Clean Ocean Action to host 28th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps this Saturday
Cleaning up Sandy Hook at the Spring 2012 Beach Sweeps. (Photo: Comcastdreambig via Flickr)
Clean Ocean Action, a regional coalition based in Sandy Hook that fights for clean water off the New Jersey and New York coastlines, will host the 28th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps at over 60 locations along the Jersey Shore on Saturday, October 19.
This year’s event is a component of the non-profit organization’s Waves of Action program, which was instituted to mobilize volunteers after Superstorm Sandy.
“Clean Ocean Action is excited to continue to integrate Beach Sweeps into the Waves of Action program, a year-long initiative to recover and restore the NY/NJ coastline after the devastation of Sandy,” said Catie Tobin, Clean Ocean Action Ocean Advocacy and Education Fellow.
On Saturday, volunteers will scour tidal waterways for debris, documenting the quantity and types of garage found. The collective results will be subsequently analyzed and published in an annual report, which will help to reduce sources of pollution, according to a Clean Ocean Action press release.
“These reports help identify pollution problems, aid legislators in enacting laws to protect our marine environment, and inform local, state and international efforts to combat marine pollution,” the release states.
In 2012, 6,926 volunteers collected, tallied, and removed over 350,000 pieces of debris — the majority of which was disposable plastic — from the New Jersey coastline.
IF YOU GO
The event, slated for 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., is open to volunteers of all ages, either individually or groups from businesses, families, and organizations. Volunteers are requested to pre-register by using the online sign-up form at www.CleanOceanAction.org.
Participants should wear gloves, dress for the weather, apply sunscreen, and wear closed-toed, hard-soled shoes.
There are over 60 sites stretching from Middlesex County to Cape May County. Click here for a complete list.
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