After what felt like an endless wait, we finally had a cleanup day without rain! Although we had to endure icy, gale-force winds, two of our Junior crew members, braved the cold in their winter parkas to distribute cleanup supplies to our small but mighty group of 27 volunteers. Despite the chilly weather, we successfully cleared 20 pounds of trash and 370 cigarette butts off the beach!

Special thanks go to the ladies of Alpha Kappa Alpha, our largest volunteer group, who did a stunning job filling their pails. They even brought back some By the Wind Sailors, while another family found a beautiful shell. Both items have been sent to our naturalist, Abby, for further identification. We also “rescued” a tiny turtle sand toy, which was determined to be in good enough shape to keep. Additional curious finds included a mystery handle, a large mesh mystery item, a propane burner, and a piece of wood with rusty screws. Refreshingly, only a few plastic bottles were gathered.

Despite the icy temperatures, we left feeling satisfied with our efforts. Here’s to hoping for lovely weather on July 6!

We appreciate everyone who supports Pacific Beach Coalition’s work and educational programs. Thank you for helping us to protect our beautiful ocean and coastline by donating money, time, or both! Your dollars will go towards our ongoing educational efforts (such as the Naturalists program) and our beach cleanups and habitat restoration efforts along the coastal trail. Thank you so much for any contribution: big or small!