clean up |

The Surfrider Foundation is gearing up for their annual Big Sweep/Trashfest event and after Hurricane Irene this is coming at the perfect time. Volunteers will be collecting as much trash as possible from both beach and sound accesses. The clean up will be from 9am until noon followed by a “Trash Fest” after party at the Outer Banks Brewing Station from 12-4.

Surfrider Outer Banks Chapter is still looking for zone captains for the Chickahauk Access and Southern Shores Fire Department. It is going to take all of our community to join together to preserve the beauty of the Outer Banks. After Irene and seeing all the devastation to our area, this event will bring us one step closer to bringing the OBX back to life. Spread the word and get involved!

The days are cooling off, the summer crowds are gone, and it’s officially Fall. Seems like a great time to make sure the OBX beaches are clean.

Early autumn brings several litter pickup events on the Outer Banks.

Beach cleanups started on Hatteras Island last weekend, and in conjunction with National Public Lands Day, staff at the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge distributed gloves and bags to the volunteers who turned out to help.

The cleanups keep trash out of the ecosystem and save animals from harmful effects, but they also teach people to be more aware of their impact on the environment. Litter can be picked up any time by those enjoying the beach, not just during these coordinated efforts.

This Saturday (October 2nd) brings a coordinated effort to clean the northern beaches, from Nags Head to Corolla. This will be the 24th annual Big Sweep in North Carolina and on the Outer Banks. Last year, volunteers collected 2,500 pounds of trash from the coastline and coastal waterways.

The Big Sweep is a one-day event held to clean up litter in North Carolina’s watersheds. Initiated in 1987 as a coastal cleanup called Beach Sweep, the event expanded inland and was renamed the North Carolina Big Sweep, the nation’s first statewide waterway cleanup.

Volunteers need to pick up bags and data cards Saturday, and then will be directed to a beach or waterway for trash pick-up.

Trash bag pick-up and drop-off sites are: Southern Shores Fire Department, Chickahauk Beach Access, Kitty Hawk Kayak and Surf School, Kitty Hawk Bath House, Kill Devil Hills Bath House Ocean Bay Boulevard, Nags Head Town Hall, Jennette’s Pier, Bonnett Street, Coquina Beach Bath House and Pea Island Visitor Center .

The sweep is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 2. An after-party follows at the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills. Volunteers are asked to report to one of several locations at the event’s start.

You can find more information about the Big Sweep at www.surfrider.org or www.ncbigsweep.org.