Three Quarters of the Outer Cape Cleanup Delayed by Hurricane Ian

Eastham — Fifteen volunteers with the Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) set out on the first day of the 7th Annual Outer Cape Cleanup at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham this morning, cleaning plastic trash and other debris between there and Lecount Hollow in Wellfleet over the course of the day.

Unfortunately, CCS has determined that, for the safety of its volunteers, the remaining three days of the Outer Cape Cleanup will be postponed until after the remnants of Hurricane Ian pass.

This full four-day sweep of the Cape Cod National Seashore requires coordinating with the tide cycles, so the new dates are projected to be October 15-17, weather permitting.

The original announcement for this cleanup, issued on 9/10/22, stated it would be held “rain or shine”. However, the combination of wind and rain at near gale force would make it difficult to locate and collect lightweight plastic trash like balloons, bags, wrappers or foam. “It’s also not very much fun, and this is meant to be a fun cleanup!” said Anthony Daley, OCC founder and co-sponsor.

Once the full four-day cleanup adventure is completed, it will be followed by an intensive debris inventory or “Trash Tally” and an open house where the public will be invited to see the results. It is expected that this weekend’s storm system will generate additional debris beyond what is typically removed during this cleanup event.

For more information, contact Laura Ludwig, CCS Marine Debris & Plastics Program [email protected] or Anthony Daley, Cleanup Founder, [email protected].

Photo caption: On Day 1 of the CCS Outer Cape Cleanup, 15 volunteers from Bourne to Provincetown met at Coast Guard Beach in Eastham. The remaining 3 days of the cleanup will be postponed due to Hurricane Ian’s arrival. Photo by Horatio Potter.