For the 5th consecutive year the Bronx River Alliance, REI, Con Edison, Friends of Soundview Park & other partners came together to celebrate International Coastal Clean-up day at Soundview Park.
This year we hosted 98 volunteers from organizations like De Alma Women’s Institute, 41st Precinct Explorers and local & city-wide residents who picked up 97 bags of trash totaling over 1,700 pounds of debris.
We also had a group from Christodora’s youth program “paddle & pick-up” from Concrete Plant Park to Soundview Park.
I Fish NY from NYS DEC concluded the day with their awesome “learn to fish” program which is always a great way to end a day of service.
All volunteers received lunch from Whole Foods and T-shirts from REI which also offered an opportunity to be part of a nice REI raffle.
Our diverse group of community partners and volunteers always enjoy themselves during our annual International Coastal Clean-up day and it’s nice to host a diverse group of people that reflects the communities the Long Island Sound serves.
According to the Long Island Sound Study (2012), “The watershed of Long Island Sound covers more than 16,000 square miles in Connecticut, New York, and four other states—Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Connecticut has 5,375 square miles in the watershed and New York has 428 square miles, covering mostly shoreline communities in Long Island, Queens, the Bronx, and Westchester.”
If you’re interested in participating in other volunteer projects please contact Joseph Sanchez at Joseph.Sanchez@parks.nyc.gov.
Below are some items we picked up 2016
131 Cigarette Butts
571 Food Wraps
52 Take Out Containers (plastic & Foam)
458 bottle caps (plastic & metal)
126 Lids
220 Straws
45 utensils
679 Beverage Bottles
167 Beverage Cans
