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

Renee cleans up in Zone 0 and enjoys being dive bombed by the birds!

On Thu, May 15, 2014 at 12:06 PM, Renee Tevelow <reneetev@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Ginger,

A beautiful first day on the beach.

No tracks but lots of trash.

I think a lot of the trash was being washed back onto the beach from the ocean.  So, as I like to say,  It's our second chance to get it.    You'll see in the pictures- ropes and lines with a lot of tiny pieces of trash caught up in it.  I've attached quite a few pictures.....not very pretty....ugh  (But I did take some pretty ones of the full moon and the sunrise too.....those are for later )

There were some things I couldn't get.  I took a picture of a balloon that was way beyond the rope in the nesting area....so I couldn't get it and a large piece of burlap that is so deep in the sand I couldn't get it out either.....also a large tire piece that wasn't accessible.  Maybe as the tide washes over some of these I'll be able to pull them out before they get washed back out into the ocean.  

I tried to identify the pieces and count as many as I could for the tally sheet....

I also saw lots of pieces of horseshoe crabs....like Nancy has observed.  Also, one dead jelly fish and gull.

Their is an oyster catcher pair at the north end - by the new mailbox.  Also lots of terns?  The roped off area is smaller than it was last year....but I think the birds remember where it is supposed to be because even tho I was well outside the roped off area as I walked above the tide-line.....they were squawking and a few even did their dive bomber imitation!  

Have a wonderful day.

Renee

Our first walk for 2014

I don't know many people who look forward to Monday mornings.  What about getting up at 5:15 AM on Monday morning?  But….when it is your first walk to look for sea turtle nests, you have an excited anticipation!

John and I did not find a nest, but we did get to enjoy a beautiful sunrise and that never gets old!

Unfortunately, we were greeted by a big dredge pipe this year, which gives the beach quite a different feel.  The interface of heavy equipment and serene nature almost feels eerie.  We hope the dredging will be complete soon so that our beautiful beach can be a peaceful place for a nesting sea turtle.

Given that we have had a chilly start to spring, we did not expect to find as much trash as we did, but were glad that we could leave the beach better than we found it.  We hope others will do the same.  :-)

The animals (all rescues) also anticipate the beginning of KIC season!

Gigi relaxing in the shade on a blanket we collected from the beach years ago.  She is hoping for a ball in the trash finds.

This is Kahuna's first trash season and he does not know what to think!  He is an awesome cat who is up for adoption.

Sasha and Ringo Starr observe the trash sorting from inside.  They are finding the tree frog much more interesting than the trash.

Our trash today consisted of:

12 cigarette butts (so few thanks to the ordinance)

16 food wrappers or pieces of food wrappers

11 plastic bottle caps

3 metal bottle caps

21 straws/stirrers

2 plastic cutlery

1 long piece of rope and 14 pieces of a shredded rope

1 balloon piece

1 plastic cigar tip

4 pieces of burlap (part of the dredging operation)

2 fireworks

6 unidentifiable foam pieces

16 unidentifiable plastic pieces

6 plastic bottles

7 glass bottles

9 aluminum cans

2 plastic grocery bags

4 "other" plastic bags

4 plastic cups

3 foam cups

1 condom-yuck

3 articles of clothing

1 broken sunglasses

8 toys

28 zip ties (maybe that is part of the dredging operation as well?  mostly found along the pipe)

2 chap sticks

bag of metal stakes

1 hair tie

6 mismatched flip flops (mostly good brands too!  one even had a bottle opener on the bottom!)

Ginger

A new dawn, a new day, a new season!

Somehow the start of May has just been all that much sweeter this year: the long-awaited spring after a cold and icy winter. It's here!

For weeks, Friday May 16 was circled and highlighted on my calendar as my much-anticipated first morning of walking in zone 0, on the north end, with my trash bag. So I was a little concerned when I was kept awake for much of the night before by torrential rain and roaring thunder. At 5:30 a.m., I grimly pulled on a hat and my raincoat and made my way toward the beach.

Wouldn't you know it, though, just minutes after I arrived, as dawn began to break, the heavy, dense fog that was blanketing the shoreline was sucked out over the Atlantic like a giant plume of smoke. The dark gray clouds began to roll rapidly across the sky. And as I walked along, the sun began to peek through the beautiful storm clouds. It was really just breathtaking, and much to my surprise, it was a gorgeous morning to be on the beach.

As I walked, I quickly noticed that the stormy weather from the night before had deposited a lot of garbage along the shore, especially tangled within large clumps of sea grass.

