week 6 John & Ginger pick up 6 bags of trash in zone 4

It has been almost a week since John and I last walked the beach and I am just now getting around to posting.  I wish I would post sooner because everything is fresh on my mind then, but that is okay....sometimes things just take longer than you plan.

On June 11th, John and I picked up 6 bags of trash in Zone 4.  We could have gotten more, but John has to get to work and we just don't have time to get it all.

Some of our loot included the following:
1 can
4 plastic bottles
2 ziplock bags
2 unused condoms
1 panty liner
1 balloon :-(

2 shoes
1 steel butter knife
32 cigarette butts (there were much much more, but no time to collect when heading to work)

18 straws
7 bottle caps
6 plastic lids
1 plastic spoon, 1 plastic knife, & 1 plastic fork
19 toys including one good volley ball (it is a little flat, but we can pump it up!)
1 chair
1 towel
1 mesh net for toys :-(

1 swim diaper (yuck--I picked up with a stick)

As we were getting ready to turn around at the end of our zone and head back, a person thanked us for picking up trash and added to our items.  As it turns out, he owns Kowabunga Surf School and every Friday morning, he and a group of kids also pick up trash.  I know that other surf camps in the area do the same such as WB Surf Camp and also Odyssey Surf Camp.  We are so lucky to have ocean advocates on our beach!  Below is a picture of Kenny from Kowabunga.

I always love it when Mother Ocean gives us a treasure.  One of the treasures I found this week was a beautiful piece of sea glass.

The other treasure was being able to help Nancy Fahey locate eggs from our very first nest of the season.  Thanks to Nancy and CJ (the nest parent) for allowing me to share in this joyous moment.  Honestly, it is sheer joy.  Once we had located the exact nest site, we replaced the sand that we had moved.  As I was running my fingers through the loose, soft grains of sand I couldn't help but say in a serene voice "I love this!".  Honestly, I felt like I could feel each individual grain and I could not help but imagine what the scene must have been like when the mother turtle was displacing the sand with her flippers so that she could leave her clutch on WB.  Thank you Mother Turtle and Thank You Mother Ocean for all of the treasures you bestow to us.

Nancy and CJ find the egg.

Nancy

Nancy and Me.

Nancy Fahey subs and finds a light bulb (now there's and idea!?)

Hey Ginger,
 
I subbed in Zone 2 on Sunday, 05/27, and Zone 3 today (Wed. 05/30).  Here is what I found on the beach:
 
Sunday, Zone 2:  One bag of random litter consisting mostly of plastic bottles and wrappers, plus 2 mesh beach toy bags.  My least favorite thing to find!
 
Wednesday, Zone 3:  Two bags of litter consisting of two balloons, one feminine personal product (Oh joy~maybe mesh bags are not my least favorite things to find, after all!), lots of plastic bottles, lots of straws, three socks (none of them matching), one little girl's shoe, two plastic spoons, a few toy sand shovels, and various plastic wrappers.  In addition to the two bags of litter, I took a large beach umbrella to the trash cans as well as a small sand pail.  And here was the most bizarre find of the day:  A long fluorescent light bulb; the kind that is usually found above a kitchen sink, not at the tide line!  Only in Zone 3!  :)
 
And what I did not find: The tracks of a nesting sea turtle! 

Week 4: John and Ginger find many interesting things in zone 4

This was an interesting Memorial Day walk for John and I.  Since John did not have to work we took our time on the beach this morning.  When we first got out there, John said, "For Memorial Day, the trash does not seem so bad."

