October 15
October 15, 2007
Ruberta LaCoste
October 17, 2007Hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought more than flooding and destruction to Louisiana’s beaches.
The storms also pushed large pieces of litter onto the coastline. Much of the debris is still there.
The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program at Nicholls State University is asking for volunteers to help clean Grand Isle’s shore of the hurricanes’ trash at the Grand Isle Beach Sweep, Saturday, Oct. 20, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
The event will take place at Grand Isle State Park.
Participants have to register before getting their hands dirty. Registration forms can be downloaded from the program’s web site http://volunteer.btnep.org. Click on volunteer.btnep.org-Home.
The forms can be either emailed or faxed to the BTNEP.
“It’s different types of debris,” said Mel Landry, public involvement coordinator for the BTNEP. “Refrigerators, freezers, channel-marker buoys, plus the general litter which washes up on the beach. The fishing industry deposits a lot of litter.”
The trash poses a hazard for wildlife along the shore.
“Birds can ingest smaller matter,” he said. “We’ve all seen pictures of Coke bottle plastic rings around the necks of pelicans. Some of the items may contain chemicals.”
Landry said a volunteer’s physical size matters little. Larger people can handle the bigger pieces of trash, while Girl Scouts can pick up soft drink containers.
Cleaning beaches is one of several activities BTNEP volunteers perform. The group plants trees and does wetland planning, among other activities, he said.
In September, the BTNEP hosted an alumni group from Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania for a week. The group helped to clean the shore, maintained trails at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park Barataria Preseve in Jefferson Parish and harvested plants for growing additional stock.
All volunteers at the Oct. 20 beach cleaning will receive a free T-shirt. Pictures from the event will be posted on the volunteer Web site.
Landry reminded all participants that Oct. 20 is Election Day. Volunteers should vote before going to Grand Isle. Late arrivals will be welcomed.
Call (985) 447-0868 for more information.