But it also left some beautiful treasures, and I was super excited to find a whole sand dollar.

My litter total for the day included:
-7 cigarette butts
-1 drink packet
-1 goggles band (but no goggles)
-1 broken shovel
-1 drink lid
-2 plastic water bottles
-1 balloon string (but no balloon)
-3 beer cans
-6 plastic bags
-various bits and chunks of unidentifiable plastic

Peace,
Susan

2014 International Sea Turtle Symposium--New Orleans

Hello KICers!

I just returned from the International Sea Turtle Symposium in New Orleans.  I was told that 72 countries were represented at this symposium.  Isn't that amazing?

As you know, we worked hard last year to collaborate with Ocean Conservancy in an effort to continue education about marine debris, litter and sea turtles.  I was so very excited to see the posters that Ocean Conservancy had displayed featuring WBSTP and YOU--WB Keep It Clean volunteers!  You are awesome! 

Other beaches have now committed to provide information to Ocean Conservancy as a result of our initial efforts.  In time, this data will perhaps lead to benefits for Wrightsville Beach and other beach communities.

This is Megan.  She won an award for her work in researching by- catch in the floundering industry.  She was among the first group of interns that I worked with at the Sea Turtle Hospital several years ago.  So proud of her.

This is Brie.  Another intern from the Sea Turtle Hospital.  She is volunteering at the symposium---so glad to see her again.

KIC volunteers at the Mighty Mississippi.  John, Michelle, Nancy, Sarah.

Turtle Momma!  Nawlins' style!

Anna's Beach Sweep

On Saturday, March 29th, beach warriors gathered to help Anna with her senior project.  Yes, it was rainy and yucky on the beach, but Anna made the decision to carry on with her project, and I am glad she did!  Yes, it was difficult to get motivated to go out in the weather, but a lot of people did just that to clean up our beach!  And just look at all the litter that was collected!

<image005.png><image006.png>Wrightsville Beach Keep it Clean Data form

Date of walk:

3/29

Number of Volunteers:

26

Zone:

Item

Total #

Item

Total #

MOST LIKELY TO FIND ITEMS

Cigarette Butts

=

470

Beverage Bottles (Plastic)

=

6

Food Wrappers (candy, chips, etc.)

=

20

Beverage Bottles (Glass)

=

6

Take Out/Away Containers (Plastic)

=

Na

Beverage Cans

=

26

Take Out/Away Containers (Foam)

=

Na

Grocery Bags (Plastic)

=

3

Bottle Caps (Plastic)

=

77

Other Plastic Bags

=

6

Bottle Caps (Metal)

=

26

Paper Bags

=

Na

Lids (Plastic)

=

6

Cups & Plates (Paper)

=

1

Straws/Stirrers

=

15

Cups & Plates (Plastic)

=

5

Forks, Knives, Spoons

=

2

Cups & Plates (Foam)

=

8

FISHING GEAR:

PACKAGING MATERIALS:

Fishing Buoys, Pots & Traps

=

Na

6-Pack Holders

=

Na

Fishing Net & Pieces

=

Na

Other Plastic/Foam Packaging

=

5

Fishing Line (1 yard/meter = 1 piece)

=

10yard

Other Plastic Bottles (oil, bleach, etc.)

=

2

Rope (1 yard/meter = 1 piece)

=

Na

Strapping Bands

=

Na

Tobacco Packaging/Wrap

=

5

OTHER TRASH:

Appliances (refrigerators, washers, etc.)

=

Na

PERSONAL HYGIENE:

Balloons

=

3

Condoms

=

1

Cigar Tips

=

8

Diapers

=

1

Cigarette Lighters

=

1

Syringes

=

Na

Construction Materials

=

10

Tampons/Tampon Applicators

=

1

Fireworks

=

3

Tires

=

1

ITEMS OF LOCAL CONCERN:

Clothing

=

11

TINY TRASH LESS THAN 2.5CM:

Towels

=

1

Foam Pieces

=

2 lbs

Toys

=

11

Glass Pieces

=

2 lbs

Cardboard

=

3

Plastic Pieces

=

2 lbs

Candle

=

1

TRASH BAG SUMMARY

Bag Type?

Grocery

Kitchen (13 Gallon)

Large (30 Gallon)

Reusable

Other:

Number of Trash Bags Filled =

3

3

9

6 or 8

Anna will also be presenting her data at Fort Fisher Aquarium.   Thank you Anna for sharing such an important message.