Be a part of the world’s largest volunteer Coastal Clean Up! Worldwide, thousands of volunteers will spend their morning collecting millions of pounds of litter and debris on inland roadsides, coastal areas, inland lakes and rivers. The 2010 Miami- Dade Coastal Clean up will take place on Saturday, September 25th, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. In Miami-Dade County there are 40 coastal clean up sites and Samson Park in Sunny Isles Beach is one of them.
Join your friends and neighbors and preregister for the clean up which is set for Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 9:00am am to 12:00 pm from Samson Oceantfront Park to Pier Park. Free Parking will be available in the municipal lot on 175th Street, behind Walgreens, from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm. Registration begins at 8:30 am at Samson Park, 17425 Collins Avenue.
This regional effort is part of the International Coastal Clean up (ICC). The event is sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy and is supported locally by business and environmentally conscious organizations.
In 1988, The Florida Coastal Clean up was created. To this day, it remains a part of the International Coastal Clean up, a program developed by The Ocean Conservancy. The mission of the Ocean Conservancy is to educate the public on issues of marine pollution and to use the information collected from the Clean up to change policy at the state and national level. They also take many other measures needed to reduce marine pollution and enhance marine conservation. The first year the program was instituted in Florida, over 10,500 Floridians cleaned 915 miles of shoreline and collected 194 tons of debris. The number of Floridians and the number of county clean-up organizations who are affiliated with the FLCC since its inception has continued to grow each year.
The ICC is much more than just removing trash. By using detailed, standardized data cards, volunteers gather valuable information about the types and sources of debris found. Analyzed and tracked year by year, this information serves as a powerful tool for educating the public, influencing public policy, and effecting positive behavioral change on the part of individuals, organizations, and communities.
The collection of this data by cleanup volunteers of all ages and the resulting report prepared by The Ocean Conservancy is used in the following ways:
• To raise awareness of the quantities and types of marine debris;
• To determine the various sources of marine debris;
• To evaluate the impact of marine debris on wildlife and habitat;
• To assist in the enforcement of regulations against illegal dumping;
• To influence industries that manufacture products that cause harm to the marine environment.
In Miami-Dade County, volunteers will assist in this effort to clean and protect the environment by eliminating debris that injures wildlife and contaminates our beaches. The Sunny Isles Beach Coastal Clean up is a combined effort between the United States Coast Guard, Ocean Conservancy and the City of Sunny Isles Beach.
After the Coastal Clean Up at Samson Park, all volunteers are invited to the 2010 Miami-Dade Coastal Cleanup Volunteer Appreciation Party from 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm at Miami Seaquarium. There is FREE ADMISSION FOR ALL VOLUNTEERS but parking costs $8.00 per vehicle.
There will be food, music, and most importantly, FUN! Volunteers will also have access to all of the shows and exhibits at the Miami Seaquarium. And, best of all, it’s FREE when you register online and show the hand-stamp provided to you by your site manager at the special events entrance of the Miami Seaquarium (gate on north side of the park.)
To register for the cleanup visit www.miamidadecoastalcleanup.org. All volunteers must be pre-registered for this event.
