Contact: Jennifer Knotts, Public Affairs, phone: (302) 739-9902
 

Delaware’s 19th Coastal Cleanup Slated for Sept. 17/DNREC Seeks Volunteers

Join the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) for the 19th annual Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon. Delaware's popular coastal 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.

The Delaware cleanup areas span the length of the state's 97-mile Eastern coastline and include river and ocean shoreline, wetland and watershed areas. Traditionally, Delaware has the largest number of cleanup sites within the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) region. This year, more than 49 sites throughout the First State will cover New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.

From youth groups and businesses, to vacationing families and individuals, all volunteers are welcome and urged to sign up for the 2005 Coastal Cleanup through electronic registration on the DNREC website at www.dnrec.state.de.us. Under “Hot Topics” click on Coastal Cleanup, then click on “Online Registration.” Registrations can also be taken by phone by contacting Jennifer Knotts, DNREC Public Affairs, (302) 739-9902. Site captains are also needed for each site. Volunteers interested in being site captains should call for details. This is a rain or shine event unless conditions warrant a cancellation for safety reasons. Check DNREC's Coastal Cleanup page for any cancellation information.

All registered participants will receive an original Coastal Cleanup 2005 T-shirt. Registration deadline for volunteers who want to be assured a T-shirt is Sept. 2. Late registrants and walk-ins will receive them on an as-available basis.

Volunteers will NOT receive confirmation of registration but will automatically be assigned to the site they select unless notified otherwise.

Delmarva Power has been a primary partner of the cleanup for many years. Playtex Family Products donates rubber gloves for cleanup volunteers. Delaware is joined with sister states Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia in the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup event.

The Coastal Cleanup program was started to provide a way to monitor the amount of trash being thrown into the oceans and waterways by fishing vessels, cruise ships, and recreational boaters. The cleanup has now grown to include participation by 55 states and territories and 90 countries, with the number of both growing each year.

Data collected on the types of trash found in the cleanup areas can be instrumental in finding pollution sources and arriving at pollution control solutions.

Last year 769 Delaware volunteers used 630 trash bags to collect almost 9,400 pounds of debris from Delaware beaches and waterways. Cigarettes butts were the number one item collected. Volunteers picked up 15,351 cigarette butts! A lady’s wig and a bowling ball top the list of strange finds; others include a car bumper, keys, a shopping cart, furniture, make-up, a cell phone and a film canister with film in it. More than 3,400 hours of volunteer time were devoted to clean and protect Delaware's coastline and wildlife.

The data collected by the volunteers at the 48 sites from Fox Point State Park to Fenwick Island provide a snapshot of Delaware's 97 miles of coastline and will be used to reduce and eliminate trash and debris pollution.

Delaware's participation in Coastal Cleanup is part of an International Coastal Cleanup run by the Ocean Conservancy that supplies the trash bags, data cards, and more. The Ocean Conservancy is a non-profit organization that has been working since 1972 to ensure that the world's oceans provide a healthy environment for an abundant and diverse population of marine animals.

The International Coastal Cleanup is the Conservancy's flagship program dealing with marine debris. It is the oldest and largest one-day volunteer effort on behalf of the marine environment of its kind. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world help each year to rid the environment of marine debris. For more information on The Ocean Conservancy or the International Coastal Cleanup visit the Conservancy's website, www.oceanconservancy.org.
 

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