Save Our Shores Beach and River Cleanup for Earth Day 2011

Save Our Shores is doing a couple of  big things in Santa Cruz County on Earth Day 4/21/2011 that you should know about.

Cowell and Main Beach cleanup from 10 a.m. to noon will be sponsored by local radio station  KDON-FM (102.5). Expectations run high to see over 100 people turn out. Big and small items will be picked up with an informal education introducing people to the trash that gets picked up and how that affects the wildlife.

Save Our Shores staff will teach how trash affects wildlife and how volunteers can change their lifestyle to better local beaches and waterways.

River cleanup will be on the San Lorenzo River at the Water Street Bridge and on the levies and the city of Santa Cruz is helping fund this cleanup through Measure E from 10 a.m.-1pm.

Thousands of people will turn out to visit over 100 booths that will be on site at the city's Earth Day celebration at San Lorenzo Park behind the County Building. There will be food vendors, wine tasting and workshops on the hour with tips on composting, green building and graywater collection, to name a few.

Finally, Save Our Shores in collaboration with California State Parks and with selected PGE employee volunteers on Palm Beach in Watsonville will be focusing on beach cleanup and community involvement. This event is a private event, so please do not show up to volunteer.

To give you an idea of the amount of trash that Save Our Shore volunteers collect, the last river cleanup netted over 2000 pounds of trash and to date Save Our Shores has collected 190,000 cigarette butts.

Save Our Shores will take walk up volunteers for the Earth Day cleanup on at either of the two functions going on tomorrow in Santa Cruz County.

 “We would like to spread our volunteer efforts all year long and while we are always thankful for the volunteers on Earth Day but we need more beach stewards all year round,” said Andrew  Hoeksema, volunteer coordinator for Save Our Shores.

In case you were wondering what other days you might be able to volunteer and help out, Save Our Shores does beach cleanups every 3rd Saturday of the month http://www.saveourshores.org/volunteer/beach-river-cleanups.php.

And remember, all of our storm drains lead right to the Pacific Ocean and Waterways, let’s not throw cigarette butts, trash and of course do not dump oil or antifreeze down those drains.  

Save Our Shores decided to tackle this pollution problem with a new force, and began working with both the cities of Capitola and Santa Cruz to identify high traffic smoking areas in need of cigarette receptacles. Together, we have begun to strategically place stainless steel cigarette receptacles, called BaitTanks, along the Capitola Esplanade, the Santa Cruz Wharf, and Beach Street in Santa Cruz. Watch Video Here.