Surf’s up! Jack Johnson strikes a chord for #OurLand

By Trust for Public Land
Published August 12, 2014

Surf’s up! Jack Johnson strikes a chord for #OurLand

 

Before his chilled-out tunes had us all craving beach time (and banana pancakes), singer-songwriter Jack Johnson was a pro surfer—and of course, he still looks to the ocean for inspiration. 

The Trust for Public Land works to protect coastal lands and public access to the best beaches—so surfers like Jack will always have a place to hang ten. (And the rest of us can sit back and watch!) Here are three of our favorite surf spots protected with help from people like you.

Pupukea-Paumalu—O‘ahu, Hawaii

The 400-foot cliffs known as Pupukea-Paumalu overlook world-famous surf breaks at the Pipeline (‘Ehukai) and Sunset Beach. When these gorgeous bluffs were threatened by housing development, we joined a coalition of local conservationists—including Jack, a North Shore local—to help the community conserve the land.

Higgins Beach—Scarborough, Maine

When the Surfrider Foundation needed to protect access to Higgins Beach, they turned to The Trust for Public Land for help. “Surfing at Higgins is the best-kept secret,” Surfrider’s chapter president Janice Parente told the Portland Press Herald. “It is wonderful. It’s the condition of the waves, the space between them and the shape of them.” There’s history here, too: at low tide you can see the half-buried remains of the Howard W. Middleton, wrecked in the fog in 1897.

Estero Bay—San Luis Obispo County, California

Mention West Coast surfing and most people think of Half Moon Bay’s infamous Mavericks—or the SoCal party scene at Huntington Beach. But locals know there’s lots more to discover between the two on the state’s stunning central coast. We helped protect nearly four miles of shoreline at Estero Bay, where the local surf club invitational goes by the name, “The Big, Bad, and Ugly.”

You might not sing quite like Jack Johnson, but you can still lend your voice to #OurLand! Visit tpl.org/ourland and share why nature matters to you.

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