Online registration open now for 2011 Delaware Coastal Cleanup volunteers

DOVER (Aug. 15, 2011) – Online volunteer registration is now open for the 26^th annual Delaware Coastal Cleanup, to be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 17. Sponsored by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, 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 2011 Coastal Cleanup t-shirt in appreciation of their efforts. To pre-register, go to www.dnrec.delaware.gov/CoastalCleanup . Pre-registration will close on Monday, Sept. 12 at close of business. On the day of the event, T-shirts will be distributed to volunteers who have not pre-registered while supplies last.

At last year’s Coastal Cleanup, a record 2,500 dedicated volunteers from civic organizations, youth groups, businesses and families collected 9.46 tons of trash from 41 sites along Delaware’s shorelines and tributaries. Some of the more unusual finds included a bridesmaid dress, an Adopt-A-Highway sign, a Christmas wreath, a watermelon and a whale bone.

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. This information is recorded on data cards and forwarded to the Center for Marine Conservation, which compiles data 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 302-739-9278.

Vol. 41, No. 316