Three Thousand Sixty-Four Volunteers Remove 17,147 Pounds of Pollution and Debris in Three Hours
Save Our Shores (SOS) announced the results of the 29th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day in Monterey Bay. From 9 am-12 pm, at 84 cleanup sites throughout the counties of Santa Cruz and Monterey, 3,064 volunteers took ocean conservation into their own hands by removing 17,147 pounds of debris in an area spanning from Waddell Creek to the Big Sur coast.
In Santa Cruz County, 2,025 volunteers spread across 76 miles of beach, river, lake, creek and slough to remove 9,118 pounds of pollution and debris in just three hours.
In Monterey County, 1,039 volunteers spread across 81 miles of beach, river, lake, creek and slough to remove 8,029 pounds of pollution and debris in just three hours.
The top five cleanup sites with the most poundage removed today were, in order: Elkhorn Slough Estuarine Research Reserve- estimated 4,800 lbs; Felton Covered Bridge Park- 2,700 lbs; Upper Carr Lake- 1,166lbs; San Lorenzo River at Fillmore Street in Ben Lomond- 832 lbs and Struve Slough at Ramsey Park- 817 lbs.
Total pounds of trash removed in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties combined: 14,517 lbs. Total pounds of recyclables removed in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties combined: 2,630 lbs
“California Coastal Cleanup Day provides the greater Monterey Bay community a snapshot of our impact on local beaches and inland waterways. More importantly, it brings our community together to take action and inspires a collective behavior change that extends beyond September 21st,” said Rachel Kippen, Program Manager at Save Our Shores.
New This Year: Santa Cruz: New sites at Beach Flats Community Cleanup, Pacific Ave., Westside Railroad Tracks at Swift to Almar, Mouth of the San Lorenzo River under the trestle bridge, Kayak Cleanup off Santa Cruz Wharf. Monterey: Garrapata State Beach in Big Sur, Roving Highway cleanup in Big Sur, Neighborhood cleanup by Bay Photo and Monterey Hostel.
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Save Our Shores conducts reoccurring monthly cleanups in Santa Cruz County on the 3rd Saturday of each month, as well as in Monterey County on the 2nd Saturday of each month from 10 am-noon. They also coordinate cleanups at Davenport Main Beach on the 1st Saturday of the month from 9 am-11 am.