the banks of a river makes no sense. The bottom line is that garbage and water just don't mix.

Tonight, 6:30. Fallbrook Community Library.

ACOE is Trashing Mission Beach

Media Contact: Bill Hickman 619-804-6264 or bill@surfriderSD.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Trashes Mission Beach with Dredging Project. Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter calls for cleanup and more testing.

San Diego, October 20, 2010 – Often it’s the tourists that trash Mission Beach, now an Army Corps of Engineers project is adding to it. Mission Beach residents and beach-goers have been shocked by debris left behind by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, Manson Construction (headquartered in Seattle, WA). Right now a top concern is beach safety as many sharp objects are turning up.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) through their contractor are in the middle of a dredging project in Mission Bay to make it safer for boat traffic. The name of the approximate $5.3 million project is “Mission Bay Dredging and Beach Nourishment”. As the name of the project implies, material that is dredged up from Mission Bay is being pumped up the beach through large pipes to various sections of Mission Beach.

Unfortunately, the material being dredged up has included an abundance of debris with apparently no attempt to clean it up. “Beaches should be barefoot friendly but right now we are advising everyone to watch their step on Mission Beach near the dredge and fill project. When I walked the tideline on Tuesday I found armfuls of debris, everything from outdated soda and beer cans to old fishing gear to degraded lobster traps wrapped with wire to leftover caution tape from the project. At first glance it did not look bad but once I got on the beach I was pretty shocked.”, said Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter Coordinator Bill Hickman. Photos can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfridersandiego/sets/72157625202042496/

The trash (which includes beer cans, sharp metal objects, discarded fishing material and more) is being pumped out right at the water line, allowed to drain, and is then graded into the existing sand. There is no apparent effort by the ACOE or Manson Construction to screen their dredge material to make sure that they are only depositing “clean, beach quality sand”, as their own construction sign indicates.

Multiple residents and beach-goers have been appalled to see old trash and debris being deposited on their local beaches and are concerned about its long term health, environmental, and financial impacts to the surrounding community and businesses.

“Surfrider is calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop trashing our beaches and to clean up the mess that they’ve already made. In addition they need to increase testing of the water and sand near the outfall to make sure it’s up to health standards.”, said Hickman.

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Opportunities for those Against Prop 23

We suggest you all vote (and don't forget to vote yes on 21 for our state parks). If you are against Proposition 23 and want to take an active effort against this Proposition there are volunteer opportunities with our friends at Sierra Club, see below excerpt.

We will be calling voters from house parties and phonebanks throughout San Diego County. There are two great ways that you can help out with the campaign:

1) by attending a phonebank at the Sierra Club office this week Mon-Thu 6-8:30 pm or Sat-Sun 2-5pm.

2) by hosting a phonebank of your own.

If you want to help call interested voters, call me at (858) 569-6005, or email me at aadams@sierraclubsandiego.org

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sdnoon23

Or just come down to the office at 8304 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Ste 101, San Diego, CA 92111.

Thanks for your support!

Surfrider Action Network Meeting

It was a frustrating legislative session in Sacramento for those of us who supported AB 1998 and other measures. It was equally frustrating locally when we could not get our representatives and local officials to support the measure. Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter is ready to help better inform our local leaders about our campaigns, initiatives and our mission. We will be looking for dedicated volunteers in their communities to help get our message out and be our eyes and ears in their local communities. Join us by attending the meeting on October 4 (click the above title).

Gregory Canyon Landfill Community Meeting April 21

Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter will be holding its monthly chapter meeting at the Oceanside library on April 21 at 7:00 PM. At this meeting we will be discussing the Gregory Canyon Landfill with the Oceanside community. This dangerous project, on a site previously rejected by the County of San Diego, threatens drinking water supplies in San Diego County and would desecrate Native American sacred sites. Please check here for additional details on our April 21 meeting.