NAHANT — More than 30 volunteers rallied together on Sunday afternoon to join Safer Water in Massachusetts (SWIM) in its mission to clean up debris and trash along the beaches throughout town.
The organization has been doing two cleanups annually — with the yearly spring clean up having started about 15 years ago, SWIM President Vi Patek explained. She gave a rundown of the endeavor to clean up the beaches.
“People were coming down to the beach with strollers, coolers, and umbrellas. There were volunteers who spent two hours cleaning the beaches, the dunes, and just really caring about the beauty of it all,” Patek said.
She continued, explaining that the event also drew in several volunteers who attend community colleges in the area and earned school credits by lending their time to help the organization and its volunteers.
Patek explained that the focus of the day was on Short Beach and Doggie Beach, though throughout the course of the event, people spread out to clean up different beaches.
While there weren’t many surprising finds, Patek noted that she was alerted to an area of 40 Steps Beach that needs “major work” near the Town’s Department of Public Works yard on Flash Road. She added that volunteers picked up broken down lobster pots, among other debris.
Other common pieces of debris found throughout the day were “every piece of plastic imaginable” and old pieces of fishing rope.
A highlight of the event was the appearance of Marine Biologist Phil Colarusso from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“Phil (Colarusso) brought his collections of bones and shells and showed them to the people who were interested,” Patek said. “He explained how a shark’s jaw works — with the lower set of teeth pointed in one direction, and the top jaw has teeth that’s slanted in two directions.
“Children brought back a whole bag of shells from the water, and Phil (Colarusso) identified all of them.”
She added that it’s reassuring to see the community jump into action.
“There was a young couple that walked up and down the beaches and cleaned the dunes, and also picked up tiny things around the parking lots. They weren’t expecting any praise — they were just doing the work,” she said. “Trash is the worst thing to see anywhere, especially along the beautiful beaches in town.”
Patek said that the community coming together was heartening, and she added that “we felt there was something right in the world when young people come to do something that makes a difference.”
