PSA – Take care of our beautiful coastline

Yesterday afternoon, at my favorite spot, the Myrtle Beach State Park, our family was having a good spirited race.  Hubby and our younger daughter were on the pier.  Our older daughter and I were on the beach below the pier.  The group on the pier were tasked with walking down it, back up it, hopping on their bikes and speeding back to the campground.  My team was tasked only with getting back to the campground as soon as possible.  Ready, set, go!

As we started speed walking, I felt a little guilty about having the easier route.  Then I noticed it…trash.  I started picking it up and disposing of it along the way.  I saw plastic bottles, cups, and bags.  Some were likely left behind accidentally.  I, personally, have had a plastic grocery bag (intended as a dog waste removal tool), end up missing after a walk.  Even after returning to find it I was empty-handed.  But then on our race walk we saw a big Dunkin Donuts cup buried in sand.  It looked pretty intentional to me, which was sad.

Quoting the great Ranger Ann of the MBSP, “It’s not a matter of if trash on the beach hurts a sea animal, it’s a matter on when.”  Pretty sobering, isn’t it?  Plastic floating in the water looks a lot like a jellyfish to sea turtles, just as one example.

The next time you’re on any beach, please contain your trash and dispose of it properly.  If you’re going for a walk, bring a bag with you and do a little tidying.  It’s not as gross as you’d think…and hand sanitizer makes all of the bad germs go away.  No biggie and you can really make a difference.

For those wondering, my older daughter and I beat Daddy and little sister back to the campground by a full minute, during which we tried to catch our breath and act like we were there for longer.  When the other team arrived, little sister proclaimed she wasn’t really racing anyway.  LOL!

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