Sea Isle's Beach Cleanup Protects the Environment

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Nicole Rekofsky made the two-and-a-half-hour drive from her home in Milford, N.J., to Sea Isle City on Saturday to spend some time on the beach. But it wasn’t the type of beach time normally associated with trips to the shore. She didn’t lounge under an umbrella while reading a book or hunt for seashells. Rekofsky joined with other environmentally conscious volunteers to meticulously remove trash and other debris from Sea Isle’s beaches and dunes as part of a communitywide cleanup now in its 36th year. As she sat on the dunes surrounded by trash bags and a cardboard box, Rekofsky began naming some of the types of litter she had picked up. There were vaping containers, plastic cups, egg cartons, candy wrappers, straws and cigarette butts, among other types of trash and debris. “I’ve found a little bit of everything, really,” Rekofsky said. Trash bags containing litter removed from the beach are ready to be thrown out. Rekofsky’s desire to help protect the shore’s delicate ecosystem grew when she was a student at Raritan Valley Community College in North Branch, N.J., and became involved with the environmental club. It was at that time she began participating in beach sweeps. “I think it’s important that we do this,” she said of the annual cleanups. “We have a lot of endangered species not coming back because the dunes are a mess. They are either dying off or going somewhere else.” Sea Isle’s beach cleanup, organized by the city’s Environmental Commission in partnership with the state group Clean Ocean Action, traditionally attracts families, community organizations, companies, school groups and other volunteers who simply want to protect the environment. Cleanups are done in the spring and fall. Members of the Girl Scouts and local companies were among the groups that pitched in on Saturday as part of a communitywide turnout of about 200 volunteers. “It was very good to have that kind of turnout. Everybody is really interested in keeping the environment as clean as possible,” said Annette Lombardo, chairwoman of the Environmental Commission. Each year, Lombardo stresses the importance of Sea Isle keeping its beaches in pristine condition to make a good impression on vacationers. She has been a member of the Environmental Commission for 31 years and has served as its chairwoman for the last 21. From left, beach cleanup volunteers Janice Jefferson, her son, Ryan, and his friend, Drake Williams, speak with Sea Isle Environmental Commission members Dudley McGinty and Susan Ahern, seated. Members of the Environmental Commission handed out vinyl gloves and large trash bags to the volunteers. Volunteers were also given a data card to record the types of trash and debris they found. The Environmental Commission plans to compile a report later on that will analyze the types of litter that were picked up and the amount. The report is annually written by commission member Maria Andrews, the associate director of undergraduate programs in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania. During Saturday’s cleanup, Upper Township resident Janice Jefferson brought her son, Ryan, and his friend, Drake Williams, to do their part. The boys, both 12 years old and sixth graders at the Upper Township Middle School, were anxious to get to work after they were given a trash bag. “It makes me feel like I’m doing something important,” said Ryan, who participated in Sea Isle’s beach sweep last fall and wanted to come back for the spring cleanup. Drake said he enjoyed spending some time outside on the beach. “I like being outside and picking up the litter. It helps make the environment better,” he said. Trash bags in hand, Harry and Peggy Tregear search for litter on the beach. Husband and wife Harry and Peggy Tregear methodically combed the dunes for trash before heading down to the beach to search for more litter. The Tregears live in Broomall, Pa., and have a summer home in Sea Isle. Two weeks ago, they made plans to come down to the shore for this weekend to participate in the beach cleanup. It was the second year they had volunteered. Wearing vinyl gloves and carrying a trash bag, they picked up what Peggy characterized as the usual types of litter on the beach and dunes, including bottles and cans. But Peggy and her husband also found something a bit out of the ordinary. “There were Wiffle balls, a rubber ball and a Nerf ball,” she said, laughing. Traditionally, cigarette butts are among the biggest source of litter found during the beach sweeps. However, a statewide smoking ban took effect on New Jersey beaches and public parks in January 2019. As a result, it appears fewer cigarette butts are being removed from the beach now, volunteers pointed out. Nicole Rekofsky, meanwhile, said she was surprised to find the protective masks that have become common during the pandemic among the litter she picked up. “This is now the new type of beach trash,” she said while holding up a discarded mask.