Friends of the Bay and Audubon NY Host Local Coastal Cleanup

OYSTER BAY, NY — Friends of the Bay and Audubon NY will be partnering once again to host beach cleanups for International Coastal Cleanup Day Sept. 21.

Two cleanup events will be held simultaneously at Stehli and Centre Island Beaches in Bayville.

Participants are asked to bring reusable work gloves to cut down on waste (there will be disposable gloves available). Trash bags will be provided.

Community service certificates will be provided.

To participate, please pre-register at www.friendsofthebay.org/volunteer-opportunities.

The International Coastal Cleanup takes place annually in September and is the world’s largest coordinated cleanup. During the event, participants are asked to collect data on the debris they find and the data is submitted to Ocean Conservancy to compile an annual Cleanup Report. The data from the report is often used to help inform policies geared toward creating environmentally friendly products and packaging solutions.

“International Coastal Cleanup Day is our largest cleanup event of the year,” said Christine Suter, executive director of Friends of the Bay. “It’s inspiring to see so many volunteers of all ages excited to help clean their local beaches. Not only is this a fun and invigorating outdoor activity but it’s also a great learning experience. The participants get to see firsthand the common items that pollute our shorelines. It promotes both environmental stewardship and responsible consumerism.”

• WHERE: Stehli and Centre Island Beaches in Bayville
• WHEN: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sept. 21

If you can't make it to Stehli or Centre Island, but want to clean your local beach, here's how to have your work count: Download the Clean Swell app on your mobile device to record and submit data on what you collect or visit this link to download a trash collection data sheet. Then you can scan and email your completed data sheet to Volunteers@friendsofthebay.org by 4 p.m. on Sept. 27.

Friends of the Bay, the environmental conservation and advocacy organization located in Oyster Bay, hosts a monthly cleanup from February through November. Last year, volunteers helped collect more than 1,000 pounds of trash from its shorelines.

The mission of Friends of the Bay is to preserve, protect and restore the ecological integrity and productivity of the Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Estuary and the surrounding watershed.

Visit them at https://www.friendsofthebay.org/.

The mission of the National Audubon Society is to protect birds and the places they need today and tomorrow. Conservation initiatives include habitat conservation, climate solutions, driving policy outcomes, and community building.

Visit them at https://roosevelt.audubon.org/.