Trash, Fishing Gear and Mounds of Items Hauled off Santa Cruz Island
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - We're getting a chance to hear about some of the strangest things collected from Santa Cruz Island during a recent cleanup effort.
Laura Sanchez, Communications Director for Santa Barbara Channelkeeper shared details about the collaborative, daylong excursion.
Photo Credit: Matt Dayka
"This event is part of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s larger effort to remove marine debris
from five different marine sanctuaries across California, Washington, and the Gulf of Mexico a project
supported by a 2023 award from the NOAA Marine Debris Program."
"I found a syringe, a football and, a lot of salsa containers," said Helen Perez, with a laugh.
Perez was one of 18 volunteers from seven group who trekked out to the Channel Islands that day. Sanchez said together they collected about 775 pounds of trash.
Photo Credit: Matt Dayka
Photographer Matt Dayka documented the event with beautiful photographs; Intern Ella Engel took video testimonials, asking the volunteers about the crazy, weird things they found.
"What's the most interesting thing you found out here today?" Engel asked. "We found a huge, rusted piece of a ship's engine buried in the rocks," said Alex Negrila, a student from Pepperdine.
"The craziest thing I found was so much Starbucks. So many lids, so many plastic cups," said Niki Mazaroli with Open Water.
Emma Beaver with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation said the strangest thing she plucked from the rocky shore was an irrigation line tangled up in seaweed and sticks.
Rich Powell said he found something useful.
"I found a green hat and it came in handy cuz I wore it the rest of the afternoon out here cleaning."
The volunteers also collected mylar balloons, lots of plastic bottles, rusty metal traps, even shoes.
"They ferried the trash from shore using kayaks and a skiff and loaded it onto boats that brought it back to the mainland for proper disposal," Sanchez shared in a press release.
“These annual cleanups provide a valuable opportunity to bring our partners and volunteers together for a productive and meaningful day of service in a very special place,” says Channelkeeper’s science and
program manager Molly Troup. “We hope that these events inspire community members to continue to
elevate the plastic crisis and push for meaningful change.”
Photo Credit: Matt Dayka
Michaela Miller, Sr. Conservation Manager for the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, said,
"Removing marine debris from the shorelines of Channel Islands National Park and Channel Islands
National Marine Sanctuary is important to the local community, and this debris removal effort is the
result of expert coordination and teamwork among multiple partner organizations. We are proud to
steward these waters alongside our partners to remove marine debris from these beaches and fragile
ecosystems."
A pod of dolphins entertained the group during their ocean voyage, seemingly thanking the volunteers for their day of hard work.
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