 This led to a conversation about an editorial I had read in Lumina News in which it was mentioned that the police department had been writing more tickets for littering and dogs on the beach.  I wondered if this was the reason for less trash.  I have always said that enforcement of a law is easy if you write a few tickets, because then word of mouth will spread.  I'm not sure if I am right, but I believe it and when I have spoken with towns in California that have passed a "no smoking" ordinance on their beach strands, they have said this very same thing.  Word of mouth and positive peer pressure have kept their beaches clean.  In fact, our friend, Danielle Richardet and her friend, Sara Bayles is doing a comparison of 20 minute beach clean ups.  Sara picks up trash in Santa Monica, which is a smoke free beach and Danielle picks up trash at WB.  They each pick up for 20 minutes and then count the number of cigarette butts they found.  Here are the results:  24 clean ups in Santa Monica, CA = 179 butts;  19 clean ups in Wrightsville Beach, NC = 4, 278 butts.  Wow! The numbers speak for themselves.

Speaking of trash and cigarette butts, John and I collected 7 bags of trash even though we at first thought the beach was clean.

Our trash included, but was not limited to:

38 cigarette butts

We saw several piles like this where people obviously thought the beach was an ash tray and did not realize or  maybe did not care that cigarette butts are litter that contain plastic filters that never biodegrade.

17 bottle caps

2 plastic bags
1 chair

12 toys

16 plastic bottles

8 aluminum cans

1 glass bottle

5 plastic cups

1 ziplock bag

5 articles of clothing (including another baseball hat bill without the rest of the hat or fabric.  I have never seen these before and already this year, I have collected two in as many weeks.  The bills are made of plastic which will never biodegrade---I had never thought about that before!)

1 shoe (which was my size, but there was no match!  It was a silver sandal too---I felt like Cinderella)

1 solid brass cigarette lighter engraved for Lt. J. Miller (if you know him, let us know---we will return it.)

20 straws

2 towels

3 balloons and strings (2 of which were all wrapped up in Sargassum.   The sad story about that is that Sargassum is the home to lots of marine animals including sea turtle hatchlings.  The sea turtle hatchlings and other animals will live off the food and nutrients that they find in the Sargassum.  Sadly, if balloons and other litter are a part of this Sargassum, then marine animals will ingest this and can become sick and die.)

As I was sorting the trash today, I piled some of the snack bags and took a photo.  I don't usually keep snack bags because they smell too bad, usually have ants on them, and are just too yucky.  However, I thought it was worth a picture.  It is noteworthy how much of our food (and everything) comes in such disposable packaging that ends up in our environment as litter.

We also found lots of interesting marine life that had washed up on shore, none of which were alive.  We found one Puffer Fish (at least that is what John said it was)

and one Portuguese Man O' War.  I was very careful to not touch him.

and one beautiful mosaic seashell Sea Turtle

Later in the day we took our boat from WB to CB.  Along the way, we scooped 3 types of plastic bags out of the waterway, 1 styrofoam cup and 1 plastic bottle.

We also saw lots of people having fun and displaying some beautiful kites.

week 4 Michelle find little trash in zone 0

Good Morning,

The good news for Zone 0 on Wed the 23rd is that there was only 1 balloon, 1 plastic baggie, and 1 piece of paper.  The sad news is that there were no turtle tracks.  Maybe some of the other walkers will have better luck today!  Enjoy the week, Michelle

Nancy's last two days before foot patrol---an amusing read!!!

Hi Ginger,
 
Yesterday, the beach was a mess!  You could definitely tell it was the weekend.  I disposed of seven bags of trash, which included four balloons, and lots of cups, cans, bottles, sand shovels, and plastic wrappers.  In addition to that, I also found two chairs, a wad of fishing line,

 one towel, one styrofoam cooler with the lid & cans and wrappers scattered all around it, one set of keys, seven people sleeping, and one dog a-walkin'.  The chairs, towel, and cooler with scattered trash were all disposed of.  The people sleeping were reported to the police, and the dog with human in tow were reminded they should not be on the beach.  
 
The most bizarre sight of the day was a chair found at the south end.  It had been partially burned! 

 It had the long fishing line tied to it with two raw chicken legs attached.  Gross!! 

