Save Our Beaches San Clemente hopes to accelerate its support from the community after its first informational meeting on Wednesday night, Jan. 24.

Dozens gathered in the San Clemente Community Centers Ole Hanson Fireside Room to hear about the current issues facing the citys coastline, the largest governmental entities involved, and how to get involved in spreading the organizations message.

We expected 60 or 70 people, and I think we had roughly 80, said Joe Wilson, a founding member of the nonprofit organization. There was a terrific turnout and a lot of energy in the room. A lot of people (were) very supportive in volunteering for specific things like social media or surf advocates.

With a mission of finding solutions to restore and retain sand in San Clemente, Save Our Beaches SC wanted to spread the word about the issue of coastal erosion, according to member John Dow, to motivate people to participate.

Were only four people, Dow said. There are a lot of people that have their hands in this issue, a lot of different elected officials or organizations, and we need to touch on all of them.

Dow and member Suzie Whitelaw also sit on the City of San Clementes Coastal Advisory Committee.

During the meeting, Whitelaw detailed the San Clemente Shoreline Project and its delay, and the effect of erosion on North Beach and at the southern end of the citys coastline.

Overall, she said the loss of beach width throughout the city was not due to sea-level rise. Instead, the placement of riprap, or hard armoring, along the railroad tracks has accelerated the wave action in those areas and thus increased how much sand the waves can take away. Additionally, continual human development with impacts to creeks and riverbeds has decreased the sand supply.

Orange County Public Works is among a working group that recently initiated a study to determine the feasibility of transporting sand to beaches via rail cars, Whitelaw added, for which Save Our Beaches believes North Beach would be a prime location for a pilot project.

The Prado Dam, a project owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and located near Corona, has filled up with sand and could contribute to a solution, as Whitelaw indicated the Shoreline Projects dredger wouldnt return to the area for several years.

The project, officially known as OC Regional Stockpile Hub Supporting Beneficial Re-Use of Sediment, comprises a collaborative effort to develop a site to stockpile cobble, sand and silt and deliver the materials to receiver sites around the county, according to a document obtained by San Clemente Times.

Save Our Beaches SC has also communicated with the California Coastal Commission about San Clementes southern end, where the Orange County Transportation Authority has placed riprap through multiple recent projects.

The organization has asked the CCC to mitigate the ripraps impacts by taking the lead to restore public access between San Clemente State Beach and San Onofre State Beach, according to Whitelaw. Access could be restored by maintaining the beach between multiple underpasses and establishing a new pedestrian trail on the eastern side of the tracks going through Cyprus Shore.

Whitelaw also spoke about the benefits of breakwaters, or piles of rock placed parallel to the shore that calm wave action and allow sand to build up.

Even better are submerged breakwaters or artificial reefs for a more natural aesthetic, the latter of which can provide habitats to abalone, kelp and other living organisms.

Julian Husbands, an 18-year resident who attended the meeting with his son, said Save Our Beaches presentations taught him about the impact of erosion, whereas he previously thought global warming was a major cause. A longtime surfer at San Onofre, Husbands has mainly observed the significant erosion at that beach and taken note of other areas in town.

The Jan. 24 meeting gave Husbands hope more than anything else, he said, as the presentations mentioned how the CCC and OCTA could play a major role in moving forward and various solutions the city of Oceanside has used.

I didnt realize that those rocks that (OCTA puts) along the coastline can exacerbate it, so, at some point thats not in their best interest, either, said Husbands. If thats going to make it worse, then theres going to have to be more significant solutions.

Colleen Alexiou, another attendee and friend of Whitelaws, came away from the meeting with the desire to get more involved. She also spoke about the importance of informing more people about the issue, even though a lack of sympathy from people who dont live in the area may affect support for necessary funding.

Save Our Beaches also hosted the founding members of Save Our Sand Oceanside during the meeting. The two organizations have been in contact for the past few months, according to Save Our Sands Nick Ricci, who emphasized the value of coordination between like-minded groups.

By hosting informational events, organizations attract people to their mission and can form a symbiotic relationship in which both parties have assets and connections to offer.

Then, you can network with all the people that (your supporters have contacts with), said Ricci. I cant tell you how many amazing opportunities that (Save Our Sand has had) the last few years with networking with people.

Whitelaw encouraged attendees to also participate in the citys updates on its Nature Based Coastal Resiliency Feasibility Study, with the possibility of another upcoming public workshop in which people can scrutinize concepts for sand retention.Learn more about how to get involved with Save Our Beaches San Clemente at saveourbeachessc.org.

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Save Our Beaches SC Meeting Shares Mission with Residents - San Clemente Times