I have always done my part to be a steward of the Earth – We recycle, try to reuse and repurpose things, conserve water when we can, use energy efficient products, we pay attention to where our food comes from and we always, always clean up after ourselves.
My two boys, my sister, and myself were introduced to Friends of Padre and the Billy Sandifer Big Shell Beach Clean Up two years ago. My then-boyfriend-now-husband, Brad, has been a part of these organizations and efforts for years. He is a section leader at the clean-up and has actively participated in Coastal Conservation through the clean-up efforts as well as research efforts through Sharkathon and the Harte Research Institute. He even started a semi-joking, mostly-not-joking Facebook page called Don’t Worry Bro, I Got It where he photographed and collected photos of trash left behind that ultimately was picked up by others. (PS – Feel free to tag your clean up efforts #dontworrybroIgotit and we’ll add your pics to the page!)
Anyway….My kids and I had been visiting the beaches of the Texas Coast for many, many years, but we had NO IDEA what we were going to see that morning when we trekked down the Padre Island National Seashore.
To say that we were shocked would be an understatement.
Since attending that first beach clean up one year ago, I am more passionate than ever about keeping our oceans and beaches clean. I could not believe the kinds of items that we were finding (note: it was NOT all plastic straws), and I could not believe the staggering AMOUNT :
85 TONS. That is not a typo.
EIGHTY – FIVE TONS.
You guys. EIGHTY FIVE tons of trash was hauled off P.I.N.S. that morning in 2018. Let that sink in.
From Friends of Padre: “A record breaking 1,100+ volunteers cleaned approximately 20 miles of beach removing an estimated 85 tons of trash, not including a separate dumpster full of recycled plastic. We would also like to say thank you to the staff at PINS and all of our sponsors and we look forward to seeing everyone next year!”
After witnessing this, we promised to always do our part, and we want you to join us! For a recap of the 2019 event, check out the FOP Facebook page – and you can watch a video recap of 2018’s event here.
The 25th Annual
Billy Sandifer Big Shell Cleanup
Saturday, February 29th, 2020.
All volunteers need to show up no later than 8 am at the Malaquite Visitor’s Center parking lot. We will have FoP board members there by 7 am that morning to start lining everyone up. There is no sign-up.
What if you don’t have 4-wheel drive? FoP always does their best to ensure everyone gets a ride down the beach. You may be riding with someone you don’t know, but what a great way to make new friends! If you need a ride, show up early to make sure you get in with someone headed down the beach.
What time is the cleanup over? We try to have everyone off the beach by 2 pm, at the latest. There will be t-shirts and food for our volunteers at the conclusion of the cleanup.
Is there a backup date in case of bad weather? No! This is a rain or shine event. The amount of planning that goes into this event will not allow for rescheduling. Please make sure to check the weather ahead of time and dress accordingly. We’ll also make weather announcements as the event draws near and we have a better idea of what to expect.
Please check back regularly as the event approaches for updates. And don’t forget to share!
We hope to see some of our #CCMBCrew there! If you can’t make it out this weekend, be sure that you’re following us on Facebook and are subscribed to our newsletter as we will be partnering with Friends of Padre for some additional clean up efforts in the future!
And, PS: You never know what might happen at a beach clean up!