 I made sure the fishing line and chicken were buried in the trash can so the birds could not get to it, then I had to put the chair next to the can since it would not fit inside.  I was a bit perplexed at the use of raw chicken legs for fishing (Eeewwww!), but the consensus is the people that left this mess were likely crabbing.  
 
This morning, I collected four bags of trash including lots of cups, wrappers, sand shovels, and two balloons.  I also disposed of one towel and one broken  sand pail.
 
I have enjoyed my early morning rides during the last two weeks.  Along the way, I've marveled at sights of beauty and wonder, and at others not so much. 

The strangest discovery was a recliner I found on the beach near JM Pier last week.  Now that is relaxing at the beach!! 

 Though I tried and tried, I just could not fit it into one of the garbage cans.  :)  Someone managed to remove it from the strand, though, because it was gone the next day.  Geez!!!
 
That is it for patrolling via 4-wheeler and the volunteers begin foot patrols tomorrow.  I will miss my morning rides, and will be hoping for an early morning phone call about the discovery of tracks on the beach.  Here's to a nest very soon for Wrightsville Beach!
 
Best of luck out there, everyone!

May 11 & 12--In case you did not know, Nancy does not wear pink hats :-)

Hi Ginger,
 
Yesterday, May 11th, I collected 2 1/2 bags of litter from Wrightsville Beach.  This included five balloons, several styrofoam and plastic cups, plastic wrappers and cans.  Some of the lifeguard stands have yellow caution tape wrapped around them.  This tape is getting blown and torn down and I have cleaned the plastic tape off the beach for the past few days.  
 
In addition to the bags of trash, I disposed of two frisbees, two towels, and a wet suit top.  
 
Today, May 12th, the beach was more littered and I am already dreading tomorrow.  I filled three bags with trash which included another dirty diaper (Yay!), lots of cups, cans, and wrappers.  A lady was walking her dog on the north end very near the ropes of the bird sanctuary.  I reminded her that dogs were not allowed on the beach and that there would be a very fat fine if she was caught.  Mostly, I was worried she was too close to the birds with her dog and that she was causing a problem for the nesting parents.  She acted as though she did not know about the "no dogs allowed" rule, and prepared to leave the beach. Thank goodness!  
 
I also fished a chair and pink hat off the dunes on the south side of Station One and put them in the garbage cans.  There are several other chairs I think were left behind on the beach, so if they are still out there tomorrow, I will put them in the trash, as well.
 
Two days of riding left to go!!

May 10 Nancy finds a diaper

May 10th:  This morning, I removed 3 3/4 bags of trash from the beach.  My findings included a diaper, several cans, a visor, plastic wrappers, cups, bottles & lids, and five balloons.  Also placed in the trash cans were another large sheet of the black nylon/canvas material, a black zippered tote bag, and a gallon size plastic water bottle. 

Have a wonderful day!

May 9--Nancy finds condoms and dog poop on beach

May 9th:  Once again, there was quite a bit of trash to be found on WB this morning.  I collected four bags of trash, including a balloon, a pair of shoes, lots of plastic wrappers and cups, as well as a used condom and the empty wrapper.  Yuck!  (The condom was scooped off the sand with a plastic toy shovel also found on the beach this morning.)  A lady actually stopped me to report her sighting of this particularly disgusting item.  She then said, "People are pigs!"  Ya think??  :)

In addition to the four bags of trash, the following items were taken to the trash cans:  One blanket and the empty half gallon of vodka next to it.  Can you say OUCH???  One large glass bottle; sandy contents unknown, three beach chairs, one towel, one shirt, and 1 1/2 pairs of sandals, and a partridge in a pear tree!

On the south end, I found a very large hole/trench that had been dug up the side of the dune, under the roped off area, and into the bird sanctuary.  This was very upsetting, and I could only hope the thoughtless people that invaded the birds' refuge did not cause any harm or the abandonment of a newly laid nest.   Ugh!!  This was later reported to Lindsay Addison of Audubon so she could assess the damage to the dune and any potential disturbance of the nesting birds.

