Eighth-Graders Adopt a Beach As Part of Science Studies

When you go to school on an island, science projects can be a day at the beach.

That was the case Friday for eighth-graders from the Ocean City Intermediate School who participated in three stations of study on the beach at 15th Street.

Science teacher Wendy Tribulski helped organize the trip, which included an assignment to measure the slope of the beach using basic surveying techniques and a unit on measuring the turbidity of water (how quickly mud separates and settles in water).

But an important component of the day was a beach cleanup. The Intermediate School will "adopt" two blocks of the beach from 14th to 16th streets and be responsible for keeping it litter-free and reporting any major maintenance issues.

The students must participate in at least two cleanups per year, and they completed one on Friday. Even though the beaches were largely free of trash and litter, they learned what a variety of waste winds up on beaches—they discovered everything from a shotgun shell to an undiscovered plastic egg from last weekend's Great Egg Hunt on the beach.

The school is part of a revitalized Adopt-a-Beach program that will require more accountability on the part of the volunteers who adopt beaches and include more communication from program organizers.

Friday's beach sweep was also a precursor to a major event on Saturday, April 30: the Spring Beach Sweep, a semiannual event sponsored by the Ocean City Clean Communities Program, the Ocean City Environmental Commission and Clean Ocean Action.

Saturday's event is open to individuals, groups or businesses. The 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. cleanup spans the entire island. Anybody interested in volunteering should  meet at the Music Pier (Boardwalk and Moorlyn Terrace) or at the 57th Street beach to receive instructions and supplies.

For information or to pre-register a group, call 609-525-9285.