In Celebration of “Earth Day”

“Earth Day,” Saturday, April 21, the Town of Oyster Bay, the North Oyster Bay Baymen’s Association (NOBBA) and Friends of the Bay will once again join forces to sponsor the annual Oyster Bay Harbor & Beach Clean Up Day, according to Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino.

“For more than two decades, Town employees and volunteers have rolled up their sleeves to complete a thorough clean-up of the beaches and shoreline areas along Oyster Bay Harbor,” Supervisor Saladino stated. “This year, our annual event falls the day before ‘Earth Day,’ which is a very appropriate time to take on an important environmental initiative such as this one.”

Supervisor Saladino, a strong proponent of protecting and preserving the Town of Oyster Bay’s pristine waterways and beaches, said he is looking forward to working side by side with volunteers at the clean-up. “All day, people walk along the shoreline collecting debris, picking up trash, and even working from boats to clean up floating litter in the water,” Supervisor Saladino said. “This annual clean-up day is an inspiration to residents, as it helps preserve the precious ecology of one of the Town’s crown jewels, Oyster Bay Harbor.”

Supervisor Saladino went on to say that volunteers are being sought to participate in the cleanup, which will run from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Volunteers are also welcome to sign up the day of the event. The central meeting place will be Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park launching ramps and waterfront gazebo off of Larrabee Avenue, Oyster Bay. Locations for the clean-up include Theodore Roosevelt Beach in Oyster Bay, Stehli Beach in Bayville and Centre Island Beach in Bayville.

“Each year, countless amounts of paper, food, plastics and other trash are discarded on beaches or dumped overboard from recreational and commercial vessels. Despite popular belief, debris disintegration of all this trash actually takes weeks, months or even years as opposed to a few days,” Supervisor Saladino stated. “Typically, our harbor and beach clean-up results in about forty thousand pounds of debris collected by volunteers. Allowing this litter to remain on our shorelines will only lead to increasingly worse damage to the environment.”

“Anyone who swims, boats or fishes in Oyster Bay Harbor, or just wants to help protect and enhance the environmental integrity of this beautiful waterway, is invited to join me on April 21,” Supervisor Saladino said. “Don’t be discouraged if you can’t stay for the entire day; even a couple of hours will make a difference.  Clean-up events like this will go a long way towards preserving the environment for our enjoyment and the enjoyment of future generations.”

Individuals and groups who are interested can get further information by calling the Town’s Department of Environmental Resources at 677-5943.