Just before leaving the beach, a visitor from Tennessee saw me collecting trash near JM Pier and had the following to say:  "It is horrible how people here just trash this beach!  I can not believe folks just get up and leave behind all this litter.  I have had to clean the beach of trash before finding a spot to place my beach chair in the sand. "  Oh my.  Is this really the impression we want to make on our visitors?   

My last observation of the morning involved a lady on the beach with a German Shephard that was doing his business in the dunes.  She must have been in an awful hurry 'cause she didn't even bother to pick up after her pooch.  Double yuck!!

Here's to a nest very soon for WB!

Nancy

May 7 & 8 with Nancy--High Tide brings in wrack line and Nancy Faye Craig

May 7th:  The lunar high tides brought in a very thick line of wrack and lots of debris.  I collected four bags of random trash, one life jacket, two towels, and a few plastic gallon containers.  My booty for the day included four balloons.  Sadly, most of the trash I had observed on Sunday was likely washed out to sea.  
 
May 8th:  The tides were even higher last night, and there is a humungous line of wrack all along the shoreline, all harboring marine debris of all kinds. I collected four bags of trash, consisting of mostly plastic, plus three balloons. In addition to that, I found a plastic half gallon water bottle, a large piece of styrofoam, and two large pieces of nylon/canvas type material, plus half of a one gallon size plastic bottle. 
 
I had the pleasure of seeing volunteer extraordinaire, Nancy Faye Craig, near the Blockade Runner.  It sure was nice to see her smiling face as she jogged down the beach this morning!
 
That about sums it up, so far!

 
Nancy 

May 6 with Nancy, Chinese Lanterns and the question: "Is someone nude?"

May 6th:  This was not the greatest of mornings, in more ways than one.  For starters, I found a very sick shorebird on the north end.  He didn't fly away as I approached, and on my way south, I noticed he was still in the exact same spot.  I got off the 4-wheeler and approached the little bird.  He tried to fly, but was too weak to make much progress.  Without much effort, I was able to lift him from the sand.  Tucking him under my arm, I headed toward Mallard St., where I park the trailer.  I have a box in the vehicle for just this type of situation.  Making sure the vehicle was well ventilated, I left the bird there to rest while I monitored the south end of the island.

The beach was totally trashed!!  I was completely distressed at the amount of litter left behind on the shoreline and at the over flowing trash cans all along the strand.  Even if visitors wanted to discard their trash in the cans, it would not have been possible.  It was completely overwhelming and horrible!  I collected four bags of random trash including four balloons, and one beach chair.  

At the Oceanic, I found numerous Chinese Lanterns, all left behind in the sand.  A cardboard box holding the extra bags and lots of candles was left sitting on the beach grass nearby.  Our new friend Roger was on the beach and once again helped me to clean up this awful mess.  All of the debris was placed in the trash cans.  Roger also handed me the keys I had found along with the pair of pants yesterday.  Oh boy!

Chinese Lanterns littered on the beach.

Next to the Oceanic, I also found a canopy frame (I like to call them skeletons).  According to the WB ordinance, these items should not be left on the beach overnight.   The discovery was called into the NH Co. dispatch center so that the item could be tagged and removed ASAP.

On my way off the beach, I found a hat, wallet, and another set of keys on a bench at Access #11.  Geez!!  The PD is closed on Sunday, but I called NH Co. Dispatch and made arrangements to meet an officer at the door of the building so I could hand over both sets of keys and other items.  This gave me a chance to ask the officer if anyone had been found wandering around nude and drunk on Friday night or Saturday morning.  He just looked at me like I was nuts and shook his head no!  Haha!

I took the small gull to Amelia Mason (the bird rehabber) for care.  She said she thought he was perhaps an immature gull.  Hopefully he is hanging in there!

Nancy

Cinco de Mayo with Nancy, Roger and a Rubber Duck!

