BEAUFORT — Groups have organized cleanups in the waterfront town on foot, bike and boat Sept. 22 in celebration of National Estuaries Day and National Public Lands Day.
In addition to picking up trash, volunteers are to help collect data on debris collected for the International Coastal Cleanup. The information gathered can help with debris management and education.
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Volunteers on foot are to meet at 10 a.m. to cleanup a nearby marsh location in downtown. Cleanup supplies are to be provided. Registration is required.
Volunteers on bicycle are to focus their efforts starting at 10 a.m. along Front Street. Meet at Grayden Paul Park, across from Beaufort Town Hall. No registration is needed to participate in this cleanup.
There is also the opportunity to cleanup by boat the Rachel Carson Reserve. Cleanup supplies and boat transportation will be provided. Registration is required for this cleanup.
The North Carolina Coastal Federation, North Carolina Coastal Reserve and Outsiders Bicycle Club have partnered to clean up the waterfront town.
Organizers suggest wearing weather-appropriate clothing that may get wet and dirty and bring work gloves. Closed-toe shoes are required. Trash-collection supplies, snacks, water, sunscreen and bug spray are to be provided. This event is weather dependent.
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Dozens of organizations throughout the country celebrate National Estuaries Week by hosting events including beach cleanups, marsh restoration events and kayaking tours, according to the National Estuaries Day website. Found where river and ocean meet, estuaries have distinctive plants and wildlife that thrive in the mix of fresh water draining from the land and saltwater from the ocean, also called brackish water.
For more information, contact Paula Gillikin, Rachel Carson Reserve site manager, at paula.gillikin@ncdenr.gov or 252-838-0886 or Rachel Bisesi, coastal education coordinator with the Coastal Federation, at 252-393-8185 or rachelb@nccoast.org.
