Mark Massara

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Mark Massara is an American surfer, attorney, and environmental conservationist. He first gained a reputation in the surfing and environmental communities when he won a $5.6 million Clean Water Act violation, the second largest ever collected. Since that case, he has assisted nonprofit organizations, including Surfrider Foundation and Sierra Club, government agencies, and private sector enterprises in several high-profile coastal and ocean protection, restoration, education and development campaigns that highlight and achieve coastal conservation and amenities for wildlife and future generations.

Contents

Career

In 2010, Massara became General Counsel and Vice President of Social Responsibility at O'Neill Wetsuits, the oldest and largest maker of recreational dive and surfing wetsuits and lycra in the world. From 1991 to 2009, Massara served as Director of the Sierra Club's California Coastal Programs. In 1992, Massara established Surfers Environmental Alliance and the National Association of Surfing Attorneys. In 1998, he partnered with Kenneth and Gabrielle Adelman to create a California Coastline Records Project.

Massara currently serves on the board of CoastWalk, a non-profit organization dedicated to the establishment of the California Coastal Trail, and O'Neill Sea Odyssey, a non-profit ocean conservation program for young people. He also serves on the advisory board of Save the Waves Coalition and Project Kaisei. During his career, Massara has served on the board of Vote the Coast and Coastal Advocates.

In 2008 and 2009, Massara participated inSEA Paddle NYC, a 28-mile (45 km) paddle around New York City that raises money for charities.

Massara writes on coastal and environmental legal issues for Coastwatcher, surfing magazines, and other publications. He lectures and has taught ocean law and science at universities including Stanford Law School, University of Oregon School of Law and University of California Santa Barbara.

Environmental activism

Martin's Beach

Mark Massara and team members discuss public access rights at Martin's Beach Mark-Massara-2.jpg
Mark Massara and team members discuss public access rights at Martin's Beach

In 2014, Massara put together a team of renowned lawyers, including Joe Cotchett and Pete McCloskey of Cotchette, Pitre & McCarthey, to represent Surfrider Foundation in a California Coastal Act violations case against Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla. Khosla purchased Martin's Beach in San Mateo County and eliminated public beach access rights. Following a trial, the court found Khosla in violation of the Coastal Act and ordered public access to Martin's Beach. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Trestles Beach In 2008, Massara, Sierra Club, California State Parks Foundation, dozens of organizations, and tens of thousands of activists won one of the biggest environmental victories in Southern California history by defeating the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agency's proposal to construct a billion dollar 17-mile (27 km) toll road highway. The project would have cut through San Onofre State Park and endangered species habitat along San Mateo Creek, through sacred Native American sites, and adjacent to one of America's most famous surfing environments at Trestles Beach. Prior to the California Coastal Commission denying the project, Massara stated, "The TCA's rich man's highway to nowhere is the wrong road at the wrong time at the wrong place."

BHP In 2007, Massara and Sierra Club led a coalition of dozens of environmental organizations and thousands of coastal activists in the defeat of a multibillion-dollar proposal by BHP Billiton to construct a 14-story liquid natural gas terminal, that would have been a floating industrial facility several miles off the Malibu-Oxnard area of Southern California. The victory, in which both the California State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission denied the project in separate hearings, is considered the Waterloo for LNG terminals along the California coast. [7]

Pebble Beach In 2007, Massara's efforts resulted in the California Coastal Commission denial of Pebble Beach Company's plan to cut down over 18,000 trees on the Monterey Peninsula.

Hearst Corporation When the California Coastal Commission held a hearing in 1998 on whether to approve a Hearst Corporation proposal to build a series of resorts on one of that last untouched stretches of coastline, surfers protested. Massara and other Sierra Club activists organized aerial photos, obtained documentation on the significant Native American resources that would be disturbed by the project, and rounded up a crowd of 1,500 to show up for the hearing. Surfers provided signs for protesters and wore wetsuits to protest against the plan.

Eureka In 1991, as counsel for Surfrider Foundation, Massara won a major lawsuit against two pulp mill companies near Eureka, California that were dumping 40 million US gallons (150,000 m3) of toxic effluents per day into the ocean. The $5.6 million penalty was the second largest collected for Clean Water Act violations. [8]

‘’’History’’’ Massara started in environmental activism at the age of seven. He was living in Santa Barbara when a Union Oil offshore rig leaked 80,000 to 100,000 barrels (13,000 to 16,000 m3) of oil, and he and his father threw hay bales on the beach and collected dead and dying birds. An avid surfer, Massara states, "Surfers bring to the cause of protecting the coast an intimate knowledge of the California coastline and its many resources, along with a zeal for recreation."

"Whether I'm working with surfers, farmers or Chumash Indians, I listen to them, go to their meetings and immerse myself in their perspective and genuinely empathize with their viewpoint," states Massara. "It helps to walk a mile in someone's shoes."

