A sample of trash picked up on beach clean-up day
With summer comes more beach time. It brings visitors and guests to our community as well. Some of those beach goers are behaving badly! Tons of trash and loads of litter accumulate on the beach and in and near our coastal waters. It is not just ugly, it is also dangerous. Children playing can get cut on glass or metal. Wade fishermen can get injured completely unaware of what is under the water. And sadly, our fish, fowl and wildlife are at risk of injury and death from refuse in their environment. Shore birds can eat non-digestible items or get tangled in trashed fishing line and die. Cigarette butts and plastic bottles are common items blamed for injured wildlife. Fish, porpoise and other water dwellers can be fatally wounded or poisoned by the rubbish we humans leave behind.
In April, local volunteers and corporate helpers spend a Saturday cleaning up and cleaning out beaches all over Texas. They gathered and bagged loads of trash. Here in POC Roxanne Ochoa led a team to clean up Kingfisher Beach front and Alexa Cordova of Victoria Electric led an impressive array of VEC Volunteers to deep clean Boggy Park. These hard workers will be back to do it all over again in the Fall.
Until then, do your part. Pack out what you pack in, pick up behind yourself and put trash in its place. The motto of take only pictures and leave only footprints won’t quite work because we hope you take fish that are legal to catch, shells to enjoy, a sunburn to remember the fun and a little sand in your shoes to help you remember the fun. But please, do not leave anything on the beach or in the water that does not naturally live or grow there. Trash cans are provided most places or if you must leave it somewhere make sure it is not the beachfront or the water. Our wildlife, our humans both local and guests, and yes, our conservation volunteers will thank you for your beneficial beach behavior. Enjoy it and allow others to also!
Roxanne Ochoa led local volunteers cleaning up King Fisher Beach
