Darien News - Still Miles to Go: "The health of Long Island Sound has come a long way, but more still needs to be done to restore it.
'Protection & Progress,' the 2005-06 Long Island Sound Study biennial report, which was released in June, shows that progress has been made in a number of key areas, but that more money and public involvement are vital to future successes...
... The LISS report explains various ways individuals and groups have and can become involved to raise awareness for the need to protect the Sound. People have participated in a number of volunteer projects, including monitoring the water quality of the Silvermine River in Norwalk and cleaning up the beaches.
The latter, which includes the International Coastal Cleanup Day, is the simplest way to help. On Sept 16, 2006, 957 volunteers picked up 7,559 pounds of trash along 55 miles of Connecticut shoreline, according to a release from the CFE. Save the Sound, a program of the CFE, is the state coordinator for the cleanup, an event created by the Ocean Conservancy to address the issues of marine debris and create awareness worldwide about the need for stewardship of the shoreline.
Last year, 35,620 items of debris were found and recorded, including 9,773 cigarette butts, 5,476 food wrappers and 4,345 caps and lids. More than 60 percent of the litter found was generated from land-based recreational activities, such as picnicking, and 30 percent of the items were generated from smoking-related activities. The Ocean Conservancy recently used the results from the ICC to play an instrumental role in supporting the Marine Debris Research, Prevention and Reduction Act, which was signed into law on Dec. 22, according to the CFE. The law establishes a program within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the prevention, monitoring and removal of marine debris as well as bolsters U.S. Coast Guard efforts at prevention and enforcement, stated the CFE.
"The International Coastal Cleanup is a great way to bring people worldwide together to promote awareness of the problems we are facing with marine debris," said Emily Schaller, state coordinator for the ICC at Save the Sound, in the release. She also said it is much "more than just a cleanup; it's a movement to change human behavior to stop litter at its source."
Save the Sound hosts cleanups all year long on the coast as well as on inland shores throughout the state. A schedule of local beach cleanups can be found at www.savethesound.org. Anyone interested in getting involved either as a captain or as a volunteer should contact Schaller at 787-0646, Ext. 113, or via eschaller@savethesound.org to register."
