On March 25 from 2-4pm, the Mount Madonna School fifth grade class is organizing a community beach cleanup of Platforms Beach in Aptos. Volunteers of all ages are invited to join in the effort; the students will supply trash bags and buckets, and each volunteer should bring their own gloves.
Platforms Beach is located at 439 Beach Drive.
“My fifth grade class is doing an environmental project focused on pelicans,” shared student Marc Monclus in a letter, on behalf of his class, to the school administration. “We are working to do many things to protect these birds and the ocean. We are making a movie to educate others, and are also working to raise money to adopt a pelican.
“As part of our project to help pelicans, we are planning this community beach cleanup. We will gather at Platforms Beach at 2pm on Saturday, March 25. We will also be hosting a sustainable bake sale to raise funds for our adopted pelican. We would be ecstatic if you came and supported our efforts and the ocean!”
Among those joining in this effort, will be some of Mount Madonna’s middle and high school students.
MMS fifth grade students said the cleanup effort is part of a broader community service project that seeks to educate the public and remove trash and debris from beaches to help benefit the ecosystem and reduce the threat to marine animals and sea birds. Earlier this month, the students visited the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Reserve in Moss Landing, where they participated in an educational program to learn more about the role that Elkhorn Slough plays in the health of Monterey Bay and the survival of pelicans and other seabirds.
