In what has become as much a rite as packing up the car in summer to bask along New Jersey's 127-mile coastline, many now return in the off season to clean beaches, plant dune grass, help with marine mammal strandings, and observe and report storm damage.
"People have come to appreciate the value of living near the ocean - that if they were in the Midwest or the Rockies, they couldn't wake up and have the Shore right there. . . . They want to get involved and do something to protect it," said Katherine Custer, a spokeswoman for Sea Isle City.
On a recent day there, about 100 volunteers did the tedious work of picking up tons of trash and scattering wisps of American beach grass in the dunes. The event was cosponsored by Clean Ocean Action and the local environmental commission.
On the crew were members of the Stewart family of Vineland, who have participated in Shore cleanups and grass planting for more than a dozen years.
"Since we love to use this beautiful beach all summer long, it's kind of our duty to come back down here in the fall and help out," said Marie Stewart, 42, who brought her teenage daughters.
"It gives us all a chance to reflect on how we as individuals impact our environment," Stewart said.
As many as 5,550 people participated up and down the coast Oct. 23, according to the nonprofit Clean Ocean Action, based in Sandy Hook.
What started out with a handful of people in 1985 has grown into annual spring and fall events at 70 sites, according to Tavia Danch, the group's pollution-prevention coordinator. The daylong sweeps can net as many as 300,000 pieces - about 59,000 pounds - of refuse.
"As we have been able to reach out to more and more people over the years, whether it's schoolchildren or adults, we have all come to realize what we do on the land has a tremendous impact on our environment, especially our marine environment," Danch said.
