ITS A BEACH

 

A U.S. Fish and Wildllfie survey of albatross babies found 90% with plastic in their digestive systems.

 

BACKGROUND

 

Our oceans provide most of the planet's oxygen, moisture, and weather patterns. As the Oceanic Society says, "Without healthy oceans, life as we know it would end" -- yet we've treated them as if they were expendable.

 

You can't save the ocean by yourself .. but you can get involved, help focus attention on the problem, and clean up a little part of the planet that needs some loving care. You can adopt a beach.

 

DID YOU KNOW

 

Every year on September 23, the Center for Marine Conservation sponsors a nationwide 3‑hour beach clean‑up.

 

It's remarkably effective. In 1987, in Texas alone, volunteers col­lected: 31,773 plastic bags, 30,295 plastic bottles, 15, 631 plastic six‑pack rings, 28,540 plastic lids, and 1,914 disposable diapers.

 

Around the nation, the volunteer clean‑up crew picked up a total of 2 ntillion pounds of debris ... in 3 hours!

 

Taking plastic off the beach saves lives. Plastic fishing gear, bags, and other plastic waste kill up to a million seabirds, 100,000 sea mammals, and countless fish each year‑and it's getting worse.

 

SIM[PLE THINGS TO DO

 

Next time you go to the beach, bring a trash bag. Then spend a few minutes picking up any litter you find.

 

Join the National Beach Clean~up‑ Call the Center for Marine Conservation (below) for information on how to organize a group at your local beach. They'll provide standardized data cards and beach clean‑up guides. You have to provide the commitment.

 

SOURCES

 

Center for Marine Conservation, 1725 DeSales St. NW, Wash. ington, D.C. 20036. (202) 429,5609.

 

The Oceanic Society, 218 D St. SE,, Washington, DC, 20003. (202) 328‑0098.