The health and well-being of coastal communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as the millions of people who enjoy this stretch of coastline, have long been threatened by the flow of untreated sewage, industrial pollution, and trash into the Tijuana River Watershed and the Pacific Ocean.
Join us for an eye-opening presentation and discussion with San Diego Coastkeeper and the Surfrider Foundation about the water quality issues and the work being done to mitigate them. Following the presentation, we’ll make our way to the beach to do our part to clean up this stretch of Imperial Beach. All activities will take place at the beautiful waterfront of YMCA Camp Surf.
Light breakfast bites and coffee will be served during the presentation. This is a family-friendly event. Just note how many guests you are bringing at registration. Please note that children must be accompanied by an adult during the beach cleanup portion.
About Our Presenters:
Phillip Musegaas, San Diego Coastkeeper
Phillip serves as the executive director and Waterkeeper for San Diego Coastkeeper, where he leads the organization and directs Coastkeeper’s legal, policy, and advocacy work.
Prior to joining Coastkeeper in October 2022, Phillip worked with a team of Riverkeepers to protect the public’s right to clean water on the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers at Potomac Riverkeeper Network. Successful legal and legislative campaigns led to big reductions in urban sewage pollution, agricultural runoff and the Potomac’s first community led water quality monitoring program. Phillip came to the Potomac after ten years as the Legal Director at Hudson Riverkeeper in New York. As the incoming executive director, Phillip leads the organization in its mission to protect and restore San Diego County’s waterways and move towards safe, clean water for our region.
Phillip has a degree in geography from the University of Washington, and a Juris Doctor degree from Pace University Law School.
Sarah Davidson, Surfrider
Sarah manages Surfrider's Clean Border Water Now program, based in San Diego, CA, on the unceded homelands of the Kumeyaay people. She works collaboratively at local, state and federal levels to address the binational health crisis caused by toxic water pollution along the U.S. - Mexico border region. Prior to joining Surfrider, she worked on participatory water management on the Sarapiqui River in Costa Rica, the Nile Basin in East Africa, the Chesapeake Watershed in the eastern U.S., and the waters of Southeast Alaska's Inside Passage.
Originally from San Francisco, CA, Sarah has a B.S. in Marine Biology from UC Santa Cruz and an M.A. from American University in Washington, D.C. and University for Peace in Costa Rica in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development with a focus on transboundary water cooperation. When not advocating for social justice and water protection, you can find her honing her photography skills, working on participatory art projects, traveling to new places, and spending as much time as possible near or on the water.
Registration
Registration is free and open to active AWWEE members, non-members, and guests.