The Oatka Creek cleanup organized by the Oatka Creek Watershed Committee along with Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford took place on Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 9:00-1:00. A number of volunteers assembled at the Museum's Nature Center at 1410 Flint Hill Road, Mumford, NY to receive instructions for the cleanup effort. Their efforts will be recognized by the American Littoral Society.

"Since 1986, the Northeast Chapter of the American Littoral Society has coordinated New York's participation in the annual September International Coastal Cleanup. This effort has the overarching sponsorship of the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, DC. The Coastal Cleanup is a worldwide event in which over 100 countries and almost all of our states participate.

"Participating in a cleanup helps people see that the choices they make directly impact the environment - recycling, advocating less use of plastic, lobbying for less packaging, reusing items instead of discarding them - all have a positive effect on the environment.

"The debris information is noted on data cards by the volunteers and returned to the Ocean Conservancy where it is analyzed and used to evaluate existing pollution abatement programs and to develop new national and international policies to control debris in order to protect the health and safety of humans and marine life. The event raises the public's consciousness of the state of our shorelines and generates important data that show trends in pollution. In 2007, 9,339 New Yorkers participated at 284 cleanup sites covering 677 miles all over our state, and documented 142,243 pounds of trash." (ALS, Background Information)

For local information Contact:
Maureen Leupold at maleupold@genesee.edu
(585)343-0055 x 6394
Linda Bender at lbender@gvc.org
(585)538-6822

For State and National information, contact:
Barbara Cohen
Beach Cleanup Coordinator
American Littoral Society
(718) 471-2166
e-mail: alsbeach@aol.com
Visit us on the web at www.alsnyc.org