Volunteers clean up along North Beach in Corps Christi alongside the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay at a 2013 event. A regional cleanup is set for Feb. 7 at six different locations in the Coastal Bend, including North Beach. Check-in for North Beach is 8:
Kids are being encouraged to get involved in this season’s regional Adopt-a-Beach day Feb. 7. Youth groups such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Youth can earn patches for their involvement. Cole Park in Corpus Christi plans a kid-friendly cleanup at its location.
Hundreds of volunteers are expected to show up at all six check-in and cleanup locations across the Coastal Bend prepared to pick up trash along 131 miles of shoreline. The cleanup is 9 a.m.-noon. To sign up as a volunteer, visit the Texas General Land Office’s website at texasadoptabeach.org or call toll free at (877) 892-6278.
Adopt-a-Beach began in 1986 as a volunteer effort to keep Texas beaches clean and educate Texans about harmful marine debris. Since its inception, about 475,000 volunteers have removed more than 17 million pounds of trash from the beaches and estuaries along the Gulf Coast. Two statewide cleanups are held each year in April and September.
This year’s spring cleaning is set for April 18. The February regional cleanups are being held on South Padre Island on Friday, Feb. 6, followed by the Coastal Bend cleanup Saturday, Feb. 7.
Participants are advised to dress comfortably and wear closed-toe shoes. You should bring drinking water, sunscreen, a hat and bug repellant. At check-in, which is between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., you will receive cleanup data cards, pencils, trash bags and disposable gloves. Most sites provide a complimentary lunch after cleanup from noon to 1 p.m. Call the coordinator at your chosen site for information on lunch and other activities. Cleanups are held rain or shine, so don’t let the weather keep you from coming to spruce up the area’s beaches in time for Spring Break! Coastal Bend check-in sites and contacts include:
Aransas Pass/Redfish Bay (Nueces County) Lighthouse Lakes Park, four miles east of Aransas Pass on Texas 361. Contact Richard Gonzales, (361) 779-7351 or richard.gonzales@texasadoptabeach.org
Port Aransas (Nueces County) Parking lot off Texas 361 on Mustang Island near Packary Channel. Contact Teresa Carrillo, Coastal Bend Foundation, (361) 882-3439 or teresa.carrillo@texasadoptabeach.org
North Corpus Christi Beach (Nueces County) Texas State Aquarium, 2710 N. Shoreline Blvd. Contact Rosanna Gossett, (361) 881-1204 or rosanna.gossett@texasadoptabeach.org
Cole Park (KidsPlace), Corpus Christi (Nueces County) 1526 Ocean Drive. Contact Chelsea Craig, (361) 946-3996 or chelsea.craig@texasadoptabeach.org
Padre Island National Seashore (Kleberg County) Malaquite Visitor Center, 20420 Park Road 22. Contact William “Buzz” Botts (361) 949-8068 or buzz.botts@texasadoptabeach.org
Patches for youth organizations are available from the local cleanup site coordinators or by calling the program at 877-TXCOAST (892-6278). Those who can’t come pick up trash can still help, according to the Texas General Land office. Donations are always appreciated online at texasadoptabeach.org or by mail at:
Texas General Land Office Adopt-a-Beach Program P.O. Box 12873 Austin, TX 78711.
