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Sandwatch
Kids
Helping the Marine Environment
Ivan
the terrible came, made its headlines, setting the stage for the
students of the Bequia UNESCO Sandwatch/SIV youth group and hundreds
of thousands of other environmentally conscious persons around
the world, to participate in International Costal Cleanup 2004,
on September 18.
The
Bequia project took place in Paget Farm, next to Jeff Gregg shop,
close to the end of the J.F. Mitchell runway. Although this area
is usually in some need of attention, Hurricane Ivan compounded
the problem by forcing everything in its path up the drains and
totally blocking the culverts. The students totally underestimated
the problem, as they started cleaning at 7:30am and anticipated
returning home by 9:00. However 12:15 saw the enthusiastic bunch
doing the final touches. When approximately 70 large garbage bags
were filled, they resorted to a wheel barrow, pick axes and rakes,
as literally tons of debris was removed.
Of
great significance ultimately at the end of the exercise, were
the impressive figures on the International tally sheets supplied
by the Ocean Conservancy. Plastic beverage bottles topped the
list with 1,129, followed closely by 1qt plastic outboard lube
oil bottles with 578, and plastic bags 204.
These
figures are alarming when one considers the area cleaned to be
no more than 600 square feet, and the count does not include items
too filthy to be examined for closer identification.
The
stench of the area, and the colour of the water that finally trickled
through, also alarmed the workers, especially when shoals of juvenile
fish were seen inhabiting the rocks crevasses and swimming pools
of the immediate shore. The impact on the food chain was hammered
home in the young minds, but whether or not the adult fisher folk
are aware of the problem they are helping to create is not known.
Sandwatch
students plan to do a water analysis in the area soon, to better
understand the ecological problem. Meanwhile they are appealing
to the people of the entire southern community to utilize the
facilities of the solid waste management system. Residents are
advised to put out their garbage for collection on Mondays and
Thursdays and not dump them in the drains and seashore. Garbage
generates toxic chemicals that affect massive creatures, which
would eventually affect the seafood that we eat. We cannot cut
off the hands that feed us.
Caribbean Compass, October 2004
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