Senator Johnson’s 2007 Beach Cleanup A Success

State Senator Owen H. Johnson (4th Senate District, Babylon), Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Long Island Marine District, announced that the 373 volunteers who showed up for his Annual Beach Cleanup Day this year removed 2,400 pounds of debris from the shoreline at Robert Moses State Park. Senator Johnson has been sponsoring his annual cleanup in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup for several years.

"I was pleased to find that each year an increased number of people, of all ages, turn out to help clean our beach. Senator Johnson said. "Once again, our volunteers were struck by the number of cigarette butts that litter our shores," the Senator noted. "Sadly, litter remains a problem despite our best efforts to raise awareness."

Senator Johnson explained that the data collected at the beach cleanup is compiled by the American Littoral Society and sent to the Ocean Conservancy in Washington, D.C., where it is analyzed and compared with data from around the world. It is then used to develop national and international programs to control debris.

"My thanks to everyone who took the time to get up this year on a not so sunny Saturday morning and help us clean the beach," said Senator Johnson. "Your efforts really paid off and made a measurable difference."