Coastal Conservation

Currently, Massara focuses on climate change related coastal protection and land use issues. With a predicted 4.5-foot (1.4 m) sea level rise along the California coast in the next 80 years, Massara states, "There is no time to waste in implementing aggressive land use retreat and resilient habitat and wetlands protection measures." Massara is urging private property owners along the coast to adopt "managed retreat strategies" and begin moving residential and other structures away from coastal bluffs. He is also arguing that coastal open space and wetlands areas be protected and expanded as "resilient" habitat necessary to protect wildlife in future decades.

Recognition

The Smithsonian has declared Massara an "ocean hero". [9]

In 2015, Massara and the Open Martin's Beach Team was honored with Surfrider Foundation's Wavemaker Award. [10]

In 2010, Massara was interviewed on Sea Change Radio. [11]

In 2009, Massara was featured in an article entitled "Ocean Hero" [12] in the University of San Francisco School of Law's USF Lawyer magazine.

In May 2008, Massara was featured in a New York Times video entitled "Planet Us: The Coastal Warrior." [13]

In May 2007, Massara was featured in Vanity Fair's Green Issue. [14] "He is a polluter's worst nightmare: a long-haired surfer with a law degree. Now that's righteous."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfing</span> Sport of riding waves

Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer, uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable for surfing are primarily found on ocean shores, but can also be found in standing waves in the open ocean, in lakes, in rivers in the form of a tidal bore, or in wave pools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malibu, California</span> City in California, United States

Malibu is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about 30 miles (48 km) west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its 21-mile (34 km) strip of the Malibu coast, incorporated in 1991 into the City of Malibu. The exclusive Malibu Colony has been historically home to Hollywood celebrities. People in the entertainment industry and other affluent residents live throughout the city, yet many residents are middle class. Most Malibu residents live from a half-mile to within a few hundred yards of Pacific Coast Highway, which traverses the city, with some residents living up to one mile away from the beach up narrow canyons. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,654.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinod Khosla</span> American businessman

Vinod Khosla is an Indian-American businessman and venture capitalist. He is a co-founder of Sun Microsystems and the founder of Khosla Ventures. Khosla made his wealth from early venture capital investments in areas such as networking, software, and alternative energy technologies. He is considered one of the most successful and influential venture capitalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bells Beach, Victoria</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Bells Beach is a coastal locality of Victoria, Australia in Surf Coast Shire and a renowned surf beach, located 100 km south-west of Melbourne, on the Great Ocean Road near the towns of Torquay and Jan Juc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaun Tomson</span>

Shaun Tomson is a South African professional surfer and former world champion, environmentalist, actor, author, and businessman. He has been listed among the top 10 surfers of the century, and was the 1977 World Surfing Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surf culture</span> Culture associated with the sport surfing

Surf culture includes the people, language, fashion, and lifestyle surrounding the sport of surfing. The history of surfing began with the ancient Polynesians. That initial culture directly influenced modern surfing, which began to flourish and evolve in the early 20th century, with its popularity peaking during the 1950s and 1960s. It has affected music, fashion, literature, film, art, and youth jargon in popular culture. The number of surfers throughout the world continues to increase as the culture spreads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surfrider Foundation</span>

The Surfrider Foundation USA is a U.S. 501(c)(3) grassroots non-profit environmental organization that works to protect and preserve the world's oceans, waves and beaches. It focuses on water quality, beach access, beach and surf spot preservation, and sustaining marine and coastal ecosystems.

'Spirit of Surfing' is a low-key initiative started in 1995 by longtime surfer, Peter Cuming, surf elders Rob Conneelly, and Nat Young, and surf artist Roscoe Kermode. Spirit of Surfing was established to promote the traditions of free surfing; respect for the ocean, the land, and indigenous and local cultures wherever surfers are and travel; fostering community spirit; and an harmonious relationship with the natural environment. These key messages are shared and encouraged in the water amongst surfers and through other opportunities such as festivals, forums, gatherings and local surfing communities. It was first presented to the Angourie Boardriders in late 1995, at Yamba, in NSW. They adopted the general Spirit of Surfing (SoS) principles in their approach to their activities including a stronger focus on active beach restoration work as part of their regular surfing sessions and competitions. Peter Cuming liaised with Nat Young, past world short and longboard surfing champion, who supported the aims, and raised the concept in his working relationship with the World Longboard Championship Tour to engage in adopting the principles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malibu Lagoon State Beach</span> Surfing beach in Malibu, California

Malibu Lagoon State Beach in Malibu, California, United States, is also known as Surfrider Beach. It was dedicated as the first World Surfing Reserve on October 9, 2010. The 110-acre (45 ha) site was established as a California state park in 1951. It lies within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Coastal Commission</span> State agency with quasi-judicial regulatory oversight over coastal zone

The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency with quasi-judicial control of land and public access along the state's 1,100 miles (1,800 km) coastline. Its mission as defined in the California Coastal Act is "to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trestles (surfing)</span> Surfing breaks in San Clemente, California

Trestles is a collection of surfing spots between northern San Onofre State Beach in San Diego County and southern San Clemente in Orange County in California. Trestles consists of, from north to south, Upper Trestles (Uppers), Lower Trestles (Lowers), and Middle Trestles (Middles). North of Upper Trestles is the surf spot called Cottons. South of Middles is the surf spot called The Church. Middles gets its name because it was a middle area between Trestles and The Church (sometimes just called "Church". It is named after Trestles Bridge, a wooden trestle bridge that surfers must walk under to reach the beach, replaced in 2012 by a concrete viaduct.

