April 08 2008
New Funding Looks Promising!
It looks as though we're going to receive another round of federal funding from NOAA this year. This is a HUGE accomplishment for a fledgling organization like CTB – but it goes to show what great work we...meaning the crew AND all the volunteers...have been doing. We'll get back to work in Mid-May or early-June, so if you're looking to volunteer or help in any other way, email us at info@cleanthebay.org and we'll keep you in the loop. If you've been out with us before, you know what fun it is (yes, somehow cleaning up shoreline litter is fun). If you've not been out before, this could be your year! And invite your friends – it makes it even better.
- Capt. Alan W Wentworth
April 06 2008
U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Thomas
The original 56-foot LCM – and our crew – will soon return from a very successful winter in St. Thomas, USVI. We spent Rhode Island's “off-season” doing our work in the tropics – getting rid of boats and other debris that have littered the shoreline for decades. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? We can be grateful here in RI though - thankfully we don't get quite the frequency of severe weather that they do. Their debris is from nearly 10 major storm events in the past 30 years – including David and Frederick in 1979, Hugo in 1989, Luis and Marilyn in 1995, Bertha in 1996, Georges in 1998, and Jose in 1999. During these events, boat anchors drag and snap, and the boats became “bowling balls,” knocking into other boats and either pulling them from their moorings or damaging them to the point of sinking. Frankly, it's quite a mess...because just like Rhode Island, they never had the funding or capacity to remove this junk...until CTB came along!
We quickly formed a great new partnership with the Office of the Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, their Department of Planning and Natural Resources (like our RIDEM), the University of the Virgin Islands, and others. We've gone gang-busters on cleaning up Hassel Island, which is right in the center of St. Thomas' major port, Charlotte Amalie. If you've ever been to St. Thomas, think of the downtown area with all the shops – that's Charlotte Amalie.
Hassel Island is on the National Register of Historic Places, so we've been working alongside the National Park Service – as well as the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park, the St. Thomas Historical Trust, and private donors – on this work. We've already cleared tons of debris, and more than 20 boats including a decrepit steel vessel that measured in at more than 85 feet. And we're branching out a bit – we've started helping the Park Service to build trails to make the island more usable. Check it out at: http://www.friendsvinparch.blogspot.com (in particular, December 9, 2007, November 30, 2007 and February 25, 2008).
So now when the big cruise ships come into port, they see a clean, beautiful Hassel Island – instead of a degraded shoreline littered with decrepit boat after boat after boat. And soon they'll be able to hike the trails on Hassel, visiting the old Shipley Battery and Creque Steam Railway. It's been a great project, and we're excited to get to work on other parts of St. Thomas, and eventually other islands in the USVI. - Capt. Alan W Wentworth
April 04 2008
A New LCM!!
In other news, thanks to the generosity of The Champlain Foundation, we are just a stone's throw away from a new 28-foot aluminum Landing Craft (LCM). The work is nearly complete, and it will soon be shipped to the Johnston Boat yard for new motors. We're looking for some help buying those motors, so if you can help out, please be in touch at info@cleanthebay.org. Thanks in advance! - Capt. Alan W Wentworth
April 01 2008
A Fond Farewell
First and foremost, we start with a fond, though sad, farewell: Captain Ed Hughes has stepped down from his role with Clean The Bay. Ed was one of CTB's two Founding Fathers, and he is greatly missed already. If you've been out on the Bay with us, you know the critical role Ed (and his boundless energy and enthusiasm) has played for CTB. He also kept things moving behind the scenes – responding to your emails, getting CTB's message into the news, and lots of other stuff. We're keeping his passion and fire at the core of CTB's 2008 efforts, but must ask that if you have Ed's cell or other contact information, please redirect your inquiries and comments to nfo@cleanthebay.org. - Capt. Alan W Wentworth
October 1, 2007
GOVERNOR CARCIERI, NOAA, STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS LAUNCH NEXT PHASE OF NARRAGANSETT BAY DEBRIS CLEANUP
BRISTOL - Governor Donald Carcieri, Department of Environmental Management officials, Rhode Island's Congressional delegation, and officials of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration joined with Clean the Bay this morning at Colt State Park in Bristol to celebrate the removal of some 1,000 tons of marine debris from Narragansett Bay and to launch Clean Sweep II, the second phase of a comprehensive marine debris cleanup initiative. Click here to view photos from the event.
