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06/28/2016 04:00 PMWhile thousands of visitors flock to Hammonasset State Park this summer to enjoy beach season, their presence can sometimes have a negative effect on the beach environment. Students from the University of Hartford came to Meigs Point Nature Center on Friday, June 22 to speak to community members and environmental leaders about the debris and garbage found on Connecticut’s shores.
Nearly 35 students, under the direction of Professor Katherine Owens, conducted a scientific study this past semester by collecting and cataloging debris found along the beach. Students gathered nearly 1,600 pieces of debris, which were then compiled into a report. The study was made possible by a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Owens said a large portion of what they found on the beach, mainly at Meigs Point, was plastic waste. Students collected plastic bottles, food wrappers, solo cups, fishing line, and cigarette butts as they surveyed the beaches.
“We know from the class that only 10 percent of what we throw away is plastic waste but a higher proportion of that is what shows up on our shoreline,” she said. “Seventy six percent of what we found was plastic debris. What we hope is that we can use this as a tool to show other people in our state that this is a problem and it is important for us to try and find a solution.”
Gabrielle Dabrowski, a student in the class, said it was disheartening to see all that was left on the beach.
“It was incredible to see all the bottle caps,” she said. “People think they will break down but not really and it hurts to see that we did this. We can make a big impact on bettering not only this beach but maybe set a better example for other beaches. This issue is extremely important, because many people have a certain mentality where they believe that they don’t need to care about the earth because it won’t affect their generation.”
Vice President of the Friends of Hammonasset Michelle Kiley attended the presentation and said it is important to educate people about the damage beach debris can cause.
“If you sit on the beach at Hammonasset at any time of the year you’re going to be able to fill an entire bag with garbage, just in your immediate area,” she said in a statement. “A lot of it is not from the people’s behavior being deliberately negligent; it’s from lack of education. And when there are studies out here showing exactly what’s collected and how it affects the wildlife, it helps to educate people.”
State Senator Ted Kennedy Jr. (D-12), who serves as chair of the stage legislature’s Environmental Committee, thanked the students for their work, and for bringing this issue to the attention of a wider audience.
“Nothing is more important to me than protecting our environmental assets here in Connecticut and Long Island Sound is the keystone environmental asset,” he said. “We can make an importance difference.”
Kennedy said he is working at the state level to create policy to help reduce waste.
“We use almost a billion single-use plastic bags every year and I am working with industry and other groups to figure out what we can try and do to reduce that because many of these plastic bags do end up in Long Island Sound,” he said.