Students from environmental clubs at Brunswick and Morse high schools after working to clean Brunswick’s Wharton Point on Maquoit Bay. Photo courtesy of Margaret Chingo
BRUNSWICK — After a busy summer at Wharton Point Landing left Maquoit Bay spotted with litter, local students gathered to clean up the trash before snow buries it for the winter.
This student-led event brought together Morse and Brunswick high school students in a cross-community effort to protect the coastal environment.
The cleanup was organized by the Brunswick Environmental Club, a group of high school students committed to supporting Brunsiwck’s environmental efforts. The group of 22 students and two teachers cleaned Wharton Point Landing and the surrounding coastal area. They filled 22 trash bags with items such as fast food containers, plastic straws and wrappers.
Liam Scanlon, president of the Morse Green Club, said the exchange of support between Brunswick and Morse is one of the “first steps in getting this whole generation to come together.”
Scanlon hopes this partnership will set an example to his peers that the fight to keep Maine’s coast healthy expands beyond town lines.
Wharton Point Landing is a boat launch with access to Maquoit Bay, frequently visited by tourists, clammers and fishermen. The high traffic results in litter that is harmful to the environment.
Trent Hutchinson, Brunswick environmental science teacher, has been using the bay in his curriculum for over 20 years.
“In the last eight or 10 years, people are just not taking care of their trash and they are not recycling as much as I would like,” he said.
Because of the increase in litter, “plastic has now become a huge problem, not only in the ocean, but everywhere,” Hutchinson added.
Additionally, plastic is a danger to the clamming community on Maquoit Bay. Plastics that enter the water are broken up into tiny particles called microplastics. These microplastics are present in every region of the bay, according to Friends of Casco Bay research associate Mike Doan. Microplastics are dangerous as they may be ingested by clams and consumed by buyers of Maine shellfish.
It is also important to keep litter out of Maquoit Bay because it is damaging to the fragile, coastal ecosystem. The bay is home to rare birds including bald eagles and saltmarsh sharp-tailed sparrows. Litter is hazardous for these birds, as they can get tangled up in plastic, or mistake debris for food.
To ensure that the coastal environment remains clean, Brunswick Environmental club president Lily Hatrick believes “it is important that we start being activists early.”
This event was one of several actions taken by the Brunswick Environmental club to combat the negative impacts of trash.
In the past, the environmental club has focused on responsible waste management within Brunswick High School. The group programs for collecting returnables and composting in the cafeteria and educating the high school community about environmental concerns.
This year, the club hopes to add new initiatives such as fundraising for a vertical wind turbine and launching an environmental education curriculum for elementary and middle school students.
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