2010 Pleasure Beach Boat Lift and Clean Up Biggest EVER!

Amid overcast skies and growing breezes, the 2010 Pleasure Beach Boat Lift and Cleanup kicked off. And by 2PM that same day, over 150 kids had their first chance to sail and the first opportunity to see the "jewel" that is Pleasure Beach for the very first time in their lives.

With over 230 volunteers, the Beach Cleanup was by all accounts the biggest ever. Cleaning up over 4 tons of trash and debris choking the shores of this delicate seaside landmark and washing into our world's oceans, The Beach cleanup was part of world-wide effort known as "International Beach Clean Up Day" and our volunteers were part of a 500,000 strong world-wide force, and by far the largest effort in all of Connecticut according to Kierran Broatch at Save the Sound who partnered with us in the event.

Students from Fairfield U, Fairfield Prep, Stratford, Bunnell, Central, Bassick, Harding and many more schools turned out with BuildOn.org, a student organization dedicated to community service, as well as folks from across the region to take part in the effort. And the throng of able bodied beach combers, were boat lifted over and back, with the tons of trash, in a fleet of more than a dozen vessels from CCB, the City as well as privately-owned .

This effort comes just days before the Town of Stratford is set to remove the cottages that are a great source of the trash that is scattered across the man-made peninsula that acts as a barrier island to the Great Salt Marsh and Bridgeport Harbor. As part of $900 Million federal stimulus grant, The Town that once owned of the Park City and then entire peninsula now known as Long Beach West and Pleasure Beach, will cart off the derelict structures and the waste that was left there when the 60 families were forced to abandon their claims and their care of the property after a long and hotly contested court battle in 2007. Since then the trash and debris has been left to scatter and spread across the property and into the Stewart B. McKinney Wildlife refuge.

The latest beach cleanup is part of a campaign that began in 2009 and has continued over the last year and across the area to remediate  the garbage that lines the shores of "Lewis Gut" and Bridgeport Harbor. CCB has coordinated this effort as part of our mission to provide access to the waters of Long Island Sound with a belief that pollution is one of the issues that prevents individuals from using and appreciating our local waters.

Having removed more than 5000 bags of trash from the Landfill at Seaside Park and making headway on cleaning up some of the most polluted waters in Connecticut, CCB turned its efforts in 2009 and it eyes to Bridgeport Harbor in the hopes that one day soon, we will be allowed to access our fleet in the heart of the Park City in Bridgeport Harbor where we have already received permission to install a mooring fleet, but lack a shore-based location to launch from. This cleanup is part of ongoing effort to expand our reach on the water and promote and protect our greatest natural resource for the kids of today and future generations.