Some of you may have heard of Curl, some may not have.
That's his internet name.

He's a fisherman, a surfer, a guy always willing to give surfing advice or fix a cracked board for a reasonable price, a good source of access historical info, and a friend.





Through conversations with him, I understood the following:

The town of Deal didn't want surfers or any other people on their beaches who weren't residents.

Curl, being the activist that he was, knew there were some Constitutional issues here. He was well aware of the Public Trust Doctrine, and its implications.

Unfortunately, you need money and legal talent to fight the towns that restrict access. Whether a cause is justified or not, you can't fight them in court for free. Many towns know that and pass restrictive ordinances, figuring there's a small chance they'll face a court challenge.


The town of Deal knew this.

Hoever, Curl, and a small group of his friends, weren't going to take it lying down. They loved to surf, still do, and weren't going to give up access without a fight.

Curl put up a few thousand of his own savings, hired a lawyer, and they went after the town on the access issue, putting the case on the doket for a court hearing.

He managed to rally the troops, getting a lot of surfers and fishermen to sign petitions, and raised awareness of the town meeting dates.


Resolution:
In the end, the way it was related to me, the town "blinked". They agreed to give access to Curl, his friends, other surfers and fishermen, if they would drop the lawsuit.
The town didn't want to litigate a Public Trust Issue. They felt no one would be organized enough to challenge them. They failed to understand the sheer determination of Curl and his friends until it was almost too late.


I relate this story here, with his permission, to let you people out there know that with a determined interest group, changes can and will be made.

One reason for my lack of confidence in getting things done like this in today's climate is..... I have seen the apathy in fishermen. I've been to the March on Washington, and seen the reality that only a very small % of fishermen are willing to organize for a cause. Only a small % of guys are consistently interested in fisheries management meetings, and things of that nature.

If the story isn't about 40 or 50# striped bass, it's hard to hold peoples' interest.

That's why I believe the towns will win on these access issues, one town at a time.

I would love to be proven wrong on this. With the apathy and laziness that exists today, I don't see that happening.