Timothy R.E. Keeney, NOAA's deputy assistant secretary for oceans and atmosphere, presented DEM and Clean the Bay with a grant to fund the next phase of Project Clean Sweep. The $170,000 grant, the second largest community-based marine debris prevention and removal grant in the nation, is a tribute to the monumental work that this public-private partnership has already accomplished. Following on the success of its first year, Clean Sweep II will expand the cleanup of large, medium, and small debris from an additional 86 miles of shoreline. The project will begin this month in Barrington, Bristol and Warren, and then move to areas off Warwick, East Providence, Jamestown, Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth over the next year.
"Project Clean Sweep is a wonderful example of how individual citizens can accomplish great things with a little government help," Governor Donald L. Carcieri said. "In particular, this effort to clean and preserve our most important natural asset, Narragansett Bay, demonstrates the real contributions that Rhode Islanders can make to the Ocean State. A third grant to allow Project Clean Sweep to continue its excellent work would be a fitting tribute to what they've accomplished so far."
Project Clean Sweep is the state's largest effort to rid Narragansett Bay of marine debris. It began in 2005 when two charter boat captains who photographed and documented marine debris throughout the Bay - Ed Hughes and Alan Wentworth - formed Clean the Bay and approached DEM with the data they collected. The two organizations teamed up to apply for federal grant funds to address the problem. Last year, NOAA awarded DEM and Clean the Bay a $150,000 grant for the first phase of the cleanup, which began in August 2006. Clean Sweep I focused on three priority Bay areas: Greenwich Bay, Metro Bay, and the Bay Islands and West Aquidneck Island shoreline. More than 1,000 tons of debris littering 64 miles of shoreline and more than 300 acres of the Bay were removed - including three barges, more than 18 derelict boats, over 100 lobster pots, yards of abandoned fishing gear, many telephone poles and other debris.
"I am pleased to have helped secure federal funding for the second phase of Project Clean Sweep. This grant pays tribute to the hard work and determination of Clean the Bay, the state, and the many Rhode Islanders who volunteer their time and effort to help clean and protect our waters. I commend these extraordinary efforts and urge all Rhode Islanders to do their part to help restore and preserve Narragansett Bay and our shorelines. I am proud that the Ocean State is a national leader on this critical front," said Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees federal spending on NOAA programs. "I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers, Clean the Bay, Rhode Island's Department of Environmental Management, and NOAA for having made this program such a great success."
"Project Clean Sweep is a great example of how determined citizens and responsive government agencies can rally a community to get the job done," said Congressman Patrick Kennedy. "Captains Ed Hughes and Alan Wentworth set out to rid the Bay of tons of debris and DEM and NOAA recognized the worth of their efforts. This grant will help this collaboration move forward and continue restoring our state's greatest resource to its pristine condition."
"NOAA is proud to be part of this extraordinary Rhode Island partnership to remove hundreds of tons of debris from the state's waters and shoreline," said Keeney. "Project Clean Sweep is a shining example of what NOAA wants to accomplish around the country with local and state partners through our new Marine Debris Program to remove debris that clogs our coastal waters, harms marine creatures and damages local economies."
Following the speaking program, Clean the Bay took Governor Carcieri and other dignitaries aboard its 58-foot mechanized landing craft to demonstrate how large debris is plucked by the craft's crane from the shoreline. Clean the Bay uses the military-style landing craft and a marshwalker on loan from DEM to collect large debris. The program also includes a coordinated volunteer campaign to clean up small debris from shoreline areas through organized cleanups, which this year involved more than 450 volunteers from around the state. The number of volunteers is expected to grow to 620 this year as more Rhode Islanders join in this effort to clean the state's shoreline. Project Clean Sweep also features an innovative reporting program that allows the U.S. Coast Guard and others to notify Clean the Bay of floating debris so that it can be scooped up before it becomes a safety hazard to boaters.
