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Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ)
This
FAQ addresses some of the questions and comments we received from Mississippi
Coastal Cleanup volunteers who registered online
and participated in our online registration survey. If you have a question
that isn't addressed here, please send it to our Webmaster at john.grigsby@usm.edu.
Q: Why
is the cleanup held in October each year?
A: The
Mississippi Coastal Cleanup is a part of the International Coastal
Cleanup (ICC) campaign, organized by Ocean
Conservancy and held worldwide
in fall each year. Data collected by volunteers provides a compelling
global snapshot of the types and sources of debris and zeroes in
on the startling impacts of ocean trash. After several very active
hurricane seasons, Mississippi has chosen to move its cleanup to
October in an effort to avoid the height of hurricane season in Mississippi.
Q:
How will you inform volunteers of any changes to the event?
A: Visit
www.mscoastalcleanup.org or our Facebook page or call 877-BEACH-05 (877-232-2405) for the most up-to-date
information. You can also help us get the word out! Mention the cleanup to your
friends, co-workers, classmates and family! Let them know what it’s all
about and direct them to www.mscoastalcleanup.org for more information.
Q: Will lunch be provided to volunteers?
A: Yes. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors lunches will be held
in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties for volunteers who participate
in the cleanup and turn in their completed data card to the zone captain
(the person in yellow T-shirt at cleanup site's registration table).
Following the cleanup, volunteers must present their meal ticket for
a free lunch at Courthouse Road Pier parking area in Gulfport courtesy
of the Gulf Coast Restaurant Group from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. only on event day.
In Jackson County, there will be a picnic for volunteers at the Estuarine
Education Center at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier
between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. only the day of the event compliments of
The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint.
Volunteers in Hancock County are invited for hotdogs and drinks starting
at 11 a.m. at the Bay St. Louis Depot District, courtesy
of the Office of Congressman Steven Palazzo, the Bay St. Louis Rotary
Club and BB’s Bar-B-Que & Snak Shak.
Q: What is the Data Card and why is it important that I
fill this out during the coastal cleanup?
A: Volunteers clean beaches and collect information on what they find,
using the International Coastal
Cleanup Data Card, so that
sources of marine debris can be targeted for education or pollution prevention
campaigns in Mississippi and worldwide. State coordinators
mail the data cards to the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C. where
the data is tabulated. Over the years, data from the cleanups
have been used to enact local, state, national, and even international
legislation and agreements. The results are posted
on the Mississippi Coastal
Cleanup and International
Coastal Cleanup Web sites and are included in
the International Coastal Cleanup Annual Data Report.
Q: What
supplies do I need to bring?
A: The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup provides certain
supplies through sponsor donations, but volunteers should bring the
following items: plenty of water; sunscreen and a hat to protect yourself
from the sun; insect repellent; close-toed shoes or sneakers to protect
your feet; a camera to document volunteers in action and any strange
items you may find; work gloves or rubber gloves. Trash bags are provided
at the site. Thin surgical gloves are available at the site, but we
encourage volunteers to bring their own kitchen gloves or work gloves
for greater protection.
Q: Can
participants from previous years be notified by e-mail about
the event?
A: Anyone
who registered online last year will receive notification for the upcoming
cleanup. If you would like to be added to our e-mail list, contact the
Webmaster at john.grigsby@usm.edu.
Q:
What if I want to clean an area that isn't on your list of cleanup
sites?
A: If
you know of a public area that is unsightly and in dire need of being
cleaned, contact your county coordinator and let them know about
it. They will survey the site and consider adding it to the site
list in the future.
Q: Where
do I report to sign in for my site?
A: If
you are unsure of where to report, contact your county coordinator:
Hancock County, Sally Isaacs (sally@hancockchamber.org);
Harrison County, Jenna L. Weatherford (beautification@co.harrison.ms.us);
Jackson County, Ann Burgo (aburgo@cityofpascagoula.com).
Q:
Where should volunteers park?
A: Limited
parking is available at all cleanup sites, but we encourage car-pooling
and arriving early to ensure closer parking.
Q: What
if we find something too large to move or that won't fit into
the bag?
A: First, remember to practice basic safety. Don't
try to move something that is too heavy for you to lift comfortably,
and do not try to move dangerous objects (such as a metal drum leaking
an unknown substance). Inform your Zone Captain—look for the
bright yellow shirt—where you found the item and they will arrange
for its disposal.
Q:
What
do I do if I find a stranded or entangled animal?
A: Notify
your Zone Captain immediately if you see any stranded, injured or
entangled animals. Do not attempt to aid the animal yourself! This
could result in injury to you or the animal. Be sure to also write
this down on your Data Card noting the type of animal that is stranded
and type of debris it is entangled in. Be sure and take a picture as well, as this provides visual evidence of the entanglement.
Q:
What do I do if I find hazardous waste?
A: Stay
away from large 50-gallon drums or five-gallon buckets. Report their
location to the Zone Captain or proper authorities. Do not touch
any hazardous waste, and notify your Zone Captain if you find items
such as: car batteries, tires, syringes and needles, medical waste,
and full bottles of disinfectant, chlorine bleach, household cleaners,
herbicides and insecticides, motor oil, any plastic drink bottle with a cap on it and a straw or tube in it.
Q: I
would like to help year-round. Are there other cleanup efforts
along the Coast that I can participate in?
A: Yes.
- Keep
Mississippi Beautiful’s Great
American Cleanup, held March 1-May 31.
- Institute
of Marine Mammal Studies’ Take
Pride in the Tide Beach Cleanup
- Coastal
Rivers Pascagoula River cleanups
- Mississippi
Power’s Renew
our Rivers cleanup, call 228-897-6402
- Gulf
Islands National Seashore’s
Reach for the Beach, the first Saturday
in May, cleans up West Ship Island, call 228-875-9057
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