Environment DEC
From the July 2004 issue
New York State Beach Cleanup Needs You
If you plan to be at an ocean beach or near a river, stream, wetland, or lake on Saturday, September 18, please consider joining a cleanup team or forming one of your own for the 2004 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). This annual event is coordinated in New York State by the American Littoral Society (ALS).
You could be part of a worldwide effort of The Ocean Conservancy to document and remove marine debris from our shores and waterways. This debris is not just unsightly-it poses a threat to wildlife as well. For example, birds become entangled in discarded fishing line and in those ubiquitous plastic six-pack holders, and marine mammals ingest other plastics that can obstruct their intestinal tract.
History of State's Involvement
New York State's involvement in the ICC dates back to 1987 when the Department of Environmental Conservation and ALS combined efforts to organize beach cleanups at four sites in New York City. In 2003, over 10,000 volunteers documented and removed more than 334,000 pounds of debris from 351 sites throughout the state. That amounted to an average of more than two tons of debris per cleanup site!
A list of cleanup sites for 2004 "at a beach near you" will be available on the American Littoral Society's Web Site in September. To request a copy of the beach cleanup issue of the ALS newsletter, Littorally Speaking, call the Beach Cleanup Hotline at (800)449-0790.
For assistance in forming a cleanup team of your own, please call the Beach Clean Up Coordinator at (718)471-2166. To obtain information about cleanups in states other than New York, please e-mail the Ocean Conservancy (see link below), or call (202)429-5609.