Marine debris impacts the use and enjoyment, as well as the ecology of shoreline areas. In addition to being unsightly and potentially dangerous to beachgoers, fishermen, and other shoreline users, marine debris degrades coastal habitats and can endanger fish and wildlife. Also, items such as docks or other floatable, large debris may get re-suspended or set adrift during storm events, posing hazards to boaters. DEM and Clean the Bay will be applying for additional federal funding to support the completion of the cleanup along the entire Rhode Island coastline.
The NOAA grant that helps fund Clean Sweep II is one of several community-based marine debris prevention and removal grants that total approximately $1.17 million for marine debris projects around the nation. NOAA's Marine Debris Program provides financial and technical assistance to local groups to clean marine debris and to prevent new debris from damaging the marine ecosystem.
Project Clean Sweep involves a growing list of partners from the public and private sectors. Those partners include the towns and cities along the bay where cleanups take place, the RI Resource Recovery Corporation, which waives tipping fees for debris, the Coastal Resources Management Council, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, Dominion Gas, local universities and youth groups.
Click here to view photos from the event.
August 31, 2007
Where has the summer gone? We're finishing up on the last run of East Providence. It has taken us much longer than I ever figured, but what a great feeling it is to look back and see what we have accomplished. The shoreline is clean. Clean the Bay clean! We have been doing parts of Portsmouth as we go along.
Hopefully if the weather holds we're going to continue to work till Dec 1. We will be starting the new grant soon. The kickoff is planned for Oct 1st in Jamestown. So with this new grant we will be at it again next summer. I have a few people to thank. First the best crew you could ever ask for. Dave "Rocky" Schock, Dave Tobler, and Mat Hughes. These are the guys who make sure the shoreline is cleaned to Clean the Bay standards. They made the standards and keep me on my toes. Billy the owner of Quaker Lane Tools with yet again another very generous donation of tools. Dr Whalen, my very good friend from my fishing days. Thank you to all the volunteers who have come out with Vanessa putting some long hours, and of course Vanessa our Volunteer Coordinator who has done a great job this season.
If you see us out there working give us a wave and let us know how were doing. Remember it's not clean till it's Clean the Bay Clean! -Capt. Ed Hughes
August 2, 2007
We'll let me start off by apologizing for the delay on the logs. We have been extremely busy. We're just about finished with East Providence and it was beyond belief the amount of debris we've handled.
The real good news is that we've been awarded another grant from NOAA. This grant is for $170,000, and will help us finish another major part of Narragansett Bay.
I want to personally thank Steve Mutter who works for the City of East Providence. This man finds ways to get things done, and he is truly is one of the good guys. I'm going to have to use a whole page to thank everyone who helped us with this new grant, but right now I really want to thank Terri Bisson, who works for our partner in this project , the Rhode Island DEM. She went way above & beyond, and was always there to help. Thank you Terri!
Rocky saved the day again by purchasing his own ASV and has let us use it, and he made a dump scow so that at low tide we're still able to continue working. I don't know what to say except Thanks Rock!
I will try and do more reports, and I thank you all for supporting us. We're going to get this job done! -Capt. Ed Hughes
July 1, 2007
The week started off with the crew getting back in the swing and cleaning one of the walls in East Providence. We were doing our usual 30yd container a day. Thursday we had problems with the pony engine and unfortunately we weren't able to fix it this time. Shocky found a substitute engine and seeing the original was built in 1947 we are installing the new one. It's taking some time because in order to exchange them the old one has to be taken apart piece by piece and the new one does to, as they won't fit in one piece.
One of our guys Mat Hughes, my son, got married Saturday. We all had a fantastic time. He'll be returning after he and his new bride Marissa return from their honeymoon.
