Alabama Coastal Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19

By Curt Chapman
Staff Writer

Posted 9/16/09

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The 22nd Annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup is slated to be held Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. until noon. Thousands are needed to scatter across the county, with the sole purpose of removing marine debris from the water’s …

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Alabama Coastal Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 19

Posted Wednesday, September 16, 2009 6:00 am

By Curt Chapman
Staff Writer

“The more volunteers we have, the more trash we end up finding,” said Amy King, natural resources planner with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources State Lands Division-Coastal Section and Coastal Cleanup state coordinator. “If this were a hurricane year, we would see lots of building materials, but we will (likely) see mostly recreational debris such as bottles, caps, straws and food containers.”

But, there’s really no way to predict what others have tossed outdoors with little regard for its impact on the environment.

King said cigarette butts remain the most common item found discarded along our shoreline, but refrigerators, car batteries, furniture, telephone poles, fishing equipment and lawnmowers are not unheard of. Volunteers have also recovered stolen merchandise, including computers that had been exposed to the elements.

“Last year, there wasn’t anything exceptionally unusual,” King said. “We were surprised by the number of dead animals we found that had been killed.”

She added, “We try to make this family friendly, but pollution isn’t friendly.” Participants are asked to leave behind any items that are hazardous, but note where they are so they can be later picked up.

Volunteers come by land and sea to take part in the cleanup each year, King said. Zones are set up across the area where participants can pick up the trash bags, gloves and other supplies needed. When done, the trash is returned and weighed.

Education is helping turn the tide, and also prompting people to think about their method of disposal.

“Counties further up in the state are starting to realize their litter problem is affecting the coast,” said King. “We have one site in Walker County.”

In fact, everything dumped on the ground in the Mobile Bay Watershed, which includes the majority of Alabama, can wash downstream and one day end up here, she explained. Known as marine debris, trash and litter that winds up in the water becomes an eyesore and also poses a threat to marine creatures and humans.

Volunteers log each piece ot trash they recover, which helps organizers identify the sources of debris, and their goal is to change the behaviors that cause pollution.

King said, “It takes a lot of small steps and being very patient, but we’re seeing progress.”

Since 1987, more than 55,000 volunteers have collected 1,034,047 pounds of debris and litter from 3,315 miles of Alabama shoreline and waterways. There are over 20 cleanup zones across Baldwin and Mobile counties, and more than 3,000 take part each year. Organizers prepare for as many as 5,000.

“The Alabama Coastal Cleanup is a great way to actively be involved with the care of our water. By removing trash and litter from the shoreline it improves water quality and removes potential dangers to our safety and to wildlife,” said King. “There’s a lot of concern and a lot of support.”

Alabama Coastal Cleanup is sponsored by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources State Lands Division Coastal Section, Alabama People Against a Littered State, the Alabama Department of Transportation, the Baldwin County Commission, Bebo’s, ExxonMobil, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, Mobile Gas, NOAA and Vulcan Material Company.

For more information about how to get involved, call (251) 621-1216, or visit www.alabamacoastalcleanup.com.

BALDWIN COUNTY ZONES:

•Boggy Point

Bob Hastings/(251) 986-6824

chardust@gulftel.com

Check-In: Call for directions

•Daphne

Priscilla Dabney/(251) 626-3285

pdabney@bcbe.org

Check-In: May Day Park

•Fairhope

Gary Gover/(251) 990-8662