Clinton News Record, 2014-08-20, Page 19Beach etiquette gives beach -
goers something to consider
Steph Smith
Goderich Signal Star
As summer begins to come
to a close, it's important to
remember to take care of our
area beaches.
Geoff Peach, the co-founder
and coastal resources manager
of the Lake Huron Centre for
Coastal Conservation, said he
hasn't heard too many com-
plaints coming through.
"For complaints about the
beaches, I've only heard of
some places where algae is
washing up, which can be a
real nuisance," Peach said.
"Generally, it hasn't been too
bad this year due to higher
lake levels. However, we're
seeing a lot of algae washing
up in its usual places."
Peach said a lot of the algae
is caused by runoff from
fields and lawns that have
been treated with fertilizer.
He said despite this, he hasn't
seen too many beach
postings.
"Luckily we're not in the
position that Lake Erie has
been in this summer when it
comes to algae," Peach said.
"I'm not sure on the current
status of beaches in Goder-
ich, but I know there have
been beach postings in places
like Ipperwash."
Recently, the Lake Huron
Centre for Coastal Conserva-
tion released a newsletter on
beach etiquette that included
tips such as:
Don't bring glass
containers.
"It can break and the shards
of glass can become last in
the sand very quickly," Peach
said. "The broken glass can
then cause injury to someone
else."
Can you dig it? Sure, but fill
it in afterwards.
"If you or your kids are
building a sand castle on the
beach and digging holes,
make sure to fill them in
before you leave so others
don't step in them and hurt
themselves," Peach said.
The beach is NOT a big
ashtray.
"If you're a smoker, don't
put your butts out on the
beach and leave them," Peach
said. "It's not an ashtray."
Peach said another piece of
beach etiquette is to stay off
of the dunes and sensitive
vegetation that is vital to the
beach environment and
coastal wildlife.
"It's all really knowing how
to be a good citizen," Peach
said. "If you see something,
pick it up. Don't leave gar-
bage behind."
Peach said debris left
behind makes the beach look
unsightly and that there is a
lot of coastal wildlife that
can't discern what's plastic
and what's food.
"Suddenly plastic and gar-
bage becomes more than an
eyesore," Peach said.
Peach explained once plas-
tic gets into the water, it
breaks down and then it can
absorb all sorts of toxins. He
said the particles are then
ingested by wildlife, such as
fish, making their way up the
food chain where humans
then ingest said toxins.
"Lakes have a lot of plastic
in them," Peach said. "Statis-
tically, the Great Lakes region
is just as bad for plastic con-
tent as the Great Pacific Gar-
bage Patch in the Pacific
Ocean."
Peach said at this point in
time, there isn't anything in
place for funding in terms of
beach cleanup. He said there
are beach cleanups that are
not funded, but volunteer -
based that happen quite a bit.
"There is also the Great
Canadian Shoreline Cleanup,
which we will be heading to
Sarnia for this fall," Peach
said. "Last year there was one
held in Goderich."
In 2012, the Lake Huron
Centre for Coastal Conserva-
tion in partnership with Ter-
raCycle launched a campaign
funded by the Grand Bend
Community Foundation to
reduce the amount of ciga-
rette butts left on Kincardine
and Grand Bend beaches.
"The Butt Free Beach pro-
gram had cardboard cups for
people to put their butts in,"
Peach said. "It was done as a
pilot project and it was enthu-
siastically appreciated."
Peach said the Lake Huron
Centre for Coastal Conserva-
tion is trying to get more
funding for the project which
he hopes will be set in motion
sometime in 2015. He said he
could see the program being
expanded to Goderich
beaches as well.
For more information on the
Butt Free Beach program, visit
www.lakehuron.ca/index.
php?page=butt-free-beach.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014 • News Record 19
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BUSINESS DIRECTORY
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