The US Coast Guard Reserve joined the Sea Turtle Restoration Project at California Coastal Cleanup Day and pledged to help save sea turtles.

As part of the largest volunteer project in the nation, local volunteers joined the Sea Turtle Restoration Project who led efforts at Stinson Beach for the California Coastal Cleanup Day, part of the International Coastal Cleanup.  The statewide count stands at 62,963 volunteers, and together, we picked up a total of 591,743 pounds of trash and recyclable material off California's coast - an impressive effort!

The leatherback sea turtle is among many species affected by trash and ocean pollution.  Industrial fishing practices combined with illegal poaching, deadly vessel strikes, and ocean pollution have driven leatherbacks towards extinction.  Click here to learn more about leatherback sea turtles and our Save the Leatherback Campaign.

Data from past cleanups indicate that 80 percent of the debris on our beaches and shorelines comes from inland sources, traveling through our storm drains or creeks out to the beaches and oceans.  When litter enters sea turtle feeding areas in the ocean, it can have deadly consequences for young sea turtles that mistake the debris for food.  Gatherings on the beach to make a difference against the plague of plastic pollution entering the oceans from beach litter took place around the world on this special day.

STRP is proud to have been a part of this international effort in cleaning up our oceans and shorelines.  We are counting down the days until our next cleanup!