Beachwatch Big Weekend at Cramond Saturday 19th September

Beachwatch Big
Weekend at Cramond

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) will be holding
a Beachwatch Big Weekend event at Cramond on Saturday 19th September from 10am-12 noon and all are welcome. Meet at the start of the Cramond Island causeway at 10am. Please wear suitable
outdoor clothing and footwear. For further information please contact the MCS
Scottish 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 Beachwatch Big Weekend is easy, and hundreds of volunteers are set
to take part at beaches all round the country over the weekend of 19-20th September. Children, families and dogs are welcome and what nicer way to spend
the morning than at the beach?

The last MCS beach clean at Cramond, held in June,
was a tremendous success, when 21 enthusiastic volunteers collected a terrific
50kg 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 be used to produce the Beachwatch 2009 Report, to help MCS
lobby government and industry, and turn the tide on litter.

After this weekend, the next event at Cramond beach
will take place in January. If you do not live near Cramond, there are beaches
all round Scotland taking part in the Beachwatch Big
Weekend. You can find your nearest beach and next event by

(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.

Property and Environment