Our Mission:
Our mission is simple: to restore and preserve San Clemente’s beaches through practical, cost-effective, nature-based solutions.
We are primarily a citizen’s advocacy group. While we do ask for donations to meet our operating costs, we are not primarily a fund-raising organization. Also, while we work closely with governmental agencies and other nonprofit citizen groups, we are an independent organization governed by our own bylaws and agenda.
Our major beliefs can be summarized as follows:
WHAT IS CAUSING COASTAL EROSION?
Human activities that severely limit the natural flow of sediment to our coast are starving our beaches of the sand necessary to naturally replenish.
Erosion is exacerbated by the railroad’s hard armoring of our shoreline, which disrupts the natural flow and accumulation of beach sand.
Sea level rise over the past 100 years has been on the order of a few inches in Southern California. This is not the current cause of our coastal erosion.
WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS TO COASTAL EROSION?
This is a human-caused problem that humans can solve by putting more sand on our beaches.
Sand retention is a priority. Sand retention measures should, if possible, mimic natural systems (i.e., artificial reefs, submerged living breakwaters, low-profile artificial headlands, and more).
HOW SHOULD WE PROCEED?
Advocate for additional sand replenishment efforts for areas not addressed by the upcoming Federal project, including North Beach and State Beach
Advocate for sand retention structures that are: proven to work; will be minimally invasive; respect the aesthetics of our beach; protect our surfing resources; and are politically and socially viable
Advocate for responsible resource management by OCTA to prevent the destruction of any more of San Clemente’s beaches through hard armoring