WANTED: 160 lb Tire.... REWARD: Cleaner, Greener Future

Round two for Vancleave High School and their 4th grade gifted class was a total knock out!  We set out to Deer Island on September 27th, 2011 to take on site #2, also located on the North side of the island.  It was all hands on deck and man, did we clean house!

We collected a record high of 395.95 lbs that day!

At the end of site #2, there is a popular camping site, where we found a huge aluminum tent frame, a large tire (which we later found out was the most wanted piece of debris on the island, weighing in at 160 lbs) and a variety of lovely camping trash left in the trash bag for good samaritans to take care of.  This was such a great group of kids, they are examples of environmentally aware and conservation minded individuals!  With kids like these running things in the future, it's looking like a clean, bright, new world. 

As a result of our clean up trips, Mrs. Leslie Salter and her marine science class has started a plastics recycling program at their school in Vancleave, MS and it has taken off like wild-fire!  These students have taken a true environmental initiative and their passion for conservation and inspired others to join in the green movement.  They have made recycling cool!  These students have participated in a marine debris clean up program with me and have proven great knowledge and compassion for the conservation of their local environment.  I am impressed by their dedication and ingenuity and strongly believe that they deserve proper recognition for their proactive efforts.  They are proving that small steps can make a big difference.

Tallest Order: 500 lbs of Treated Wood.... Coming Right Up!

On Tuesday, February 7th, 2012 we took a trip out to Deer Island from the Schooner Pier, with the students and teachers of Mary Bethune High School.  Seeing as these students were from Hattiesburg, MS some had never been to the coast, nor been on a boat ride before, so this was a big day for all of us in some way or another.  We started our day at 9:30am and didn't finish until well after 2pm.

It turned out to be one of the best days we've had yet this winter, it was just the right amount of wind to keep the bugs away and enough sun to wear a t-shirt.  We cleaned up site 2 with great ease, with the exception of the loads and loads of treated wood we loaded into the wheel barrow and the plastic drum (which, ironically enough, used to be a trash can).  We found everything from small, hot pink, plastic pieces resembling elbow macaroni to entire channel markers washed up on the shore of Deer Island.  When it was all said and done, and the trash was sorted, weighed and logged into the computer, we had collected 821.58 lbs!  This is a record weight of debris collected from any 1/2 mile site we have designated for this project!  Great job guys!  This just goes to show, with a little hard work and little bit of land, we can work together to make a huge difference!