Hi Ginger,
 
Here is the latest news coming from Wrightsville Beach:
 
Cinco de Mayo:  I collected three grocery store sized bags of random trash, once again, mostly plastic wrappers and containers, and three balloons.  On the north side of CYC, I found an empty beer box and thirteen empty cans.  Along with the trash, was a shirt and pair of rainbow flip-flops.  The cans were placed in the recycling and the shirt and shoes left by the trash can.  I met a gentleman at the site named Roger that helped me to clean the beach.  He was so upset that someone would leave such a mess on our beautiful shore.  A short distance past the cans, I found a pair of pants and a set of keys on a lanyard.  I placed these items next to a trash can, as well.  At that point, I began to wonder if someone had been arrested on the beach intoxicated and nude!  (The next day, I was given the chance to ask....more on that later.)
 
The good news is that there are others out there helping to KIC.  I had noticed several styrofoam cups and wrappers near JM Pier that I planned to pick up on my return trip up the beach.   However, when I arrived back at the pier, the litter was gone!  Apparently, some kind soul had already beat me to it~~thank you, thank you, thank you!
 
The most interesting find of the day was a little yellow rubber ducky.  I noticed it at the tide line just north of JM Pier.  I couldn't resist the photo op of this dated marine debris.  Obviously this little ducky was launched with a romantic notion that it would sail the vast blue sea to distant shores far, far away.  Sadly, in reality, this was just another piece of plastic trash discarded into our precious ocean; thankfully spit back out of the surf onto WB only one day later.   What are people thinking of....really?? 
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Nancy

Welcome to Sea Turtle Nesting Season 2012 (Days 1-4) with Nancy Fahey

Hi All,


I am so excited to get the nesting season started this year.  I just feel so good and positive and ecstatic about it.  One reason is because I have come to realize how many friends and experiences the sea turtles have brought to me and I am just feeling so grateful this year.


Like always, our Great WB Sea Turtle Leader, Nancy Fahey will be monitoring for nests for the first two weeks of May.  And, like always, Nancy is stopping to pick up trash on the beach strand.  She really "walks the walk".  Below are her reports for the first 4 days.


Thank you Nancy for including such wonderful information and pictures about the birds.  Too bad we are continuing to find so many balloons.  As we all know, balloons are particularly threatening to sea turtles b/c they often mistake them for food.  Once the turtle ingest balloons, they can become sick and may even starve as the balloon, or any foreign object for that matter, can make the sea turtle feel satiated and therefore will not eat.


One day while volunteering at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital (STH), I was helping treat Riptide, a very sick Green Sea Turtle.  While I was holding Riptide in my lap for his bath, he pooped a piece of red latex balloon!  There have also been other turtles that have pooped balloons at the STH.  


Seaturtle.org has other photos of necropsies done on sea turtles in which balloon remnants have been found.


Balloons being released into the air may seem like an innocent educational lesson about the properties of helium, but it actually produces deadly litter for many wildlife.  Not only do animals such as turtles, birds and others ingest the balloons, but they also become entangled in the string and often die as a result. 


Please be responsible and dispose of balloons properly instead of releasing them.  OR, better yet, do not buy them at all as they will only end up in the landfill and that trash often ends up in our environment.


Did you know that WB voted to ban balloons a couple of years ago, but that vote got reversed?  However, they did vote to specifically include "releasing of balloons" in their litter ordinance.  WB ordinances also prevents balloons from being used on signs and decorations.


Day 1 From Nancy

Hi Ginger,

What a beeeeeautiful morning on the beach!!    After taking a moment to joyously watch the first sunrise of the season, 

I glanced down to catch of glimpse of something a tad bit sobering:  the first balloon of the season.  Ugh!!
 I collected eight busted balloons & strings, a large clear plastic raft, and a grocery store size bag of random trash.

The highlight of the morning, aside from the sunrise, was a tour of the bird sanctuary on the south end.  I spotted Lindsay Addison of Audubon and stopped to say hello.  She generously offered to take me through the sanctuary to survey the nests.  How amazing was that??  I also got to see turtlers Jill and Joan already walking Zone 4.  Yay!!

