High Life A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Unlikely Litigants, for Shore

Despite their image as laid-back sun-worshipers, surfers and other lovers of the beach are taking up the fight for cleaner oceans, according to the January-February issue of International Wildlife magazine.

Surfrider Foundation of Huntington Beach and the Environmental Protection Agency recently won a historic settlement against two Northern California pulp mills that were dumping millions of gallons of toxic waste into a popular surfing spot off Eureka. Under the settlement, Louisiana-Pacific Corp. and the Simpson Paper Co. will pay $5.8 million in fines and spend at least $50 million to reduce discharges.

With 17,000 members in the United States, Europe and Australia, Surfrider also fights coastal development and educates schoolchildren about beach pollution.

A three-member team from Dana Hills High School in Dana Point recently won the Cultural Safari Contest, a test of cultural and geographic knowledge.

The Dana Hills students defeated others from Capistrano Valley and Laguna Hills high schools in the contest created by Dimension Cable Services and the Discovery Channel.

The student teams each made five-minute oral presentations discussing “the interrelationships between culture and geography.” They were judged on creativity, use of statistical and demographic data and the relevance of their information.

The Dana Hills team--Robyn Connolly, Brooke Ballif and Elizabeth Stevens--did its presentation on the changes in the California coast. A videotape of the presentation will be sent to the national competition, where the grand prize will be a trip to Africa.

Lorena Solis and Raymond Solis of Santa Ana, who attend Saddleback High School, won Volunteer of the Year awards for their work on the recent Orange County Times Holiday on Parade. The sister and brother were selected by Bob Viking, chairman of the parade committee.

Other volunteer honorees included Girl Scout Senior Troop 492 and Boy Scout Troop 28, both of Santa Ana. The 22 members of the two troops dressed as elves and toys and rode on the hobbyhorse float.

“When riding the train of life, you never have to worry about which station is yours; there will be people there telling you where to get off.”

--Will Rogers (1879-1935)