News: Long Island Hosts 25th Annual Beach Cleanup
(Long Island, N.Y.) For the past twenty-five years, over ten thousand volunteers have cleaned up forty thousand pounds of garbage and debris from the beaches at Robert Moses State Park. This year’s cleanup took place on September 17th, 2011 at Robert Moses State Park, Field #2 and began at ten in the morning.
A state senator from Babylon released a statement describing the event. Volunteers will collect data and it will be sent to the American Littoral Society and The Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. It will be analyzed and compared with data from around the planet. The agencies involved in the data collection will then implement international programs and policies to control debris in hopes to keep our beaches clean and safe.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation will also evaluate the effectiveness of existing laws to prevent debris from washing up on our shores. The Department of Environmental Conservation was created in 1970 to combine all environmental conservation groups into a single state agency designed to protect and enhance the environment.
Reports stated that the event runs during the annual Great South Bay Cleanup. This cleanup does not have as long of a history as the other, however, many Long Island environmentalists feel that it has had a tremendous impact on the cleanliness of the island.
The Great South Bay Cleanup is held annually on the third weekend of September. Participants meet at the Yacht Service Boatyard on Ocean Avenue. Coffee and bagels are provided to the volunteers and boats are launched to the islands.
During previous years the participants received t-shirts as well as certificates for their efforts in the cleanups. Many Long Island parents feel that this is especially important for the children involved in order to give them a sense of accomplishment.
The Long Island Beach Buggy Association, along with the State Park Region, will be sponsoring the event. Reports stated that the participants expected to attend the event will include numerous conservation organizations, sportsmen’s groups, and Boy and Girl Scout Troops from the area. Participants were urged to wear comfortable walking shoes, gloves, and sunscreen, and were also requested to bring nonperishable food items that will be donated to local food banks.