In the sanctuary, these incredibly camouflaged eggs were laid by the smallish Least Terns.  They simply scrape a depression in the sand, and deposit the eggs.  It is truly a wonder any survive!!  Without protection of the nesting areas, there would be no hope of hatching success for these shorebirds, without a doubt. Word to the wise: some of these Terns laid their eggs outside of the roped off area!  :(  They are going to move the ropes out, a bit, to try to protect most of them, but everyone should be very careful when walking in the soft sand near the ropes.  They are nearly impossible to see!! (Some kind folks, as you will notice, encircled some of the vulnerable nests with shells in an effort to protect them.)  I do hope their little eggs are not crushed!

Stay tuned for more news from the beach!




Day 2 From Nancy:
Hi Ginger,

Another gorgeous sunrise over Wrightsville Beach this morning!  I ride to the north end first, just so I can get a birds' eye view of the splendor created by the sun rising over the Atlantic.

The beach was nice and clean this morning, relatively speaking.  I found:  5 balloons and string, and collected one random bag of trash, all of which were plastic wrappers and containers.  I saw a few chairs which I suspected were abandoned, however, just to make sure, I will check again tomorrow.  If they are still on the beach, I will drag them to the trash cans.

Interestingly, one of the balloons was a "Strawberry Shortcake" balloon and on it was written Olivia Brooks.  All of them were north of JM Pier.  I have to wonder if they are being released from the beach.

That is about it for today!




Day 3 From Nancy:
Greetings Ginger,

The beach wasn't quite so clean today, and I collected 2 1/2 grocery store size bags of trash, plus a large sand pail.  Once again, the litter was mostly plastic containers and wrappers.  The most offending items included:

1 nylon mesh bag (The type beach toys are packaged in~I hate these bags; they are a death trap for wildlife!)

2 wads of fishing line

17 (yes that is SEVENTEEN) balloons!  These were small lime green water balloons, mostly busted, with two water filled ones also found on the beach.  They were all between the Oceanic and Stand #13/Access 40.  I'm sure I did not find all of the balloons, and no telling how many ended up in the water.  Just when I thought I was going to enjoy a balloon-free day, wham!!  That certainly busted my bubble!

Hope you have a great day!




Day 4 From Nancy:
Hi Ginger,

I collected about three bags of trash this morning, including a large glass wine bottle and NINE busted balloons.  Yup, you guessed it: they were light green and had washed up between the Oceanic and Access #40.  I also put one abandoned beach chair in the trash cans.

Sure hope we find some turtle tracks on WB soon!


I almost forgot, but I also picked up one styrofoam cooler & lid along with five empty beer cans from under JM Pier!

Nancy Fahey's final report for 2011

Hey Ginger,

Here is the latest on WB trash:

Thursday, 08/08:  1.5 bags of random trash

Friday, 08/09:  1/2 bag of trash which consisted mostly of 6 Bud Light cans all in a neat little pile near a dune on the south end.

Saturday, 08/10:  1/2 bag random trash

Sunday, 08/11: Four bags of trash

David went for me on Monday, and he usually does not pick up trash, or at least he didn't mention any.

Tuesday, 08/13: Four bags of trash including 2 wads of fishing line, one balloon, one full can of beer and one screwdriver.  Guess David will no longer have an excuse to get out of Honey-Do's!  :)

Wednesday,  08/14:  1 bag of random trash

Thursday, 08/15:  2 bags of random trash

Tha, tha, tha, that's all folks! 

Nancy Fahey reporting from the ATV!!

Hey Ginger,

Latest trash report from the beach:

Monday: 2 grocery store size bags collected (I use a reusable Wing's bag that I picked up off the beach this spring, then break down the amount collected into estimated # of grocery store size bags).  This included FIVE balloons and string on Monday!

