 Adopt-A-Shore Program
2011 Annual Adopt-A-Shore Clean-up
Citrus County, in cooperation with the Ocean Conservancy annually participates in the Adopt-A-Shore program.
Participants will meet on the 3rd Saturday in September from sunrise to 11:30 a.m.
16th Annual Save Our Waters Week
September 16 - 24, 2011 - Featured Activities
Contact:
Citrus County Aquatic Services
1300 S. Lecanto Hwy.
Lecanto, Fl. 34461
(352)527-7620
The Clean-Up
Once trash is collected - and in many cases, recycled - the challenge lies in determining where it comes from and
what it means.
Cleanup volunteers use standardized data collection cards, developed by the Ocean Conservancy, to record more than 80
specific debris items in seven categories; plastic, foam, glass, rubber, metal, wood, and cloth. Analysis of the debris
is important because it enhances our ability to create positive change.
Annual Statistics
2002
Over 600 Volunteers - 22,300 lbs. of debris collected
2003
610 Volunteers - 13,000 lbs. of debris collected
2004
Event did not take place due to hurricane collected
2005
294 Volunteers – 4,520 lbs of debris collected
2006
557 Volunteers – 6,180 lbs of debris collected
2007
658 Volunteers – 6,720 lbs of debris collected
2008
754 Volunteers – 10,280 lbs of debris collected
2009
667 Volunteers – 8,680 lbs/4.34 tons of debris collected
2010
577 Volunteers - 6,560 lbs/3.28 tons of debris collected
A Growing Idea
The Ocean Conservancy's first beach cleanup was in 1986 on the Texas coast with 2,800 volunteers. Since this time, the
volunteer's cleanup effort, onbehalf of the marine environment, has become "international". Cumulatively, more
than one million people in over 100 countries have participated in the cleanup since it became an international event in
1989. The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is the planets
largest volunteer effort for the benefit of the marine environment. This ICC effort (and our local Adopt A Shore program)
takes place each year.
Why?
The mission of the ICC (and our local effort) is:
- to remove debris from the shorelines, waterways, and beaches of the world's lakes,
rivers, and oceans;
- to collect valuable information on the amounts and types of debris;
- to educate people on the issue of marine debris; and
- to use the information collected from the cleanup to effect positive change - on all
levels, from the individual to the international - to reduce marine debris and enhance marine conservation.
How to get involved?
Contact the Citrus 20/20 Save Our Waters Committee or Aquatic Services and advise them you would like to be added to the annual
distribution list of participants. Approximately, the first week of August, Citrus 20/20 will mail out information on
the upcoming event. This will include the contract agreement for your group, a sign up sheet, safety guidelines and
information pertaining to the scheduled safety meeting.
There is a volunteer from each side of the County (East, West) that will be in-charge of contacting the participants.
One member from each group must attend the safety meeting prior to the clean-up. At this time, all supplies, which
include: shirts, gloves, hats, data cards, trash bags, pencils, stickers, etc. will be distributed to the proper
representative to pass along to their organization.
Even though the debris has decreased through the past years, it just goes to show that together
everybody can make a difference on Citrus Counties beautiful waterways.
We would like to takes this opportunity to thank all of the participants that have helped out in the past and would
like to invite any and all residents to help out in the future.
One benefit to participating in the Adopt-A-Shore program is your "group" will have their name placed on
a sign within the area that you have "adopted". Let's see your group listed next year.
|
