Manhattan Beach

California Coastal environments have received more attention as people have come to realize the threat of environmental degradation and the impact it has on various marine habitats.  Beaches are very fragile environments with a variety of ecosystems that are dependent on healthy beaches for survival. This weekend I participated in a nationwide event to help reduce some of the trash and debris from the Southern California coastline. It was a very important event to me because I feel that it is important for the public to be extra thoughtful about how we take care of these delicate stretches of land because once they are gone, they might never come back. As we cleaned up the beach, there was a variety of wasted blended into the natural shoreline. Pollutant where picked up by a variety of participants, things  such as plastic bags, cigarette filters, and uncountable amounts of straws and plastic. It seemed that the trash covered the beach as much as sand did. There were even areas of the shore that seemed to accumulate oil and grease. It is important to properly dispose of the trash while enjoying our beaches because the more trash we are able to collect on our beaches, means less trash will find its way into our oceans. It is not only wildlife that are being killed by our waste but humans are being harmed as well. With so many various types of trash floating in our beaches, many forms of bacteria are able to grow in the water. Polluted water can expose swimmers to harmful bacteria and pathogens. When people go swimming, ocean water tends to find its way up noses and into mouths and as our beaches become more polluted the risks if getting sick increases when simmers come into contact with the polluted water. Being a part of such a nationwide cleanup of our beaches really made a difference in boosting local as well as ecological economies. In addition to helping protect our beaches and coasts, it was nice to see that there were a lot of individuals who were willing to lend a helping hand to protect our beaches. It was refreshing to see that each individual at the coastal clean up understood that it is their personal responsibility to protect what they love and it is in their actions where they can create a better environment for the ocean’s ecosystem by doing their part in keeping the beaches clean.