Kickoff event puts out call for volunteers for 2011 Delaware Coastal Cleanup

FENWICK ISLAND (Aug. 24, 2011) – Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Deputy Secretary David Small joined representatives from Maryland and Virginia as well as t-shirt sponsor Delmarva Power this morning on the beach at the Delaware-Maryland line to make the kickoff call for volunteers to come out for the annual Coastal Cleanup.

Online volunteer registration is now open for the Delaware Coastal Cleanup, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 17. Sponsored by the DNREC, the cleanup spans the First State’s 97-mile eastern coastline and includes river and ocean shorelines as well as wetland and watershed areas. This year, more than 40 sites in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties are targeted.

Volunteers are strongly encouraged to pre-register on the DNREC website to ensure enough supplies are provided and that everyone receives a custom-designed 2011 Coastal Cleanup t-shirt in appreciation of their efforts. To pre-register, go to www.dnrec.delaware.gov/CoastalCleanup .

At last year’s Coastal Cleanup, a record 2,500 dedicated volunteers from civic organizations, youth groups, businesses and families collected 9.6  tons of trash from 41 sites along Delaware’s shorelines and tributaries. Some of the more unusual finds included a wedding gown, an Adopt-A-Highway sign, a Christmas wreath, a watermelon, a whale bone and lottery tickets.

Delaware’s Cleanup is part of the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup, the world’s largest annual clearing of trash from coastlines and lakes by volunteers. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world help each year to rid the environment of marine debris and collect detailed information on the types and quantities of refuse they find. The types and quantities of trash collected are recorded on data cards and forwarded to the Center for Marine Conservation, which compiles the information for all of the cleanups held in the country and around the world. This information helps identify the source of the debris and focus efforts on eliminating or reducing it.

The Ocean Conservancy supplies trash bags, data cards and pencils. Delaware’s cleanup is co-sponsored by Delmarva Power, which provides t-shirts for the participants. Another key sponsor is the Playtex Division of Energizer Personal Care, which provides gloves. DNREC is responsible for organizing the event, recruiting volunteers, distributing supplies, ensuring trash removal and tabulating data.

The Coastal Cleanup is held in conjunction with National Estuaries Day, which promotes the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them.  Estuaries are vital to migratory species; provide critical habitat for a variety of marine plants and animals; help prevent coastal erosion; and are important recreational and tourist areas. 

For more information about the Ocean Conservancy and the International Coastal Cleanup, visit www.oceanconservancy.org. For more information about the Delaware Coastal Cleanup, please call Jack Hoban, Delaware Coastal Cleanup coordinator at 302-739-9902.

Vol. 41, No. 328