Walking barefoot on the beach is a simple enjoyment perhaps too often taken for granted.
These days, broken glass bottles, cigarette butts and even spare engine parts are often strewn along the region’s shores and waterways, posing an ever-increasing threat to the health and safety of future generations, according to environmental enthusiasts.
But for those who take pride in their beaches, efforts are once again afoot to preserve that natural beauty, as I Love a Clean San Diego prepares to host its 5th Annual Creek to Bay Cleanup on Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to noon.
The countywide effort brings thousands of concerned residents and conscientious people together every year to not only raise awareness about the pollution in the county’s watershed regions, but to actually do something about it, said Morgan Justice-Black, event coordinator for I Love a Clean San Diego.
The efforts attract thousands of people to more than 50 inland and coastal sites for a day of removing trash and debris. The efforts should serve to remind people that inland pollution leads to beach pollution and that it takes a massive, popular campaign to keep the region’s resources clean, Justice-Black said.
Plastic bags, safety gloves and tools will be provided for volunteers at each of the sites, she said. Registering ahead of time will ensure that sufficient tools and supplies will be available, she said. Volunteers are encouraged to register online for the nearest cleanup site at www.creektobay.org, she said.
An estimated 217 tons of trash and debris have been removed from coastal and inland waterways since the start-up of the event in 2003, Justice-Black said.
“It recognizes the need for cleanup in all the communities in the county,” Justice-Black said. “Often, people just concentrate on the beaches.”
Belmont Park serves as this year’s event center, where there will be prize raffles, t-shirts for participants and a scheduled appearance by Captain Wettiquette, Justice-Black said. Capatain Wetiquette, the event mascot, is a giant water droplet designed to remind residents that habits, good and bad, have an effect on the water quality of local beaches, Justice-Black said.
I Love a Clean San Diego has partnered with several large organizations, including San Diego Coastkeeper, Sierra Club and the San Diego River Park Foundation to mobilize participants, she said.
However, the campaign is still heavily reliant on community volunteers, some of whom have participated in past cleanups.
Jane Donely, site captain and owner of Dog Beach Dog Wash, said she has been volunteering at beach cleanups for the last 18 years. Donely and other volunteers will cover about 40 acres of Dog Beach in Point Loma to pick up dog waste, fishing gear that has been left behind, and the occasional lobster trap, she said.
The volunteers will meet at Dog Beach and will offer dog treats for those who bring their canine, as well as provide plenty of bags and gloves, she said. About 60 volunteers are expected to turn out, she said.
“Sunshine, ocean breezes, a big turnout, and people complaining that there’s nothing to clean up,” she said. “That would be a perfect day,”
But even those without a canine cleaning companion can still sign up with San Diego Coastkeeper, which will be cleaning up sections of Tourmaline Surf Park in Pacific Beach at 9 a.m. Danielle Miller, outreach director of San Diego Coastkeeper said.
San Diego Coastkeeper, 2825 Dewey Road in Point Loma, has been involved with the Creek to Bay cleanup since the event’s inception, Miller said. Coastkeeper volunteers will provide debris grabbers and bags to the 150 volunteers expected at this year’s event, she said.
Miller said it’s important for people to come to the cleanup because trash in area waterways is one of the biggest quality-of-life issues San Diegans face.
“It’s not only a feel-good event, it also educates people about the trash that ends up in our oceans and what the real cause is,” she said.
Founded in 1995 as San Diego Baykeeper, the organization changed its name to San Diego Coastkeeper in 2005, Miller said. Their organization’s mission is to protect the region’s bays, rivers and coastal waterways through education, outreach and advocacy, she said. The group hosts and participates in several beach and bay cleanups throughout the year in collaboration with I Love a Clean San Diego, Miller said.
For more information visit www.ilacsd.org.