Keep Our Beaches Beautiful and Safe
Hempstead Harbor is so fortunate to have so much of its shoreline devoted to public beaches and parks. Each year, thousands of people rely on these areas for a wide range of recreational activities. As local communities gear up for the summer beach season, many are organizing shoreline cleanups. These cleanups are so important not only for enhancing the appearance of beaches, but also for ensuring that beaches are safe for both humans and local wildlife.
Plastic pollution stemming from stormwater runoff and additional littering on our local streets and beaches is still plaguing our local bays. Marine life and birds can become entangled in or ingest these plastics, which can kill them and set off disruptions in the ecosystem balance. All the trash on the shoreline also creates hazards for children as well as adults and devalues our beaches.
Help keep our beaches and waters safe:
Collect litter on the street outside your home so that it doesn’t get washed down the nearest storm drain and end up in the harbor.
When visiting parks and beaches, leave nothing behind. Dispose of trash in the proper receptacles, or take it home and dispose of it.
Visit CSHH at the SC beach cleanup on May 15 from 9-11 am and play Beach Card Bingo while collecting trash. Create unusual designs with collected trash, which will be featured on the CSHH website.
Get involved in local beach cleanups!
Check community calendars for beach cleanups nearest you. Here is a partial list:
Glen Cove Beautification Commission’s annual Great American Cleanup—May 15, 9 am-12 pm, meet behind City Hall
Residents Forward and Transition Town Port Washington Shoreline Cleanup—May 15, 10 am, meet at Town Dock flagpole to pick up litter along the Shore Road/Plandome Road corridor.
For more information on why it’s so important to keep our shorelines free of trash, see these links to great videos:
https://www.bbcleaningservice.com/great-pacific-garbage-patch.html
https://www.pbs.org/video/troubled-waters-a-turtles-tale-9mjvmg/