For those who derive a livelihood from the coast's resources, every week is "Coast Week." For others, the official ringing in of CoastWeeks 1996 is a call to join in experiencing and celebrating the bounty of the South Shore Estuary.
Texas may not be the first thing you think of when you hear "CoastWeeks," but that is where it originated, according to some. Others credit Barbara Fegan of Massachusetts as the founder of CoastWeek in 1982. Now CoastWeeks is celebrated in about 30 states and is coordinated nationally by the Center for Marine Conservation. People celebrate the coast through clean-ups, nature walks, art exhibits, harbor fairs, seafood festivals, boat races, fishing competitions, and other activities. Many CoastWeeks events will be offered along Long Island's south shore during the weeks of September 21 through October 19, 1996.
By joining in the fun, people have a chance to appreciate and learn something new about our unique estuarine environment. They also can take the opportunity to make a tangible contribution to improving the estuary.
Participating in shore walks, people can appreciate many natural, beautiful and fascinating products of the ocean and coastal waters, evidence of the endless cycle of birth, growth, death, and decomposition. What beachcomber has not been delighted and intrigued by pretty shells, long strands of whelk egg cases, or the colorful variety of seaweeds that wash ashore?
As members of beach clean-up teams, people can collect beverage containers, plastic bags and other debris, learning in the process about how the careless discard of ordinary, everyday objects degrades the beaches and sometimes results in the death of estuarine and sea life. The six-pack ring trapped in the marsh grass and posing a potential threat to marine life, may have started its journey on the wind, overboard or into a storm drain perhaps many miles from the shore.
Why not take a friend or two to the South Shore Estuary during CoastWeeks? You can join in activities you'll find listed in your local newspaper or go on your own personal tour. Perhaps you know some landlubbers who would like to "get their feet wet."