Education Volunteers Made a Splash at the Surf Open
At this year’s COA Surf Open, an enthusiastic team of education volunteers brought a wave of excitement, leading ocean-inspired activities that made the day extra memorable for attendees. Volunteers led children through interactive, ocean-inspired stations featuring shell necklace-making, reading circles, shell painting, relay races, and face painting.
Each activity provided a hands-on way for children to engage with the coast and enjoy the day at the beach. Clean Ocean Action is grateful for the energy of these incredible volunteers. Thank you for sharing your time and passion—you made the Surf Open an unforgettable experience for small and tall!
SEAL Students Set Sail for Change
The Student Environmental Advocates and Leaders (SEAL) Program launched this year with energizing orientation sessions for both new and returning students. Kicking off at Clean Ocean Action’s headquarters, students set sail on their leadership journey with beachside icebreakers and a program overview.
SEAL students are empowered to become advocates for environmental change, learning valuable skills in leadership, ocean advocacy, and stewardship. The students’ excitement and enthusiasm created a hopeful energy.
Following orientation, SEAL students engaged with the League of Women Voters on civic engagement, toured the NJ State House, and had a discussion with Scot Mackey, a licensed lobbyist. These experiences provide them with the knowledge and tools to drive change in their communities.
This is just the beginning for this passionate group. Stay tuned as they turn their excitement into action and create meaningful waves of change in their communities, together!
Inspiring the Next Wave of Ocean Advocates at Fall Student Summits
This October, Clean Ocean Action welcomed over 350 students from 15 New Jersey middle schools to explore the wonders of our coastlines at Cape May and Island Beach State Park (IBSP). At both the 3rd Annual Cape May Student Summit and the 36th Annual Fall Student Summit at Island Beach State Park, students experienced learning outside through a hands-on exploration of our marine environment, thanks to amazing field leaders and volunteers.
High school leaders from Lower Cape May Regional High School and the Marine Academy of Technology & Environmental Science (MATES), respectively, inspired the younger students, sharing their own experiences and guiding students through an exciting day of discovery and stewardship.
These summits were made possible due to the dedicated support of our field leaders and our sponsors, The Jon Ben Snow Foundation and Eloise and John Pound in memory of Anne Inman Webster. The students will “shore-ly” go on to make waves in ocean advocacy, carrying forward COA’s mission to improve and protect our coastlines.
Corporate Beach Sweeps Year-End Report & More
Clean Ocean Action’s 2024 Corporate Beach Sweeps season hosted its last cleanup in mid-September. The beachy-clean fun kicked off in June, bringing 20 corporate partners (both returning and new) to the beautiful beaches of Sandy Hook.
Debris Free Sea Coordinator, Kira Cruz, worked side-by-side with Marine Debris Intern, Maggie Hanlon. Together, the duo, along with COA staff and volunteers, educated individuals on nonpoint source pollution, led team-building exercises, and helped the partners remove thousands of pieces of debris. The program encourages corporate partners to share insights about debris and pollution issues within their offices and organizations, fostering initiatives to reduce waste and drive sustainable improvements.
Check out highlights and more from the year-end report in COA’s next edition of the newsletter!
Sunshine and Smiles for All During Fall Beach Sweeps
Mother Nature was happy as a clam for COA’s 39th Annual Fall Beach Sweeps! Volunteers from Essex to Cape May counties worked with smiles on their faces and buckets in hand under a beaming sun as they removed debris off beaches along the coast, inland, and along the Delaware River.
Over 3,000 individuals pre-registered, and Fall Sweeps broke records, offering 83 sites statewide. Forty-one new and returning Junior Beach Captains assisted for the day!
Remnants of Hurricane Milton brought rain and wind leading up to the Fall Sweeps, adding to trash and debris on beaches and in waterways. This led to some rather unusual finds, including an empty helium tank, a St. Michael prayer ring, an entire mattress, many large blue pieces of foam, tires, bike locks, and even a Christmas tree!
The data collected during the statewide event will be presented in COA’s Annual Beach Sweeps Report, which will be released in time for the Spring Beach Sweeps. The data collected provides pollution evidence that is helpful in COA’s advocacy and education efforts to reduce litter and marine debris.
This fall at the Beach Sweeps, volunteers were informed about “Skip the Stuff,” proposed legislation in New Jersey to reduce single-use items provided at businesses. Waves of thanks to the sponsors, municipalities and parks, public works employees, Beach Captains, Junior Beach Captains, and volunteers that came out to soak up the sunshine, support the ocean, and participate in Beach Sweeps!
“Shell-O-Brating” 40 Years of Beach Sweeps Next Year!
COA will be celebrating the immense hard work and commitment of volunteers removing debris throughout the state of New Jersey and more. Stay tuned to COA’s website and social media for details on how you can join us in celebrating 40 years of Beach Sweeps!
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