Environmental Clean-ups Scheduled Across Connecticut Communities Throughout Fall
/An annual regional effort hosted by Save the Sound as part of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup gets underway again this fall. In addition to cleaning beaches, Save the Sound indicates that the organization can “use the data you collect to influence laws that reduce pollution at the source!” They plan to collect data to keep track of the volume of trash that is picked up at each cleanup site.
Individuals interested in voluneering to participate are asked to sign up as a volunteer here, which is aimed at ensuring there are sufficient supplies for everyone and also provides a means of keeping people informed about any weather-related changes. Additional information and sign-up is available here.
“The environmental benefits of cleanups are numerous,” Save the Sound cleanup coordinator Annalisa Paltauf says, “from making sure litter doesn’t enter the water to preventing discarded fishing lines from entangling wildlife and removing items that can leach chemicals into the ground and our waterways.”
As of last year, during the previous seven years cleanup captains and volunteers have collected over half a million pieces of trash, gathering data on trash types and amounts along the way. When this data is compared yearly, it paints a clear picture of trash trends throughout the state of Connecticut, which Save the Sound uses to advocate for policies that stop trash at its source.
The mission of Save the Sound is to protect and improve the land, air, and water of the whole Long Island Sound region. They use legal and scientific expertise and bring people together to “achieve results that benefit our environment for current and future generations.”
Among the clean-up activities scheduled thus far between now and November:
Canton – Farmington River – Saturday, 9/13, 10am –1pm
Greenwich – Great Captains Island – Saturday, 9/13, 9am–12pm
Westbrook – West Beach – Saturday, 9/13, 9–11am
Madison – Hammonasset Beach State Park – Saturday, 9/13, 10am–12pm
Norwalk – Oyster Shell Park – Saturday, 9/13, 9am–12pm
New London – Fort Trumbull State Park – Sunday, 9/14, 9:30am–12pm
East Haven – East Haven Town Beach – Saturday, 9/20, 9am–11am
Greenwich – Greenwich Point Park / Tod’s Point – Saturday, 9/20, 8am–12pm
Meriden – Hanover Pond – Saturday, 9/20, 8am –12pm
New Britain – Martha Hart Park – 9/20, 10am-12pm
New Haven – Long Wharf Canal Dock Boathouse – Saturday, 9/20, 12–2pm
New London – Thames River (SCUBA cleanup) – Saturday, 9/20, 9:30am–12pm
Niantic – Rocky Neck State Park – Saturday, 9/20, 9am–12pm
Waterford – Camp Harkness – Saturday, 9/20, 9am–12pm
Waterford – Harkness Memorial State Park – Saturday, 9/20, 9am–12pm
Waterford – Seaside State Park – Saturday, 9/20, 9am–12pm
Waterford – Waterford Town Beach – Saturday, 9/20, 10am–12:30pm
Vernon – Valley Falls Park – Saturday, 9/20, 8–10am
Milford – Gulf Beach – Sunday, 9/21, 9–11am
New Haven – Haven & Exchange on Mill River – Sunday, 9/21, 12-2pm
Groton – Esker Point Beach – Wednesday, 9/24, 11am–1pm
Clinton – Clinton Town Beach – Saturday, 9/27, 9–11am
Groton – Bluff Point State Park – Saturday, 9/27, 9–11am
Fairfield – Southport Beach – Saturday, 9/27, 10am–1pm
Westport – Longshore – Saturday, 9/27, 10am–12pm
Fairfield – Jennings Beach – Sunday, 9/28, 9-11am
Hamden – Six Lakes perimeter (Mill River) – Sunday, 9/28, 12–2pm
Madison – Hammonasset State Park – Sunday, 9/28, 9am-12pm
Stamford – Cummings Park – Sunday, 9/28, 1-3pm
Hartford – Charter Oak Landing – Saturday, 10/4, 9-11am
Branford – Branford Point – Sunday, 10/5, 8:30am–12pm
Bridgeport – Seaside Park – Sunday, 10/5, 9–11am
Milford – Silver Sands State Park – Saturday, 10/11, 9am–12pm
New Haven – Long Wharf – Saturday, 10/11, 1–3pm
Madison – Madison Surf Club – Tuesday, 11/4, 1-4pm
