Provided by Allyse Ferrara

Nicholls State University students from the Department of Biological Sciences participated in the Ocean Conservancy’s 2023 International Coastal Cleanup (ICC).

Ocean Conservancy is a non-profit organization created to protect the ocean from modern-day global challenges such as pollution and littering. 

ICC is a global volunteer event that collects, weighs and documents the trash that builds up on coastlines. 

Nicholls students volunteered for ICC at Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge in Grand Isle, La. on Sept. 16 for the annual clean up. This event lasted from 10 a.m. to noon.

It took that time to discover over 5000 items abandoned at the Wildlife Refuge. Items ranged from plastic bottle caps (623) to illegally dumped products such as construction materials (59). 

Dr. Allyse Ferrara, a distinguished service professor from the Biological Sciences department, said that participating in an event such as ICC is  important to remove debris that clutters our waterways, contributing to pollution which is a danger to wildlife.

“It’s always good to have our students visit our coastal habitats and participate in a global effort to reduce marine debris. Hopefully students will gain a better understanding of the negative environmental impacts of single use plastics, not recycling recyclable materials and improper waste disposal.  Students can see that what is not properly disposed of in inland areas eventually reaches and clutters our beaches and coastal habitats,” Ferrara said.

Next year’s cleanup is announced to be on Sept. 14, 2024.