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Contact: Yvonne Menard, 805-658-5725
This week dozens of volunteers from several organizations banded together to clean up the coastline around Channel Islands National Park. They joined the coastal cleanup efforts along with 16 other sites in Ventura County as part of events to celebrate California Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday September 20, 2008. Using kayaks and skiffs, seventeen hard working volunteers scoured the coves and beaches of Anacapa Island this past Wednesday, collecting over 1,100 pounds of debris. The volunteers represented several organizations including the park concessioner Island Packers, Inc., kayak outfitters Aquasports and Paddlesports, and the Santa Barbara Channel Keeper. The National Park Service joined in by disposing of the collected debris which filled three dumpsters and included plastic water bottles, tennis balls, Styrofoam, an outboard motor, and fishing gear. The most unusual item collected was a Chuck Norris bobble-head. On Saturday the Channel Islands Park Foundation (CIPF) is sending out more than thirty volunteers to clean up beaches at Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. Teams from The Nature Conservancy and the National Park Service will work alongside the CIPF volunteers to support their efforts. The beach cleanup is the inaugural event for this recently-formed non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing awareness and understanding of the fragile and unique park resources. They plan to host annual events of this nature which will be announced on their website. Much of the debris these volunteers collect is trash from mainland beaches, rivers, and storm drains that has made its way across the Santa Barbara Channel via ocean currents to the remote and isolated islands. To learn about how to reduce you impact on our marine environment and be an ocean steward visit the California Coastal Commission website: For information on the Channel Islands Park Foundation go: www.yourcipf.org
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Last updated: February 27, 2015