Happy 4th of July! Post-Celebration Cleanup on Morris Island

Have we learned from last year? Last 4th of July, citizens took to Charleston’s waterways, its beaches, and rivers to enjoy our Independence Day to its fullest. Unfortunately, a number of bad actors lost sight of the meaning of the 4th of July and left a path of destruction in their wake. Last year on July 5, 2009, Charleston Waterkeeper, alongside a number of dedicated citizens and volunteers, removed nearly a half-a-ton of trash from Morris Island, left over from party-goers the day before. Here’s a video from our cleanup:

The 4th of July is a day to celebrate and give thanks to our freedoms, our rights, and our independence. Charleston Waterkeeper is dedicated to protecting the public’s right to clean water – one of the most fundamental rights we have. Pollution, however, threatens this right and prevents us from fishing, swimming, and playing on, in, and around our waterways. As a result, Independence Day is perhaps one of the greatest day to reflect on and appreciate our right to clean water. By trashing our beaches, or any one of our natural resources for that matter, we are bltantly sending a message that we don’t appreciate the rights and the privileged opportunities we have – an ironic thing to do on the day known for the celebration of our rights and our freedom.

We have no doubt that the level of responsibility (and appreciation) practiced this 4th of July will be significantly greater than what we saw last year – both on Morris Island and on Folly Beach. However, in the event that some people still don’t get it, we’ll be heading out, once again, to Morris Island on the morning of July 5th to clean up our sandy shores. We’re inviting all of you to join us (hopefully there won’t be much to clean!) on Monday morning at 10am. Our good friends from Charleston Explorer will be on hand to help remove the trash from the beaches back to the mainland.

Want to join us? Here are the details:

When – July 5, 2010 10am – 12:30pm
Where – Morris Island
Why – To pick up trash (and to enjoy beautiful Morris Island)

Don’t have your own way to get out to Morris? There will be limited space available on the Charleston Explorer, but you *must* contact Natalie at [email protected] to save a spot ahead of time. (The boat will be leaving from Sunrise Park in James Island at 9:30am to head to Morris Island.) We’ll be providing bags and gloves for those willing to lend a helping hand.

After the beach has been swept spotless, our friends at Midtown Bar and Grill will be rewarding all volunteers with discounted pitchers of goodness from 5-7pm.

Have a safe and enjoyable 4th!