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Waves of Action Cleanups Continue
The Clean Ocean Action program hosted another series of cleanups throughout New York and New Jersey.
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More than a thousand volunteers belonging to 27 organizations participated in Clean Ocean Action's fourth Wave of Action for the Shore event Saturday by clearing out debris and attempting to restore ecosystems in 30 locations throughout New York and New Jersey.
Volunteers cleaned out marshes in Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in Galloway, in Tuckerton and areas of Brigantine. Other groups removed debris from waterways in Long Branch, Deal and Neptune, among others.
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Other park cleanups were held in Matawan, Jackson, Long Branch, West Long Branch, and Sandy Hook bays. Volunteers also installed a new osprey nesting platform in Stafford Township, according to a release.
The Waves of Action program is a response to the impact of Hurricane Sandy. One of the goals is to help improve and protect the marine environment, which is done by engaging a network of organizations, businesses, citizens, and municipalities to help coastal communities throughout New Jersey.
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Action events are held monthly.
Cindy Zipf, COA executive director, said the focus of this month's program was on wildlife habitats. The hope is that they can be made ready for the return of migratory species, especially those in nesting areas.
From a COA release:
It is important to clean habitats after Superstorm Sandy to protect the wildlife that call those areas home. These ecosystems support a number of different types of bass and provide nesting and feeding habitat for the piping plover, black skimmer and least tern. The woodlands throughout New Jersey and New York are frequented by songbirds, woodcock, white-tailed deer, box turtles, and waterfowl. The area supports many migratory species, including salamanders, turtles and over 325 species of birds as they journey along the Atlantic Flyway.
For more information about Waves of Action for the Shore or to learn about how to volunteer, visit http://fortheshore.org/
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