Beach Week will Close Tomorrow, But Not Until We Finish a Herculean Effort

It's been a very long week starting last Thursday at The Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Preserve when we kicked off an effort to clean the Greater Bridgeport Shoreline. And tomorrow when the clock strikes 2, Beach Week Cleanup 2010 will come to a close.

But before it does, we have one more assault to wage on the trash and debris that blankets our coastline. While we were cleaning one side of the refuge, we discovered an island and an inlet in the Great Salt Marsh that is no doubt one of the most neglected sites in all of Fairfield County.

Click on photo to see a satelite view of this location.

We saw foam billets by the hundreds, plastic bags and bottles by the thousands and enough Dunkin Donuts Cups, Duchess Wrappers, and McDonald's straws to wallpaper the Grand Canyon.

This discovery, much like the Storm last week that washed so much trash up on to shore, was a unique happenstance because of the first ever occurrence of Beach Week 2010 when we already had a host of cleanup efforts in the works. And with the final day of the week-long "Olympics of Trash Clean Up" still unscheduled, we knew exactly where to send the more than 150 volunteers scheduled to come lend a hand.

So tomorrow at 10AM, CCB and a host of other groups, individuals and organizations will arrive at the end of Long Beach Boulevard in Stratford. (600 Long Beach Blvd for you GPSers) There we will enter the Great Salt March and like a line of army ants, move the huge collection of debris to our staging area for municipal pick up.

Gloves, boots, hats and jackets will all be advisable as the Marsh is wet and muddy and the temps are expected to hover around 40 with a stiff easterly breeze. Also Garbage bags are in short supply as is water, snacks and anything else you will need- so please plan ahead.

Please call 203-382-3661 for more info and we will see you in the morning!!

The End of 2010 Beach Week Cleanup- But The Battle Will Rage On!

Today is our final day of our week-long marathon Beach Clean Up. It was hard work and it's hard to admit that so much progress is yet to be had, but the strides made by hundreds of volunteers this week cannot be ignored. Thank you to everyone who chipped in and helped us make a dent in the trash that lines our shores.

Why is it that with so much promise and so much hope for a brighter future in the winds these days, more people do not see that the future of Our State, Our City and Our Children flows freely in the waters that sit just feet from our homes. Long Island Sound, a treasure that built fortunes for our forefathers and a resource that holds so much promise for our future, is still assaulted by trash, by tainted run off and by neglect.

Our mission at CCB is to help show our community what LIS means to all of us. For the young, it is a classroom, a playground and a tutor that offers a host of benefits from lessons in self-worth to a life-time of education in exercise and healthy living. For adults, it is a chance to unwind and appreciate our community that is fully apart from the I-95 rat race. For those with special needs, it offers life skills, presents rewarding challenges resulting in developmental growth and a platform for fresh air and sunshine. And for our economy, LIS offers tourism dollars, business opportunities and lessons in green technology from by-gone eras.

The trash we pick up today may not alter the course of human events or even save a small portion of the wildlife we hope to protect. But it does help us mobilize and motivate those who have been shut out from the water and turned away from our greatest natural resource. By lending a hand in cleanup efforts we have shown our community some of the damage that is wrought from the senseless act of mis-disposal of trash. Our week-long effort has raised eyes from newspapers, TV and radio. And our efforts have helped show our political leadership that our residents care about LIS and that we expect great things from them for the future of our waters.

Today is the last day of Beach Week, but only the beginning of what is to come. We will mobilize our community by getting them sailing and caring about our waters. We will show a generation of kids who have been declined access to the water that LIS is their birthright and theirs to appreciate and learn from. When the last bag is stacked today, we will just be starting to tackle the issues that face our youth, our families and our community. We will teach every man, woman and child to sail and aid them in their enjoyment of Long Island Sound. We will host even more efforts to access the most remote regions of our waterfront with our fleet of 50 vessels and while there attempt to gather as much of the flotsam and jetsam that chokes our waterways.

This is just the start of what is to come and for those who have helped us this week, we pledge that your efforts will not be in vain. Your efforts are the seeds that will grow into a future of water awareness and will smooth the waves for a journey for every resident of our community who partakes of a warm summer day with sun and salt air that is as pristine as it was when the first Americans dropped anchor and called these waters home.

Thank you for all you have done and thank you for supporting Connecticut Community Boating. It is your hard work that has made this week a success and it is for you that we will continue to strive to make a difference in our community. Thank you.

The 2010 End of Winter Boat Bash- A Great Event and Wonderful Success!

Well the beef is all gone and the dishes are done, and all told we had a great turnout and big night for CCB at the 2010 End of Winter Boat Bash. With more than 100 in attendance we raised more than $1500 for the CCB Junior Program, but more importantly we got to have a wonderful night of community and got to honor one of Bridgeport's most dedicated sons, Capt. Bruce Williams.

We must thank all the dedicated staff and volunteers for the hard work they put in to make such a wonderful event:

•  Mike and Sherry Duffy- after three days of cooking, shopping, preparing, and promoting, You guys have to be the joint MVPs for the evening- You gotta let us know where you shop for your cape and mask, cause you're a super hero in our Book!
• The CCB Staff- Eleanor, Melissa, Mike and Matt and of course we can't forget you Jane- you guys put in a yeoman's effort with all your unpaid hard work- The Silent Auction, The CCB Program, The 2010 CCB Bull Roast were all hugely successful because of your hard work and dedication- Thank you!
• John and Ron of Cheers Catering- Thank you for helping us procure a monstrous chunk of meat for a delectable culinary experience- Ron was at the pit at 7AM and John stayed til 2 cleaning up- Thank you both for all your help and hard work!
• Kelli's Cakes- If you missed eating it, you can't miss the photo of this work of art- The butter cream frosting, The Mini-Buxton on the Bow of a Hunter and the amazing artistry in decorartions made this the hit of the party!
• The Sun Kings- Mark and the guys once again played a fabulous show and warmed the night up with the cool sounds of the steel pans and the Caribbean music- It's just wouldn't be a Boat Bash without you- thank you!!!
• All the donors, contributors, businesses and organizations that helped raise funds for the CCB Junior Program and provided us with so many awesome prizes and submissions for the CCB Silent Auction and the CCB Raffle, you guys rock!
• Ryan and the Fayerweather Crowd who helped us get a great venue for this event and helped us with a boat load of support to make it a success- Thank You! You can't beat FYC for a good old fashion Boating get-together! We certainly appreciate it, but from all accounts we may have to move to a bigger venue next year because of how big this event is growing- it's all thanks to you!

And for all those who joined us, got their memberships, purchased Buxton Bucks, contributed and much much more- Thank you one and all for making the night one for the record books and wonderful time for all!