The Massachusetts Annual Statewide Beach Cleanup

By Jon Alden

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The Massachusetts COASTSWEEP held its 20th anniversary beach clean-up from 10 a.m. to noon at Cherry & Webb Beach, East Beach and Gooseberry Island in Westport. COASTSWEEP promotes a cleaner environment through community involvement and public education. The Westport River Watershed Alliance spearheaded the local beach clean-up effort. Many local volunteers joined the WRWA in this international beach cleanup and helped to monitor types of marine debris.

Volunteers throughout Massachusetts turn out in large numbers each year for COASTSWEEP, the state-wide beach cleanup sponsored by CZM and the Urban Harbors Institute of UMass Boston. COASTSWEEP will kick-off its 20th year on September 15.

COASTSWEEP is also part of an international campaign organized by The Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. Participants all over the world collect marine debris and record the types of trash they collect. This information is then used to help reduce future marine debris problems.

Each year, cleanups are scheduled throughout September and October. To get involved with the 2007 event, or for more information, go to the COASTSWEEP website at: www.coastsweep.umb.edu.

COASTSWEEP is the annual state-wide coastal cleanup sponsored by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), and coordinated by the Urban Harbors Institute of the University of Massachusetts Boston. COASTSWEEP has helped thousands of volunteers clean hundreds of miles of shoreline and riverbanks over the past 19 years. COASTSWEEP volunteers have even used SCUBA equipment to clean the ocean floor! Help us celebrate the program's 20th anniversary by volunteering for a clean up, and taking the time to learn more about what you can do to reduce marine debris.

This year the WRWA co-coordinated the efforts of eight volunteers at Cherry & Webb Beach, seven at Gooseberry Island, and six at East Beach. Together these environmentally conscious workers collected hundreds of pounds of all sorts of marine debris. Volunteers helped the Watershed Alliance collect 36 bags of trash from the Westport Beaches totaling 162 pounds including lobster pots, spray paint cans, and fishing line.

Outboard motors, fire hoses, and lobster traps make COASTSWEEP sound like a trash treasure hunt; but much of the debris collected during COASTSWEEP is everyday litter such as plastic bottles, string, and cigarette butts. Over the past 19 years of COASTSWEEP, the primary offenders have remained constant - with cigarette butts once again topping the "Top Ten" list. This will probably remain true for 2007 if what the WRWA volunteers found holds true with the rest of the state effort.

The day was partly sunny with a shifting fog that moved over the beaches like a silent guardian, monitoring the human effort to keep their surroundings clean. Our coastal shorelines and riverbanks are worthy of the great efforts to keep them unsoiled. We should all be vigilant custodians of the magnificent environment nature has so generously bestowed upon us.

Thanks to the local organizers and volunteers for making our coastline a better and safer place for people, animals, and the aquatic life we so depend upon.

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