Last week, more than 80 community members came together at the Patagonia Store in Haleʻiwa for The Future of North Shore Beaches: Community Talk Story. The night was filled with conversation, learning, and a powerful sense of shared care and responsibility for the future of this iconic coastline.
Hanna Lilley opening the evening
Surfrider Hawaiʻi Regional Manager, Hanna Lilley, opened the evening with the story of the Surfrider’s beginnings on the North Shore. Honoring several founding members of the first Surfrider chapter in Hawaiʻi — reminding everyone how far the chapter and movement have come. From helping to protect Pupukea-Puamalū from development in 2007, to securing conservation easements at Turtle Bay, to ongoing work monitoring water quality and fighting inappropriate coastal development, the Oʻahu Chapter’s legacy of advocacy on the North Shore runs deep.
The North Shore remains one of Hawaiʻi’s most extreme erosion hotspots. Nearly 75% of beaches are currently experiencing chronic erosion, a number projected to rise to over 90% by 2050. As we’ve seen firsthand, homes, roads, and public access are already incredibly threatened — and more frequent extreme storms and rising seas will only accelerate these hazards and their impacts.
Extreme beach loss at Kammies
Dolan Eversole of the University of Hawai’i Sea Grant program shared the background of the work done on coastal erosion thus far. Focusing on the North Shore Coastal Resilience Working Group, formed by Surfrider, UH Sea Grant, and the North Shore Community Land Trust, brought together property owners, agencies, and community voices to face these challenges head-on. During his presentation, he shared an exciting milestone: the long-awaited North Shore Beach Management Plan, an initiative born from the Working Group, is officially underway, having finalized funding only hours prior.
Dolan Eversole and Alex Ferron Mignogna presenting
Surfrider’s Coastal Adaptation Manager, Alex Ferron Mignogna, presented examples of nature-based coastal adaptation solutions, including lessons from the Surfers’ Point managed retreat project in Ventura, California, and the North Shore Community Land Trust's dune restoration efforts at Pamaulū (Sunset Beach). These examples showed how communities can have a significant impact by acting before a beach has disappeared completely — working with natural processes to create more resilient shorelines.
Tim Tybuszewski talking to attendees about North Shore Community Land Trust restoration efforts
As talk story, the night wasn’t just about presentations.
Six interactive stations encouraged hands-on learning and sharing. Through one interactive mapping project, attendees answer place-based questions, such as where they park or recreate, and identify culturally and socially significant sites. All responses gathered will be transcribed and shared online, with a virtual platform launching soon to capture even more place-based feedback.
(Check back here for the Community Mapping Project Online link)
At other stations, attendees discussed adaptive restoration, the newly launched Beach Management Plan, and ways to get more involved.
Attendees discuss and map their experiences
The energy in the room was a mixture of camaraderie, urgency, and optimism. Community members are ready to act, whether as property owners facing erosion at their doorstep or as neighbors who want to protect the beaches they love for future generations.
Surfrider Foundation and our partners are eager to facilitate more of these conversations and work to ensure community voices are at the heart of solutions.
A huge thanks to our partners — University Hawai'i Sea Grant, North Shore Community Land Trust, and Patagonia Haleʻiwa — and to the dedicated Surfrider Oʻahu volunteers who kept the night flowing with food, drinks, and aloha.
Mahalo to every community member who showed up, shared your stories, and added your voice to this urgent conversation. Together, we’re building a vision for the future of the North Shore — a vision rooted in resilience, community, and care for our coastlines.
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Upcoming Event! Join Surfrider and the North Shore Community Land Trust for a beach cleanup at Kahuku Point. |
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