Big Week-Bigger Weekend!

This week was a big one here at Clean Ocean Action, but the weekend will be bigger!

Over the past few days, COA has had meetings with Congressmen and Senate Staffers on ocean pollution prevention issues, been busy attending (sometimes remotely) seminars and colloquia on stormwater, ocean policy, environmental law, and other coastally-related issues, and we’ve also managed to clean our office kitchen!

The top story of the week, though, was on Thursday.  A tip of the hat to COA’s Education Coordinator Tavia Danch and the success of the 23rd Annual Fall Student Summit!  Highlighted in a story in the Asbury Park Press entitled “Fall Summit teaches students about beach stewardship” (http://goo.gl/vXAmL), the Summit saw over 325 middle school students visit Island Beach State Park for a day of ocean and coastal education!

Students came from 13 schools across Mercer, Ocean, Camden, and Monmouth Counties.  Late each summer, COA sends out invitations to every school in the state, asking for interest in spending a day with us at the beach – and we’ve had constantly increasing levels of involvement and interest from across the state.  In the Spring, COA hosts its Monmouth County Student Summit for middle schoolers from Monmouth and more northerly counties.  The Spring event is a two-day summit, drawing almost 600 students total.

These two summits wouldn’t be successful without the help and expertise of high school volunteers from Ocean County’s Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science (MATES) and Monmouth’s Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST).  This week’s Fall Summit went off without a hitch thanks to over 50 MATES students that taught a dozen lab stations and led almost as many field trips through the dunes and marshes!

If your school is looking to spend a great day on the beach with COA next year, send a note to Tavia Danch and she will get you information.

This week’s events were BIG, but the weekend will be Bigger!

Saturday:

-          COA Staff will be at the Rumson/Fair Haven High School’s Environmental Festival, in Rumson, NJ to help RFH students get the word out about actions that can be taken in your home, yard, and neighborhood for a cleaner ocean!  Read about some of the over RFH Fall Festival happenings here!

-          All day Saturday, COA will be at the Asbury Park BeerFest (click here for ticketing info) – a one-day, two-session celebration of New Jersey’s finest craft and historical brews.  COA, along with Best Day Foundation, will be sharing parts of the proceeds of the event (thanks!!!), so make sure to stop by our tables when you’re at the festival (and drive safely!).

Saturday & Sunday

-          COA volunteers will also be at the North American Sea Glass Festival at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch supporting the work of local artists and activists interested in a more pristine ocean environment!