Thursday, October 1, 2026
The saying is, “I’ve got Long Beach sand in my shoes.” It shouldn’t be, “I’ve got bottle caps, cigarette butts and a little sand in my shoes.” To help combat that preventable problem, volunteers took to Lido Beach Town Park on March 28 for the year’s first beach cleanup.
The event was a coordinated effort between the Town of Hempstead and the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, based in Hampton Bays. For three hours, nearly 100 people braved cold, windy weather, with temperatures dipping into the 20s, to collect nearly 300 pounds of trash and debris, including a large canopy tent and a 120-pound buoy that had washed ashore.
The volunteers included residents and local scouts — Long Beach Girl Scout Troop 864, Long Beach Boy Scout Troop 215 and Long Beach Cub Scout Troop 51 were all represented. “Last year we were here with the Cub Scouts,” said Danielle Ferraro, a Long Beach resident and the mother of Jackson, a Boy Scout, and Ryan, a Cub Scout. “This year we’re with the Boy Scouts. We like keeping the beach clean, and it’s an adventure. We would’ve been just stuck inside this morning.”
Town of Hempstead Supervisor John Ferretti stopped by the cleanup, and noted the importance of community members taking action on behalf of the environment. “It helps not only aesthetically, when Town of Hempstead residents are utilizing the beaches,” Ferretti said, “but it also keeps our waters clean and keeps our marine life safe. It’s really an incredible thing they do, and we’re thankful.”
The partnership between the town and the conservation society began more than 15 years ago. Last year alone, more than 1,100 volunteers gathered to collect over 1,900 pounds of garbage from beaches in the area.
Ellie Sywak, education and outreach coordinator for the environmental group, began the day by teaching volunteers about the sea creatures they were helping. “There’s four species of sea turtles, about four species of seals and about 15 species of whale and dolphins that we can see in the waters around New York,” Sywak said, "spread out across the year in different seasons, so we want to protect those animals."
The conservation society also plays a key role in conducting environmental research and necropsies — animal autopsies — on marine species that are found at sea or wash ashore. “We once found a leatherback sea turtle that had eaten a 15-gallon trash bag while it was floating out in the ocean," Sywak recalled. "Unfortunately, that sea turtle had starved to death, most likely due to that trash bag making it feel full.”
The most common items found in beach cleanups, she said, include T-shirts, shoes and socks, broken beach chairs, plastic bags and bottle caps. Balloons are another surprisingly common item.
Cynthia Seibold, of Merrick, founded Balloon Mission Inc. after she became aware of the problem during a beach cleanup in 2020. During a presentation at the start of the day, she explained that her goal is to reduce the balloon litter that parties, celebrations and memorial events often leave behind. According to statistics, balloons are the leading cause of death for seabirds and the third most common cause of death for sea turtles.
“We do a balloon litter survey near the Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center," Seibold said. "We’ve been doing it twice a year since 2015. And in that time, twice a year, in four hours, we have found 1,900 pieces of balloon litter — it’s a one-by-one-mile stretch of beach.”
Scouts from Troop 215 have built one of several special balloon collection bins, designed by the Long Island Children's Museum, which serve as dedicated drop-off point for used balloons. One bin can be found in the lobby of the Long Beach Public Library, and there are others in schools and libraries across Long Island. In the past three years, more than 65,000 balloons have been deposited in the bins.
Maintaining a clean beachfront and unpolluted waterways is an ongoing challenge, which is why the Town and conservation society plan monthly visits to the area throughout the warmer seasons. “We’re here every month through October,” Sywak said. "We're also at Hallock State Park in Riverhead every Saturday, year-round."
Four addition cleanup events are scheduled at Lido Beach Town Park — April 19, June 28, Aug. 23 and Sept. 26 — and three at Point Lookout Town Park — May 30, July 25 and Oct. 25. Each will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, divided into two 90-minute sessions; participants are asked to attend only one session per day. Collection buckets and equipment will be provided, but organizers recommend bringing a pair of gloves. To register for one of the events, visit hempsteadny.gov/856/beach-cleanups.
