Spring cleaning on the beach

The spring coastal wide Adopt-a-beach cleanup happens April 18 at 12 locations in the Coastal Bend as well as additional places all along the Gulf Coast. Organized by the state General Land Office, Adopt-a-beach keeps Texas beaches clean by scheduling coastal cleanups twice a year: once in the spring and one in the fall. The program also educates Texans about harmful marine debris. Since its beginning in 1986, volunteers have picked up more than 9,000 tons of trash from Texas beaches.
Cleanups begin at all but one in the Corpus Christi area with check in at 8:30 a.m. Cleanup check in for St. Jo Island is at 8 a.m. Lunch is served at noon following trash pickup. Volunteers are asked to bring water, sunscreen, hats, bug repellant and enthusiasm. Although disposable gloves will be available, volunteers may want to bring their own, sturdier, gloves.
FIND-YOUR-PARK FAIR
Along with the cleanup, Padre Island National Seashore begins National Park Week with a Find-Your-Park Fair at Malaquite Beach April 18. Activities and park entrance are free. In fact, park entrance is free both Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19. 
Saturday activities include  the cleanup from 8:30 to noon; bird walk from 9:30-10:30 a.m.; wildlife discovery activities from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; sandcastle building workshop from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; and a watercolor painting program from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Call 361-949-8069 for more information.
Other local locations for cleanups include:      
• Rockport: Rockport Beach Park beachfront pavilion. Call Kerry Goodall, 361-729-6661     
• Aransas Pass/Redfish Bay: Lighthouse Lakes Park, 4 miles east of Aransas Pass on Hwy. 361. Contact Richard Gonzales, 361-779-7351.     
• Portland: Sunset Lake Park, 201 Sunset Drive, adjacent to Hwy. 181. Contact Aneita Ortiz-Cedano, 361-816-1766.     
• St. Jo Island/Port Aransas: Check in at 8 a.m. Fisherman’s Wharf, 900 Tarpon Street. Contact Deno Fabrie, 361-749-0256.     
• Port Aransas: Avenue G at the beach. Contact Deno Fabrie, 361-749-5246.     
• Mustang Island State Park, Corpus Christi: Park Headquarters Parking Lot, 17047 Hwy. 361. Nina Cardenas, 361-749-5246.     
• Packery Flats: Park lot off Hwy. 361 on Mustang Island near the Packary Channel. Contact Teresa Carrillo, Coastal Bays Foundation, 361-882-3439.     
• North Beach, Corpus Christi: Texas State Aquarium, 2710 N. Shoreline Blvd. Contact Rosanna Gossett, 361-881-1203.     
• Cole Park (Kid’s Place), Corpus Christi: 1526 Ocean Drive. Contact Chelsea Craig, 361-946-3996.      
• North Padre Island, Corpus Christi: Padre Balli Park Office, 15820 Park Road 22. Contact Gladys Choyke, 361-816-1243; Jim Needham, Surfrider Foundation or Todd Dwyer, 361-853-9877.     
• Padre Island National Seashore: Malaquite Visitor Center, 20420 Park Road 22. Contact William “Buzz” Botts, 361-949-8068.     
• Baffin Bay, Loyola Beach, Riviera: Kaufer-Hubert Park, FM 628. Contact Susan Ivy, 361-8591.
Keeping Texas beaches clean promotes the environment and the economy. Coastal tourism in Texas is a $7 billion industry. Commercial fishing brings in another $1.9 billion a year.