Heal the Bay mobilizes for beach cleanup

If you've read Heal the Bay's annual beach report card, you know that while some strands have shown improvement, there are still some filthy waterfronts and waterways in the Southland.

If you want to do something about it, Sept. 25 is the group's annual beach cleanup at some 60 sites from Compton to Malibu. 

This year, several "code red" sites have been identified: Dominguez Channel, Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, Los Angeles River and Encino’s Haskell Creek. These urban sites are hit with runoff and are choked with litter such as plastic bags and fast-food packaging.

Volunteers will don scuba gear in Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and Leo Carrillo State Beach and take to kayaks in Marina del Rey. But anyone of any skill level and physical ability can pitch in. Generally, tens of thousands have shown up in the previous 20 of these annual blitzes.

Heal the Bay is hoping volunteers will keep it green by bringing their own buckets or bags, to cut back on the use of plastic bags.

Registration information and cleanup tips: www.healthebay.org/ccd

-- Geoff Mohan

Comments

[Recycle]

This gives me a lot to think about. Another place I often go to learn about environmental issues is at http://www.youtube.com/greenopolistv because they cover a lot of important stuff too. Something else that's related to saving the ocean is this video on the GreenopolisTV YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJVJavUg5Qw.

[Joe]

One cause of this problem is scavengers. I live in the marina and everyday the scavengers raid our dumpsters, tear open our garbage bags in search of the bottles and cans we already put in the recycling bins. Then they leave the dumpsters open so that the wind and birds can scatter the now loose trash everywhere. I will be doing my share on the 25th. I wish ICE would do theirs.

[LAStormwater]

The LA Stormwater Program thinks Heal the Bay does a great job in coordinating beach clean ups on Coastal Cleanup Day! For more information on how you can keep our local waterways and beaches clean, check out http://www.lastormwater.info/.