Monterey Beach Clean-Up

Approximately 240 students from the  fifth and sixth grades at Yokomi Elementary School in Fresno helped the seashore over 150 miles from home-- at a large beach cleanup on Municipal Beach on the morning of May 22^nd.  They learned about the oceans, how important it is to keep them clean and healthy (no matter where you live), and their own impact on the marine environment even from the Central Valley.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo organized the event and gave presentations to the youth in their schools prior to the cleanup event.  Kids’ Ocean Day, leading up to World Oceans Day on June 8th, is being organized statewide by the California Coastal Commission.  The Monterey event is part of the 20^th Annual Kids’ Adopt-a-Beach Cleanup, a series of Kids’ Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Cleanups at six beaches up and down the California coast.  The event for Fresno students involved removing litter from the beach.

Here are the amazing totals of trash and debris removed from the coastline on May 22, 2013. 

Beach Clean-up:
Plastics
         Bags                                        34
         Bottles                                    25
         Caps, Lids, Cups                   138
         Forks, Spoons, Straws          49
        6-pack holders                         9
        Other Plastics                          668
Styrofoam                                         131
Cigarette Butts                                1775
Metal                                                  99
Rubber                                               53
Paper                                                 390
Wood                                                 116
Cloth                                                  25
Glass                                                 285
Fishing/Boating items                     23
Other                                                 344

Grand Total: 4,164 pieces of trash and debris!

Fresno’s Chaffee Zoo runs the program locally by giving presentations at the school site and organized the May 22nd event. “This beach clean-up offers our Fresno students an opportunity to participate in a hands-on activity which fundamentally illustrates how the decisions they make can have a positive impact our Pacific Coast, and how we can make a difference” said Adrienne Castro, Director of Education, Fresno Chaffee Zoo.”

“These children are reminding us of something very important,” said Mary Shallenberger, Chair of the California Coastal Commission. “The ocean is being stressed by human impacts and is changing rapidly. If we take a moment to listen to the ocean, as these children are doing, we would know that this our time to act to save the ocean – to follow the great example of these children and live in a way that is respectful of our magnificent water planet.”  The Coastal Commission coordinates the program statewide and provides financial support from the Whale Tail License Plate Fund.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo provides environmental education programs to visiting students from the Central San Joaquin Valley. As stated in the mission statement, “Fresno Chaffee Zoo inspires wonder of our natural world, provides an engaging learning environment, and creates a passion for conservation.” The zoo allows students to come to one location and learn about animals in a variety of habitats.  

The Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education and the California Coastal Commission started the annual event in Los Angeles in 1994. With funding from the Whale Tail License Plate, this program expanded to serving Central Valley children in 2001. The program focuses on reaching children in underserved and inland schools.  Prior to the cleanup, the program includes a school presentation providing information about the importance of the ocean and how the students’ actions affect it.

The California Coastal Commission is the statewide coordinator of the Kids’ Ocean Day Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup, the year-round Adopt-A-Beach program, and Coastal Cleanup Day. All of these programs are funded by the generous support of the Whale Tail License Plate Fund. Over 213,000 plates have been sold since 1996, raising more than $20 million dollars for marine education and protection.  For more information about the California Coastal Commission’s programs and how to buy a Whale Tail Plate, call (800) COAST-4U or visit www.coastforyou.org.