Nisbet Beach – Nevis, West Indies
Photo Courtesy of Nevis1.com
Basseterre, St. Kitts – Nevis
November 14, 2008 (SKNIS)
The Department of Environment was both pleased and encouraged when the Sandy Point High School informed that it would be undertaking a beach clean up.
Andy Blanchette, Conservation Officer and Coordinator of the National Beach Clean Up expressed delight with the fact that the school, without being prompted, went ahead and coordinated the event which it carried out on Friday, November 07. He said that he had been informed by Warren Wyatt, Head of the Sandy Point High Geography and Social Studies Division, that the students had been excited about taking part in the National Beach Clean Up which had been cancelled. As a result, the school decided to clean the stretch of beach from Dieppe Bay, Golden Lemon to Caines’ Pasture.
Some 150 students took part from the third, fourth and fifth forms of the Sandy Point High.Mr. Blanchette noted that three conservation officers of the Department of Environment attended the clean up as overseers. He said that the beach debris was sorted and categorized as customary. One hundred bags of garbage was collected, consisting mainly of plastic bottles, plastic bags, food containers, cans and the like.
The Conservation Officer said that an interesting observation was that the beach was strewn with lots of bits and pieces of wood, particularly tree branches.
He said that it was assumed that the rain caused by Hurricane Omar had washed the branched down from the ghuts into the sea, and the waves had then washed them back up on the shore. Following the clean up, the students were given refreshments which had been provided by the St. Kitts Bottling Company and St. Kitts Breweries, while TDC had supplied the garbage bags.
Speaking on behalf of the Department of Environment, Mr. Blanchette said that activities such as that organized by the Sandy Point High was quite welcome. He encouraged other civic minded groups and organizations, including schools to undertake activities of a similar nature, noting that his department was already undertaking plans for National Beach Clean Up 2009.