| Hundreds of Volunteers Will Clean Local Beaches |
| By Monique Washington |
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Treash-strewn beach |
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More than 400 volunteers are expected to show up to clean the beaches of St. Kitts and Nevis Saturday as part of the 20th annual Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup campaign. Volunteers are participating in beach cleanups in 152 nations as part of the world's larbgest volunteer program to improve ocean health. An estimated nine million volunteers will participate in the program, according to a spokesman for the movement. The volunteers will pick up an estimated 145 million pounds of trash and debris from the shores of oceans, lakes, streams and rivers.
"If the trash is left, it can cause damage to the sea life," Miriam Knorr, coordinator for St.Kitts and Nevis, told The Observer. A total of 23 different groups of individuals have agreed to clean up 23 different beaches on Nevis alone, according to the Nevis Historical and Conservational Society.
"This year we have two new groups joining us which are the Bank of Nevis social club and the Nevis Air and Sea Port Authority NASPA Social Club. Anyone who wants can become a volunteer," Knorr said. In 2010, a total of 23 groups collected over 7,300 pounds of trash, including 10,000 plastic bottles picked up in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Each group will be given a data card which they will record the item that they found. The data provides a clear picture of what was removed from certain locations. The long term global nature of collection makes the data effective for educating the public, business, industry and Government officials about the sources and types of trash impacting the ocean health.
"After the passage of Maria I'm sure there will be a lot to clean on Saturday," said Knorr. After the cleanup campaign ends, the volunteers will attend a noon picnic party at Coconut Grove.
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