Locals Clean Up Asharoken Beaches

Locals arrived at early Saturday morning to participate in a joint coastal cleanup effort between the Village of Asharoken and the Northeast Chapter of the American Littoral Society to reduce pollution on area beaches.

The second annual cleanup was part of a larger "International Coastal Cleanup" campaign sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy for the past 26 years which seeks to raise awareness of shoreline pollution and its environmental consequences.

“We use our local beaches and we want to help keep them clean”, said Rob Garrison of East Northport, who attended the clean up with his daughters Alyssa, 12, and Jessica, 9.

Volunteers used a data card to record the category and quantity of garbage found throughout the clean up. The data is then used to identify the sources and trends of pollution, and to create long term solutions.

Water bottles, socks, candy wrappers, and even car parts were collected by volunteers throughout the cleanup. “I feel like I should help my community out,” said Patrick Galvin, 12, of Northport, who found a fishing buoy along the shore, “I feel really good about doing it.”

As the morning moved along, trash bags began to fill with Styrofoam, soda cans, wrappers, and mechanical parts. “It’s gross that people would put this on the beach!” exclaimed Kirsten Leonard, 12, of Northport, “It’s dangerous to the fish!”

Shoreline pollution can harm wildlife by affecting the food chain, the environment, and, most immediately, by acting as a trap. “They can get caught, entangled, and killed”, said Event Organizer Cathy Zimmerman, regarding the health of sea life. “They just want to live.”

According to an International Coastal Cleanup chart, the most common forms of pollution found along shorelines are cigarettes (29 percent), plastic bags (12 percent), and food wrappers and containers (8 percent). The inorganic compounds found in these materials can take millions of years to decompose and in some cases emit harmful decompositional byproducts.

Asharoken Mayor Pat Irving was more than happy with the turnout, and was glad to see the community come together for a great cause. “This is our contribution to keep beaches clean,” she said. “Not only do we clean our beaches in Asharoken, but all neighboring beaches. We educate our communities on how important it is to preserve our shores.”

To see what you can do to reduce shoreline pollution, check out the Ocean Conservancy's list of 10 easy steps to stop marine debris.