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Serge Dedina

Serge Dedina is the executive director of WILDCOAST, an international nonprofit organization he co-founded in 2000, and that works to conserve coastal and marine ecosystems and address climate change through natural solutions. He received the San Diego Zoological Society's Conservation Medal and is the author of "Saving the Gray Whale, Wild Sea" and "Surfing the Border." His op-eds have been published by The San Diego Union-Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee. Dedina is a proud UC San Diego alum and holds a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Texas at Austin. He is a former lifeguard with Imperial Beach and California State Parks. Serge served as the Mayor of Imperial Beach from 2014-2022, where he has lived since 1971.

The U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission treatment plant sits on the border between Mexico and the United States, in the Tijuana River Valley in San Diego. Trade deals between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, with their labor and environmental side agreements, are the most effective way of link our shared economies and investments for infrastructure to reduce environmental pollution on our southern border, says the author of this essay. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Opinion: As a former border mayor, I see the tariff war bringing tragic loss, shock and outrage

March 17, 2025 at 12:15 p.m.

With a looming trade war between the U.S., Canada and Mexico as a result of President Trump threatening the application of 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico (a move the...

As interest in ocean tourism grows, it is crucial to ensure that marine wildlife is protected. There are steps to contribute to respectful, sustainable marine tourism.
(Brett Hoffman)

Opinion: We should embrace, encourage responsible whale watching

August 9, 2024 at 2:30 p.m.

San Diego’s stunning coastline along with the allure of rich ocean ecosystems and diverse marine life, have long captivated residents and visitors alike. With everything from playful white-sided dolphins to...

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When celebrating Earth Day, don’t forget our coast and the ocean

April 20, 2024 at 12:42 a.m.

Dedina is executive director of WILDCOAST, an international team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and addresses climate change through natural solutions. He lives in San Diego and was the...

A member of WILDCOAST's partner, United Women of El Dátil, holds a mangrove seedling in a mangrove forest in Laguna San Ignacio, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Blue carbon ecosystems have the power to protect fragile coastlines, but time is running out

March 22, 2024 at 5:21 p.m.

Dedina is executive director of WILDCOAST, an international team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and addresses climate change through natural solutions. He lives in San Diego and was the...

Valle de los Cirios Coastal Reserve

This untouched piece of coast in Baja California embodies the importance of conservation

December 16, 2023 at 10:16 p.m.

Dedina is the executive director of Wildcoast, an international team based in Del Mar that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and addresses climate change through natural solutions, and lives in...

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Twelve miles of shoreline – from Coronado to the border – is toxic. The sewage must stop.

September 16, 2023 at 12:43 a.m.

Dedina is the executive director of Wildcoast and author of “Surfing the Border: Adventures at the Edge of the Ocean” A former Imperial Beach and California State Parks lifeguard, he...

A group of kids hold signs prior to the start of a International Boundary and Water Commission meeting on an estimated 143 million gallons of the sewage spilled into the Tijuana river

We’re finally seeing for fixing the Tijuana sewage crisis. Now let’s see some action.

May 29, 2020 at 8:35 p.m.

When many coastal cities in San Diego County reopened beaches on April 27 for limited but much needed active recreational activities on the sand and in the sea, the residents...

Before sunrise Dani was greeted by a pelican flyover.

With beaches closed, San Diego surfers have lost ‘a profound, immersive, and invigorating peace’

March 30, 2020 at 11:35 p.m.

One morning last summer, I paddled my surfboard out to a distant San Diego surf spot, moving through layers of white water in the predawn darkness to catch the first...

<p>Signs are partially under water at the south end of Seacoast Drive in Imperial Beach which was flooded Friday morning, the result of powerful waves and King tides.</p>

Common ground must be reached on border sewage spills

August 8, 2019 at 9:51 p.m.

Over the past several months, and with his recent inflammatory comments on immigration, President Donald Trump has made the United States-Mexico border a point of contention in American political discourse....