Volunteers cleanup Crystal Cove

June Casagrande

In the hazy and humid late morning, Natalie and Nicole Kaylor toted a

twisted hunk of wood and wire almost as big as them.

The lesson is likely to be a lasting one: “No littering!” Natalie,

8, said.

The El Morro sisters were among about 350 volunteers who pitched

in two Crystal Cove cleanup sites as part of the statewide Coastal

Cleanup Day, in association with the International Coastal Cleanup,

organized by the Ocean Conservancy. Throughout Newport-Mesa, hundreds

more volunteers collected trash for a half dozen environmental and

government agencies along the coast, the Santa Ana River mouth, the

Back Bay and even at inland sites where litter accumulates.

Worldwide, about 400,000 people participated last year.

For many, the work is its own reward. But others, including

Natalie and Nicole, enjoy some fringe benefits, too.

“We get sweets,” 5-year-old Nicole said, fumbling with a frosted

chocolate cookie she had scored at the Pelican Point volunteer

headquarters.

Despite last year’s thorough volunteer effort to clean up Crystal

Cove, there was plenty of garbage to be found there. Little pieces of

Styrofoam and cigarette butts were among the most bothersome bits.

Globs of tar hardening in the sand and scrub also contribute to the

trash littering the stunning shoreline.

“It’s really gross. People swim in this water,” said Lauren Kraft,

13, an eighth-grader at Corona del Mar High School.

Like many people in her class, Lauren decided to take part in

Coastal Cleanup day in order to earn extra credit at school.

“And it’s also bad for the animals,” she said.

Besides just cleaning up the shoreline, Coastal Cleanup Day is

designed to make people more conscientious of their own polluting

habits and to raise awareness of how litter throughout the watershed

usually ends up at the beach.

Lauren, who had begun work at around 8 a.m. said that plastic bags

and small pieces of plastic, along with cigarette butts, were some of

the most common things she cleaned up.

“There’s really no reason for it,” she said. “There are lots of

trashcans. They make it really easy not to litter.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

june.casagrande@latimes.com.