The Surfrider Foundation is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization for all people who protect and enjoy the world’s ocean, waves, and beaches. Our success and impact depends on learning from our community, standing in solidarity with our allies and working towards a more just future, both for our organization and the environmental movement as a whole.
The Surfrider Ventura County Chapter is working to continuously improve the scope of our outreach and support of local organizations led by black, indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC), that align within our mission.
This month we are highlighting The Wishtoyo Chumash Foundation. https://www.wishtoyo.org/
Wishtoyo's Water Initiative protects and restores California's environment and waters to ensure the state's residents, tribes, and species benefit from clean water, reliable water supplies, rivers with sufficient in-stream flows, and an unpolluted environment. They do so using law, science, restoration projects, watershed monitoring, advocacy, education, and community outreach and organizing.
Their work is geared towards state-wide results, with a special on the ground focus on projects throughout traditional Chumash territory in Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Angles, Kern, and San Louis Obispo Counties. In 2000, Wishtoyo founded its Ventura Coastkeeper Program to direct their work on projects within Ventura County. Water initiatives include:
