Volunteers collect over 200 lbs. of marine debris in Portsmouth

Clean Ocean Access organizes beach cleanup at Gull Cove

Posted 2/5/19

PORTSMOUTH — Dozens of volunteers braved freezing temperatures to clean the coastline of the popular boating and fishing area at Gull Cove on Saturday.

The nonprofit environmental group …

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Volunteers collect over 200 lbs. of marine debris in Portsmouth

Clean Ocean Access organizes beach cleanup at Gull Cove

Posted

PORTSMOUTH — Dozens of volunteers braved freezing temperatures to clean the coastline of the popular boating and fishing area at Gull Cove on Saturday.

The nonprofit environmental group Clean Ocean Access (COA) organized the event, in which 47 volunteers collected 221 pounds of debris around the perimeters of the shoreline, where taller brush has been known to trap a surplus of trash. According to COA, volunteers collected 114 cigarettes and cigarette filters, which frequently become entangled in the brush.

Over the years, Gull Cove has been misused as a dumping site, and as a result volunteers Saturday stumbled upon larger items including two car tires, a car bumper, a synthetic Christmas tree, a fishing rod, a bike tire, as well as 86 glass bottles and 62 plastic bottles.

Students from Salve Regina University, Navy Supply Corps School and Middletown High School were among the volunteers who turned out Saturday.

“I wanted to promote a good relationship between the Navy and the island community,” said Nick Korpics, a student with the Navy Supply Corps School, whose students frequently volunteer at COA cleanups. “We want to help make the community better. After all, we provide defense for the nation and the country means a lot to us, so we want to make sure it’s in pristine condition.”

“I’m a new Newport resident and I came out here to meet with people that also want to help clean the environment,” said Jinal Patel, who recently moved to Aquidneck Island.

COA actively recruits volunteers for its cleanup program, which allows residents to get involved on their own time. If you are interested in adopting a section of Sachuest Point in Middletown for monthly cleanups, e-mail jessica.frascotti@cleanoceanaccess.org. 

For more information about Clean Ocean Access, visit cleanoceanaccess.org.

Gull Cove, Clean Ocean Access

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