I also want to thank George W. Shuster and Stephanie L. Van Patten for their generous donation.
When we recieve a donation we like to add your name to our weekly report, but not everyone wants us to, so please let us know if you would like to be added to weekly report. Please know we are thankful for every donation no matter how large or small. Every penny helps us go that much further. Thanks to all that have helped, and have a great Fouth of July! -Captain Ed Hughes
June 21, 2007
The program is running full speed. Were in East Providence and were banging out a 30 yd dumpster a day. It has been hot and dirty work. Were chainsawing almost everything that gets put in the dumpster. The nice thing is we can see the difference we're making. We'll be in East Providence for at least another week and we'll go back and finish Cranston and Providence. We went around those two cities and cut most of the debris. Hopefully we'll have the ASV to make our job easier.
I want to thank Ray Mooney at Port Edgewood for his generous donation of diesel fuel for the LCM. Also Mat and his crew at MTG Disposal for helping with the containers. The city of East Providence; Steve Mutter has been fantastic. We also have had a few people donate some money in the past 2 weeks. THANK YOU ALL! -Captain Ed Hughes
June 14, 2007
The last 2 weeks have been very productive. We, with the help of Dr. Conley and the R&P construction company were able to remove a 70 year old barge. The tonnage on the barge is over 50 ton. We got some great news coverage on the project. We also finished the Johnson and Wales area and now were on to Cranston. We have been slowed down quite a bit because of a new rule at the landfill. Everything is being cut to 48" which means we have to cut almost everything we touch. So it goes! We're still doing a 30 yd container a day. We had some mechanical problems with the pony engine on the LCM which operates the crane,the door and the spuds, but Al saved the day and was able to fix it with just the loss of a day.We all thought we needed a new engine. That would have set us back a while, but were back at it.
We'll be in Cranston this up coming week and we'll finish up a few spots in Providence using the ASV [BOBCAT]. Then were off the East Providence. We will continue docking at Providence pier if anyone feels like coming down. -Captain Ed Hughes
June 1, 2007
This week has been full of crazy obstacles. We are working the shoreline at Johnson and Wales. This shoreline is a barrier of old broken up cement roads 15 ft high that were dumped there in the 50's. We're bringing the barge in and filling a container in about an hour. Once that's loaded we have a container above the cement debris which we have to load by hand. It's like mountain climbing while carrying 100lb. logs. We wanted to be finished before the end of this week, but we figure we have about 2 or 3 day's left. We want to thank the volunteers who worked this project on Tuesday. It has been the most demanding project to date.
Monday we're taking apart and old 60' x60' barge to the right of Providence Pier. Dr. Connelly has donated a excavator and operator to dismantle it. Huge help! Thank you! Then we're back to J&W to finish up. I especially want to thank the Clean The Bay crew, Rocky, Dave, and Matt. They put in one tough week! -Captain Ed Hughes
2007 cleanup season is underway
We have started our 2007 season! The target areas for this year in order to be cleaned are Providence, Cranston and East Providence. Once we have completed these areas we will finish Phase One by cleaning Portsmouth.
Our LCM will be docked at the Providence Pier thanks to Dr. Connelly who has allowed us space at his amazing new dock. The city of Providence has really stepped up to the plate helping us with containers and transportation to the landfill. Dominion Energy has also allowed the use of their ramp so we can flip-flop our containers.
Last season the city of Warwick was there for us with anything we needed. Dave [Rocky] Schock is back with us for his second season. Without him Clean the Bay would be dead in the water. He is the backbone of the clean up operation for us. He's already got the whip out! Thanks to cities and groups like these who help us to get more miles cleaned. I don't know where we'd be today without them!
Anyone who would like to see the operation should come down the Connelly Pier. We begin around 8 am. Monday thru Saturday weather permitting. Spend the day, take a ride on the LCM and help us get Narragansett bay CLEANED UP! -Captain Ed Hughes |
