Residents met for an hour in the morning on Saturday to improve the Manorhaven Nature Preserve by cleaning out trash.
The Manorhaven Nature Preserve and Nature Trail is an official cleanup site of the American Littoral Society which, according to a news release, “has coordinated New York’s participation in the annual September International Coastal Cleanup.”
Caroline DuBois, one of the seven residents who attended the event, said a large amount of garbage was removed from the area.
Plastic bottles, aluminum cans, food wrappers, grocery bags and liquor bottles were picked up, DuBois said. The group also removed bigger items such as a fuel tank, a scooter, a shopping cart and a piece of chain-link fence, she added.
The event was set up by the newly formed Village Preserve Committee and Pat Valente, a committee member.
“It was a warm, gorgeous day and everyone was very enthusiastic about the cleanup,” DuBois said. “It was a really good effort. All beach cleanups are, and the kids and adults who came felt good about it.”
At Manorhaven Board of Trustee meetings, residents have raised concerns about the preserve’s grounds being filled with trash and homeless people sleeping there.
DuBois said that she’s seen people using the preserve and that “with a certain amount of love, it could be fixed up and look really nice.”
According to a release, the American Littoral Society is a nonprofit organization that studies and conserves marine and coastal environments.
“It was a very good effort,” DuBois said. “We went out there to clean up the preserve and we did a lot.’’
The release said that cleanups are important because litter near coastal areas pollutes storm drains, rivers, lakes and streams, which can affect sea life.
“A well-organized beach cleanup is a prime activity for learning about the marine environment – its value to people and wildlife, threats to its productivity, and the actions people can take to improve it,” the release said.
