Surfrider Grand Strand has worked together with the Charleston, SC chapter to provide customized license plates to all South Carolina citizens!

The goal in the license plate campaign was to promote our localized efforts throughout the state, allow Surfrider fans and members to express their support, and to get a “silent” fundraising project that would allow us more time for projects in our local area.  This project has earned the South Carolina chapters over $5000 to date.

Below, some local Surfriders have posted photos or videos of their license plates.  You can, too!

[photosmash id=1]

The BeachScape Program is a National Surfrider initiative designed to document current beach sizes, shoreline structures, beach accesses, outfalls, erosion hot spots and other points of interests on beaches. This program also documents the history of our beach and tracks changes to the landscape. Ideal for a school club or class project. Volunteers Needed: Field data collectors and surveyors; no experience is necessary. Help document your section of the Grand Strand (ie: North Myrtle Beach). We also have a positon for a GIS volunteer who has experience in Arcview software. Coordinator: Beth Gunter To volunteer, please call Beth at (843) 234-0463.

The Storm Drain Stenciling Program is a National Surfrider Program designed to inform and educate the public about the repercussions of dumping litter, cigarettes, waste oil/petroleum products, fertilizers etc. (anything but storm water) into the storm drain system. We will use stencils or plaques on top of these storms drain/gutters to inform the public of the storm drain system– “NO DUMPING – Leads to Ocean.”

Volunteers Needed: The program coordinator will be responsible for working with the local city governments on developing this program, designing stencils/plaques to be placed at storm drains, recruiting and coordinating volunteers to attach stencils/plaques to storm drains and map locations of storm drains/plaques. We need YOU for the project! Send us an e-mail if you’re interested: mail [at] surfridergrandstrand [dot] org.

“Sometimes you just have to remind them.” That was the premise behind the Grand Strand Chapter’s Beach Signs project which took place on a Friday afternoon in April, 2000. Volunteers from the 3rd grade class at Myrtle Beach Christian Academy helped the Surfrider Foundation place over 200 anti-litter signs on dune fences in the hotel district of Myrtle Beach. With approval from the Myrtle Beach Beach Safety Committee, the 9 and 10 year olds attached the light-weight aluminum signs from 30th Ave. North to 10th Ave. South. The project was covered by local news stations WPDE-TV 15 and WBTW-TV 13. Many thanks go out for our young volunteers. The program will be expanded to North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, Garden City, and Little River. If you’re interested, drop us a quick e-mail and we’ll fill you in on how you can help out.

Denny Green recently completed two public service announcement commercials for the Grand Strand Chapter. The first commercial shows how the everyday “necessities” we bring to the beach such as chairs, toys, and straws can end up as litter when left behind. The second focuses on run-off from parking lots and how trash left behind in parking lots washes through the storm water drainage system and ultimately ends up on the beaches and in the ocean. Both carry the same message…take your trash with you to keep our beaches clean! You can catch the commercials this summer and fall on local stations Beach TV, WPDE, WFXB, WBTW, and on Time Warner Cable.

“Respect the Beach” is a series of learning modules offered free by the Surfrider Foundation. The Grand Strand Chapter recently placed modules in the Waccamaw Hub for Math and Science, an education resource center for Horry and Georgetown county teachers grades K-12. The Hub is located at the Atlantic Center for Marine and Wetland Studies at Coastal Carolina University. If you’d like to receive copies, the modules are available online from the Surfrider Foundation.

Springmaid Beach and the Downwind Sails area are two of the most recognized surf spots in Myrtle Beach. If there are waves on any given day, you know it will be breaking at Springmaid. Our goal is to permanently open Beach Access at Springmaid and around Myrtle Beach. Popular with both local and visiting surfers, the area was created thirty years ago when surfing was banned during the day in the city limits of Myrtle Beach. Now with the planned development of the south end of the beach, the possibility of limiting or eliminating surfing at Springmaid Beach has been discussed by the city appointed Beach Safety Committee. After the surf community and kayak community voiced strong vocal opposition, a committee was formed to search for alternatives to restricting surf access at Springmaid Beach. At present, the committee addressing the surfing issue at Springmaid Beach (Jared Hendrix, Charlie Thompson, Jeff Cole and John Bailey) has made recommendations to the Beach Committee regarding Springmaid, including parking issues and a new beach access, as well recommendations regarding the current surfing/kayaking regulations within the MB city limits. While the future of surfing at Springmaid is still undecided, the Grand Strand Chapter is keeping an eye out for opportunities to cement the access rights of surfers. Meanwhile, help us keep this section of Ocean Boulevard., Midway Swash, and the beach clean. Don’t leave the beach empty handed, and use the trash cans. And if you see someone throw down their cigarette or other trash, remind them they are risking access to the break for everyone.

