MONTEREY BAY — After the long Memorial Day weekend of fun, the hardest hit in terms of trash, were the North Coast and Mid-Santa Cruz County particularly Panther Beach and Sunny Cove. Thankfully, 177 volunteers took time during the holiday weekend and the day after to lend a hand.
“I was surprised by how much small trash, such as plastic bits, Styrofoam pieces, dog poop bags and cigarette butts were on the beach. Especially since we had just cleaned them on Earth Day. But I was heartened by the many people who thanked us,” recalled Sanctuary Steward Mary Scheller, who took time out of her Tuesday morning with her husband to comb through Memorial Day waste at 3 different beaches along Live Oak in Santa Cruz County.
Sanctuary Steward Steve Belmont reminds us how dedicated the volunteers were. “Just when you think you’ve seen everything that can be dumped on a beach, there’s something new. Today it was linoleum and wood paneling!”
Beach Cleanup Results
Before and after Memorial Day, 164 Save Our Shores volunteers removed 543.8 pounds of trash from 9 beaches across the Monterey Bay. Breakdown by beach: • Davenport Main, 35 (lbs) • Panther, 165 (lbs) • Cowell/Main, 97.5 (lbs) • Sunny Cove, 64 (lbs) • Corcoran Lagoon, 105 (lbs) • 26th St. Santa Cruz, 16 (lbs) • Capitola, 9.3 (lbs) • Palm Beach State Park, 37 (lbs) • Del Monte, Monterey 15 (lbs)
On Memorial Day at peak visitor time, 13 Save Our Shores volunteers connected with thousands of beachgoers at the two most visited beaches in the Monterey Bay, Cowell/Main Beach in Santa Cruz and Del Monte Beach in Monterey.
Before the crowds turned up, Save Our Shores hung large banners along the beach parking lots and bathrooms, reminding visitors to “enjoy their visit” to the beach and “keep it clean.” Volunteers talked to visitors about the impact their waste can have on marine wildlife and marine ecosystems as well as reminding them to pack their trash after enjoying the beach. In less than four hours, the small crew managed to hand out more than 450 free trash bags, a proven pollution prevention measure.
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Save Our Shores 2017 Holiday Relief and Pollution Prevention Program during Memorial Day weekend is made possible thanks to dedicated partners and sponsors. A special thanks to Sanctuary Stewards Mary Scheller and Steve Belmont for their extended volunteer efforts. www.saveourshores.org