New Year Beach
Clean at Cramond
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) will be holding
an Adopt-a-Beach event at Cramond on Saturday 17th January
from 10am-12 noon and all are welcome. Meet at the start of the Cramond Island causeway at 10am. Please wear warm
waterproof clothing and footwear. For further information please contact the
MCS Scotland office on 0131
226 2391 or e-mail [email protected].
Volunteers and local residents will pick up and
record litter from a 100m stretch of Cramond beach, and MCS are looking for
more members of the public to get involved. Beach litter is more then just
unsightly: it poses a major threat to wildlife and the environment. Taking part
in the MCS Adopt-a-Beach project is easy, and hundreds of volunteers are
already involved all round the country. Children, families and dogs are welcome
and what nicer way to spend the morning than at the beach?
The last Adopt-a-Beach event at Cramond, held in
September, was a tremendous success, where 64 enthusiastic volunteers collected
an absolutely astounding 207kg of rubbish.
The litter survey along the
100m stretch usually takes 1 hour, with up to another hour to pick up litter on
the remainder of the beach. MCS provides protective gloves and litter-pickers
for those taking part. Refreshments will be provided at the end. Children under
16 are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. The information collected
from this survey will add to the ongoing monitoring of marine litter around our
coasts, to help MCS turn the tide on litter.
After this weekend, the next Adopt-a-Beach event at
Cramond beach will take place on 18th April. If you do not live near
Cramond, there are adopted beaches all round Scotland. You can find your nearest adopted beach
and next event at www.adoptabeach.org.uk.
(1) The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the UK charity
dedicated to the protection of our seas, shores and wildlife. MCS
campaigns for clean seas and beaches, sustainable fisheries,
protection of marine life and their habitats, and the sensitive use of our
marine resources. Through education, community
involvement and collaboration, MCS raises awareness of the many threats that
face our seas and promotes individual, industry and government action to
protect the marine environment. MCS provides information and guidance on many
aspects of marine conservation and produces the annual Good Beach Guide (www.goodbeachguide.co.uk), the Good
Fish Guide and www.fishonline.org on sustainable seafood, as well as
promoting public participation in volunteer projects and surveys such as Beachwatch, Adopt-a-Beach, Basking Shark and
Turtle Watch and Seasearch. MCS is lobbying for a UK Marine Bill to deliver
proper management of UK
seas and proper protection for marine wildlife within a network of Marine
Conservation Zones. Since the Scottish Government is responsible for most
matters within 12 nautical miles (including marine conservation, fisheries,
aquaculture and renewable energy) and some matters out to 200nm (including
fisheries and aspects of renewable energy), MCS (along with other members of
the Scottish Environment LINK Marine Task Force) is also campaigning for a Scottish
Marine Bill to dovetail with the UK Bill.
(2) Adopt-a-Beach and
Beachwatch are coastal
environmental initiatives organised by MCS, involving local individuals,
groups and communities in caring for their coastal environment. Anyone in the UK can adopt
their favourite stretch of coast and take part in annual (Beachwatch)
or quarterly (Adopt-a-Beach) beach cleans and surveys to monitor
litter throughout the year and help us campaign for cleaner seas. MCS in Scotland
collaborates with all the Firth Partnerships to help inspire as many groups as
possible to take part and help turn the tide on litter. See www.adoptabeach.org.uk for more information and a list of Scottish adopted beaches.
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