Summer time means summer vacations and most often that means, the beach. The beach is a common place for vacation, but with the crowds of tourists and vacationers, the beaches are often left trashed, the wildlife harmed, and the environment struggling. The media has been raising awareness about our impact on the marine wildlife with our straws and plastic use, but it goes deeper than that. Things that you think are perfectly safe and something you have always done can actually harm the ocean and it's wildlife. Today, we are going to teach you 7 ways that you can be kind to the beach while on vacation this summer.
WAYS TO BE KIND TO THE BEACH WHILE ON VACATION
Pick up your trash: This one is well known but not well followed. Litter and trash is a huge problem for marine wildlife and the environment. Leaving the beach as clean as you found it, or better than that, cleaner than you found it can make an impact. So this summer, pick up your trash before you leave the beach and on the way out, grab any other trash you might find and throw it away too.
Wear reef safe sunscreen: Have you heard about the amount of chemicals that are in sunscreen and how detrimental it can be to our health? Well sunscreen chemicals have the same effect on our coral reef systems and other marine life. The chemicals in a regular sunscreen can damage the reefs DNA and lead to coral bleaching, it can effect the growth of algae, and even decrease fertility in fish. To find a reef safe sunscreen look for a mineral based and non-nano sunscreen lotion (spray on sunscreen is bad for the air). Marine populations are already struggling and changing your sunscreen might help save a few.
Only take a few shells: Shells are beautiful and are treasures we all search for a the beach but did you know that the wildlife really needs them. Crabs use shells as homes, plants like sea grass and algae grow on shells, and marine life use shells to hide from predators. With tons of tourists and people taking the shells from the beach, the shell amount is decreasing leaving crabs homeless, plants with nothing to hold onto, and marine life like fish no protection from predators. Taking one to no shells from the beach is the best way to insure all marine life and wildlife has a home and good life.
Never feed the birds: Birds, like seagulls and pelicans, love free food at the beach, but the food that we have, isn't safe for them to eat. When you feed wild birds food, they start to rely on humans and get comfortable with humans like pets do. nfortunately, they are not pets and this can led to bigger problems. So, it is safer to never feed the birds while at the beach. (Or really wherever you go)
Don't leave food for the wildlife to eat: Like the feeding the birds, leaving food on the beach can lead to wildlife, like crabs, turtles, fish, or birds, to find it later whether it washes into the water or something grabs it on shore. If you bring food to the beach this summer, use a re-useable or glass container and make sure to bring it home with you. Always make sure to clean up after yourself when bringing items to the beach.
Observe wildlife from a distance(be respectful): Like humans, animals require their personal space. You wouldn't want a stranger walking up to you and touching or petting you, so don't do it the wildlife. When you are at the beach this summer, make sure to give wildlife their space and be respectful when viewing.
Fill up holes that you dig: Have you seen the jokes about people getting so bored at the beach that they just dig a really large hole? Well, those holes actually can cause sea turtles to get stuck in them, not be able to return to the ocean, and end up killing them. If you or your friends and family like digging holes in the sand at the beach, make sure to fill them back up before leaving to avoid this happening!
The main thing is to leave the beach better than how you found it. Marine life is so important to the entire ecosystem and visitors to the beaches can have a huge impact on it, so let your impact be positive. We hope you have a wonderful day and stay tuned for tomorrows FOOD FRIDAY recipe!
תגובות