Beaches up for adoption

June Casagrande

Everyone has done it: You notice a paper cup or a candy bar wrapper

on the beach and think, “someone should pick that up.” Then you keep

walking.

That’s exactly the kind of thinking local environmentalists hope

to shatter tomorrow when they kick off the new Adopt-A-Beach program

in West Newport and Balboa Peninsula.

City Councilman Steve Rosansky, who is working with Earth Resource

Foundation to coordinate the program, described it as a two-pronged

approach to keeping beaches clean.

“Cleaning the beaches is just part of it,” Rosansky said. “The

other part is that when visitors and residents actually see real

people out there cleaning up, maybe they’ll realize they can

occasionally pick things up, too, or at least not leave any litter

behind.”

The program will work similarly to adopt-a-highway programs:

Individuals and groups will “adopt” a one-block stretch of beach that

they will pledge to clean up once a month. The city will give out

buckets, gloves and “grabber” devices to participants. Unlike some

other programs, this one doesn’t charge participants a fee.

“It can be groups, businesses, individuals -- anyone can adopt a

block of beach,” Rosansky said.

The volunteers will focus on picking up trash in the sand close to

the shoreline, where city cleaning equipment can’t go, and also along

fences near the street.

About 120 blocks of beach are available for adoption. The program

will kick off with a sign-up, ceremony and some beach cleaning

Saturday morning at the Balboa Pier.

“I think it really brings us back to the value of community,” said

Stephanie Barger, leader of Earth Resource Foundation. “A lot of

projects, when you’re done, people just walk away and forget about

it. With this, they’ll be out there every month and hopefully more

and more people will get involved as time goes by.”