Twenty-five local children participating in Camp Fire USA, Camp Ketcha’s April Vacation Fun Camp spent Tuesday afternoon, April 19, 2005, learning about ocean ecology and collecting trash along Higgins Beach.
The children were amazed at the amount of trash they collected from the beach, which appeared to them to be largely clean when they arrived. Wearing vinyl gloves, they picked up about 100 pounds of trash and debris, including soda bottles, plastic rope, plastic toys, shoes, and parts of lobster traps.
“The children stayed off of the dunes because they are a protected area,” described Liz Nisbet, camp director at Camp Ketcha. “But they still picked up a lot of garbage, including a small propane tank and empty motor oil cans. They were excited because the weather was great and it was fun to be at the beach for the afternoon helping the town and the wildlife.”
A team of students and faculty from the USM Geosciences Program were also at Higgins Beach at that time. “They told the campers how proud they were of what the kids were doing,” said Ms. Nisbet. “The campers were happy to have their efforts recognized by the students.”
ABOUT Camp Fire USA, Camp Ketcha
Camp Fire USA, Camp Ketcha’s mission is to build caring, confident youth and to provide opportunities for children to develop leadership skills. Camp Ketcha will serve approximately 1,000 youths through summer day camp, after-school programs, and school vacation programs in 2005. It is located at 336 Black Point Road in Scarborough, only 9 miles from downtown Portland. The camp abuts more than 90 acres of the Scarborough Land Trust, and there is an extensive trail network that crisscrosses the two properties.
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