The riding of waves has likely existed since humans began swimming in the ocean. In this sense, bodysurfing is the oldest type of wave-catching. Archaeological evidence suggests that ancient cultures of Peru surfed on reed watercraft for fishing and recreation up to five thousand years ago. Standing up on what is now called a surfboard is a relatively recent innovation developed by the Polynesians. The influences for modern surfing can be directly traced to the surfers of pre-contact Hawaii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake surfing</span>

Lake surfing is surfing on any lake with sufficient surface area for wind to produce waves. As with ocean surfing, ideal wave conditions are when the wind switches offshore. However, when this occurs over a lake the waves generated by previous onshore wind subside relatively quickly. This means lake surfers have a shorter window of opportunity to surf ideal waves. Lake surfers are often out during and experiencing the same storm that creates the waves whereas ocean surfers are more often surfing on swell produced by storms hundreds of miles away and that may have taken days to reach shore. In addition to making it more difficult to manage surfboards, high winds can make the face of a wave and water surface rough. Increased wave frequency due to shorter fetch results in less rest between waves and sets of waves. This can make it necessary to paddle out through waves because there may not be a long enough pause between sets to paddle out between them.

Chevron Reef, also known as Pratte's Reef, was an artificial reef constructed in 2000 in Santa Monica Bay, offshore from Dockweiler State Beach. It was the first artificial surfing reef in the United States and was the second to be built worldwide. It was removed in 2008.

International Surfing Day, held annually on the third Saturday of June, is an unofficial, environmentally conscious sports-centered holiday that celebrates the sport of surfing, surfing lifestyle, and the sustainability of ocean resources. Contests and prizes are also part of the celebration, with surfing-related industries donating prizes such as surfboards and wetsuits. Another purpose of the celebration is to promote the popularity of surfing and to attract new participants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Thiermann</span>

Kyle Thiermann is a professional surfer, writer, podcast host, and filmmaker from Santa Cruz, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martins Beach</span> Beach in San Mateo County, California

Martins Beach is a beach located in San Mateo County, California. The beach is accessible only through Martins Beach Road, which runs from Highway 1 through privately held land. Named after local landowner and farmer Nicholas Martin, the beach is best known for billionaire Vinod Khosla's efforts to close access to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Harper (American artist)</span> American artist

Peter M. Harper is an American sculptor, musician, and academic. He is best known for his vocals and tenor guitar, especially in France, where has had made several concert tours.

Doug Warbrick is an Australian businessman, founder of the Rip Curl brand. and notable figure in the sport of surfing. Warbrick is credited for bringing the longest running surf event in history, the Bells Beach Surf Classic, to the professional surfing circuit. He is a founding member of the ASP World Tour, surf aficionado and athlete mentor.

Bradley Paul FarmerAM is an Australian advocate, author and conservationist. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia on the 2019 Queens Birthday Honours List for a lifetime of voluntary service towards coasts, conservation and communities. His first environmental campaign, aged 12, was on the Gold Coast where he grew up. He continues to be an adviser of coastal conservancy in Australia and elsewhere.

References

  1. "Surfrider returns to Martins Beach". Bizjournals.com\Accessdate=2016-12-28.
  2. Aaron Kinney (3 January 2015). "Martins Beach: New law goes into effect, public access negotiations begin". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  3. "The Surfrider Foundation Wins Beach Access Lawsuit Against Vinod Khosla". Surfrider.org. 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  4. "Martin's Beach Billionaire vs Surfrider Foundation - Off The Lip Radio". YouTube. 2014-07-15. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  5. "Billionaire Vinod Khosla to Surfers: Not in My Backyard". Bloomberg. 2015-01-23. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  6. Fimrite, Peter (2014-12-18). "Vinod Khosla challenges judge's order to open Martins Beach gate". SFGate . Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  7. "Proposed LNG Terminal Dead In the Water". Sierraclub.typepad.com. 2007-04-20. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  8. "Surfers Force Pulp Mills to Halt Ocean Pollution : Environment: Suit brings about precedent-setting accord. Firms to spend $56 million in fines, improvements". Los Angeles Times . 1991-09-10. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  9. "Ocean Planet". Seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  10. "SURFRIDER FOUNDATION HONORS 2014 WAVEMAKERS - Surfrider Foundation". Surfrider Foundation . 2015-02-08. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  11. Alex Wise (2010-06-22). "Go To The Beach Soon: Coastal & Surfer Advocate Mark Massara". Sea Change Radio . Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  12. "Untitled Page". Archived from the original on 2010-06-20. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  13. "Planet Us: The Coastal Warrior - Video". New York Times . Retrieved 2016-12-28.
  14. "The 2007 Green Issue: Online Resources". Vanity Fair. 4 April 2007. Retrieved 2016-12-28.