Tuesday:  2 bags of trash, including TWO balloons and five empty glass Corona bottles off the south end.  Guess the sixth bottle was saved to enjoy on the way home.

Wednesday:  2 grocery store size bags of trash.

Most of the heavy duty plastic sheeting has been either washed away by the tide or is in the wrack line.  :(  I pick of some of this litter each morning.

See you soon,

Nancy

Danielle Richardet--Post Hurricane Irene clean-ups

Hey!  Me again!  


On the Saturday that Hurricane Irene blew on out of Wrightsville Beach, my two youngest children and I along with friends went to the beach to hopefully find some treasures from the ocean.  We DID!!  ...but we also found a lot of things that Irene helped the ocean purge.  Most noticeable were things that I just couldn't get... TIRES!  What we were able to remove from the beach were a lot things mostly distributed through the wrack line.  As we've done an additional 5 clean ups since the hurricane... the wrack line is proving to be a collection of all things plastic... cigarette butts, straws, caps and lots and lots of styrofoam that is nearly impossible to pick up.  Here's the run down from our August post Irene clean ups.  


Add an additional 12 bags to the tally.


Day 91: August 27, 2011 post Hurricane Irene at Access 41 


8 lbs 11 oz of litter
344 cigarette butts
92 plastic caps
7 plastic/styrofoam cups
11 straws
4 aluminum cans
4 plastic bottles
10 toys    


Day 92: August 28, 2011 at Access 42


12.7 oz of litter
270 cigarette butts
2 plastic bottles
25 plastic caps
6 straws


Day 93: August 29, 2011 at Access 43


3 lbs 12.1 oz of litter
182 cigarette butts
115 caps
7 straws
4 aluminum cans
9 toys
2 balloons
2 plastic spoons
1 UNOPENED Corona (beer)!!! (it appears to be old!)


Attached is the photo from Day 93 :)  Which happens to have been the day of the pizza party!!  I had such a great time...getting to meet people who are helping keep WB clean was the best!  Thank you so much for the invitation and the yummy pizza!!!! :)

Danielle


"It Starts With Me" a Brita FilterForGood Film Project


www.itstartswithme-danielle.blogspot.com

Week 19--John and Ginger in Zone 3 at Access 18

John and I adopted Access # 18.  So far, I have not included that report with our litter report, but this time I decided that it would be okay.

Given that it is Labor Day Weekend and given Nancy's last email of all the trash she has been collecting on the beach, I decided it would be a good time to clean up.

We picked up about 3 bags of trash in 25 minutes.  I spent about 15 minutes focusing on cigarette butts (since Nancy is focusing on Sea Turtle Tracks).  In that 15 minutes, I collected 406 butts!!!!

We also collected

1 plastic bag

1plastic bottle

several pieces of the construction plastic that Nancy talked about

6 toys

28 bottle caps

5 aluminum cans

2 ziplock bags

1 latex glove (shredded like a balloon)

2 plastic lids

1 Wendy's fast food bags and contents

24 straws

1 six pack ring (very sad)

1 "I (double heart) Jessus" hair bow

1 wallet that we turned into the police department

Yesterday, we went boating and to Mason's Inlet on the South End of Figure Eight Island.  We noticed that the construction plastic had washed up there as well.  We grabbed what we could in our hands.  We also collected two balloons, 1 ziplock bag, and we scooped a plastic bag out of the Inlet that contained 5 plastic bottles!

For the fun of it, I decided to photograph the total collection of toys that John and I have picked up this year.

40  unbroken shovels

25 broken shovel pieces

10 sand pails

32 broken sand pail handles

27 sand molds

11 plastic rakes

and my favorite are the toy men.

I also took pics of our collectables in their containers (minus all the bottle caps b/c I gave those to Bonnie already---all 400 & some of them!!)

lots and lots of straws

Here is our jar of balloons 

I think Speckles is going to miss our Monday Morning Trash Sortings!!!