The Hotel Water Conservation Project was a huge initiative that allowed that allowed hotel owners to save money and labor while helping to both protect and conserve the Grand Strand’s natural resources.

• Grand Shores Ocean Resort : 77th Ave. North in Myrtle Beach, SC
• Caravelle : 6900 N. Ocean Blvd. Pawleys Plantation Pawleys Island, SC
• Crown Reef Resort : 2913 S. Ocean Blvd. Myrtle Beach, SC
• The Dayton House : 2400 N. Ocean Blvd. Myrtle Beach, SC
• The Caribbean Hotel : 3000 N. Ocean Blvd. Myrtle Beach, SC

We have partnered with SC Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management’s (OCRM) in the Adopt-A-Beach program, which allows you to make a significant contribution to the preservation of our coastal environment by participating in a beach cleanup. The program itself and the Adopt-A-Beach signs remind those who are tempted to litter that there are people out there who care.

We are looking for civic clubs, businesses, school groups, neighborhood associations and other organizations to adopt a stretch of beach. At least twice a year, your group will spend a few hours picking up litter on your adopted beach. To get involved, contact Bruxanne at (843) 333-2034 or by e-mail at bruxanne@yahoo.com. You can also contact DHEC directly by e-mailing Mike Robertson from DHEC at robertma@dhec.state.sc.us. We will help you find an area to adopt and also publicize your group or organization by posting a sign near your adopted beach to tell everyone that your group is in charge of keeping this stretch of beach clean.

Join the generous business and individuals that are willing to donate time to clean beaches:

South End

• Pier to the South Causeway, Pawleys Island: Surf-the-Earth Outfitters
• North Causeway to the Pier, Pawleys Island: Pawleys Island Tavern
• Litchfield South to Inlet Point Condos: Litchfield Fish House
• Marlin Quay Marina to the Point, Garden City: Rooftop Surf Shop
• Marlin Quay Marina to the Kingfisher Pier, Garden City: Village Surf Shoppe
• 15th Ave South to 2nd Ave North, Surfside: Surfside Loom
• 2nd Ave North to 17th North, Surfside: Coldwell Banker / David Powers
• Myrtle Beach State Park to Springmaid Beach: Jenny and Michael Rogers

Myrtle Beach

• 29th Ave South to 15th Ave South, Myrtle Beach: Carolina Christian Surfers
• 15th Ave South to 3rd Ave North: Timberland Company
• 3rd Ave North to 15th Ave North: Myrtle Beach Jaycees
• 15th Ave North to 28th Ave North: Anchor Bank
• 28th Ave North to 38th Ave North: Marden Day Spa / Meg King
• 38th Ave North to 52nd Ave North: Surfrider Grand Strand Chapter
• Cherry Tree Inn to 65th Ave North: Myrtle Beach Investment
• 65th Ave North to 79th Ave North: Shields Waterproofing / Jeff Newsome
• 79th Ave North to Bear Creek: Ohanesian Law Firm
• Lake Arrowhead and Shore Drive: Shields Waterproofing / Jeff Newsome
• Dunes Club to Lake Arrowhead: Mark One

North End

• 48th Ave South to 33rd Ave South, North Myrtle Beach: WNMB
• 11th Ave South to 2nd Ave North: O.D. Shag Club

Chapter volunteers combined forces with the fine folks from “Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful” to assemble and mount 16 litter bag dispenser boxes at beach accesses in North Myrtle Beach. With drills and ratchets in hand the volunteers assembled the boxes at the NMB Rec Center then headed off in four groups to install the dispensers. Designed to give beachgoers easy access to litter and pet waste disposal bags, the 5 feet tall boxes will also serve as a highly visible reminder to keep the trash off the beach. We’d like to thank all the hardworking volunteers who helped make the day a success:

• From the Surfrider Foundation: Joel Cashwell, Jason Dorman, Jamie O’Brien, Rob Edwards, Ty Bellamy, Harmony Bellamy, Jared Hendrix.
• From Keep North Myrtle Beach Beautiful: Donita Kayton, Rob Kayton, Kristine Stokes, Ron Swingle

Also big thanks to Bill McCormick, Andrew Wilson, Greg Martin, Meg King and Jamie O’Brien for their time in constructing these boxes. The boxes in NMB will be maintained by the City of North Myrtle Beach and will serve as a model for future bag dispenser programs.