M&B News
Beach Sweep set for September 17, 2016
Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) will
hold its annual Beach Sweep, a day designated to
clean up around the Lake Pontchartrain Basin, on Saturday, September 17, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Now
in its 27th year, LPBF’s Beach Sweep is held
in conjunction with the International
Coastal Cleanup sponsored by Ocean
Conservancy.
Volunteers, partners, and
sponsors help care for the areas
that drain the Pontchartrain
Basin by cleaning curbs,
ditches, and storm drains on
city streets and rural roadways.
As an added activity, storm drain
markers will be placed on drains in
Orleans and Jefferson parishes. This
second project will help prevent our
metro area from flooding and at the same time protect
Lake Pontchartrain. Designated areas for cleanup
around the lake at this time include Orleans, Jefferson,
St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John, St. Tammany, and
Tangipahoa parishes.
Debris picked up by volunteers is recorded in
Ocean Conservancy’s new data collection app, Clean
Swell, or on data cards that catalogue and quantify the
types and amounts of trash collected. LPBF forwards this data to the Ocean Conservancy to
be included in its International Coastal
Cleanup master database of marine debris.
To say thank you to the volunteers,
on Beach Sweep day LPBF’s Beach
Sweep partners provide a picnic
for registered participants. The picnic serves as a way to bring together
everyone to celebrate the clean
sweep of our region.
Beach Sweep is an excellent avenue for stewardship and
education/outreach. It provides a wonderful opportunity to help in keeping Lake Pontchartrain swimmable.