Time is flying in zone 0

Wow, I cannot believe that last Friday was already my fourth week of "Keep It Clean" litter pick-up this summer. Time is flying!

May 23, 2014

Friday, May 23 was the kick-off to a gorgeous Memorial Day weekend at Wrightsville Beach. There were a lot more early-morning beach goers than normal. One couple who was walking behind me stopped me in front of Shell Island Resort and said, "Excuse me, we noticed you are picking up shells and wondered if you found any conch shells." I replied that I was actually picking up trash, and opened my bag for them to see. They laughed and replied, "Oh! Well that is good, too!" and seemed relieved that I was not walking ahead of them and snatching up the best finds. The lady showed me her shell finds, and I told her they are called Giant Atlantic Cockle Shells. They said they were vacationing here from Virginia Beach and were very impressed with how nice Wrightsville Beach is. It was nice to talk to them, and I am always happy to hear people say that they appreciate how beautiful WB is and know that we have a hand in keeping it that way!

My litter finds for the day included:
-4 cans
-1 plastic Gatorade bottle
-1 plastic lid
-1 firework
-1 sock
-1 merchandise tag
-1 broken toy gun
-various plastic bits
-1 cigarette butt
-1 broken watch
-2 glass shards
-1 Ziplock bag

May 30, 2014

May 30 revealed a dark, unsettled sky and the results of a blustery and rough night of weather on Wrightsville Beach. The wrack like was littered with items that had washed up overnight, including many small bits of polystyrene. This is always a very frustrating find for me, because they are really too small to pick up.

 

My litter finds for the day included:

-1 flip flop

-5 plastic snack wrappers

-2 plastic grocery bags

-1 condom wrapper

-1 plastic bottle cap

-1 beer cap

-10 cigarette butts

-2 plastic shovels

-1 plastic tent spike

-2 plastic lids

-2 cans

-2 snorkeling masks

-1 plastic water bottle

-various small paper and plastic bits

I also found a large chunk of a sponge that smelled horribly of some kind of chemical substance; like paint thinner or gasoline or something.

 

June 6, 2014

This must be the summer of the sand dollar, because I somehow found another whole one! This has ever happened to me before so I was quite amazed.

The tide was very, very low the morning of June 6, which I always find very fascinating because so many interesting creatures can be found skittering about on the north end. I encountered lots of interesting crabs, clams, and snails, including both this very large hermit crab and this itty bitty crab.

My litter finds for the day included:
-1 pacifier
-2 plastic shovel handles
-2 cigarette butts
-1 broken watch
-1 Ziplock bag
-6 receipts/tags/paper bits
-1 plastic toy
-1 plastic Gatorade bottle
-1 PT's cup
-1 lid and straw
-1 lighter
-1 beer cap

Peace,
Susan