Keeping the Alabama Gulf Coast clean is important now more than ever.
Leave Only Footprints, Share the Beach, Dolphin SMART and Leave No Trace are just a few of the programs in place to help keep our environment healthy and safe. Steps are being taken internationally, as well, by countries that realize our oceans must be kept clean to sustain life on this planet.
Half of the oxygen you breathe is generated by the ocean, and it also helps regulate our climate. In addition to the recreation we seek in coastal waters, it is also a source of food and 
income.
As spring turns into summer, visitors will flood our beaches because they are beautiful. The crushed-quartz, white sand glistens in the sunlight while the waves catch the glimmers of sunbeams. Taking care of the environment requires a small commitment on our part:
- Leave Only Footprints. If you bring it to the beach, take it with you at the end of the day, including tents, umbrellas, chairs, sand toys and trash.
- Fill holes you have dug so they don’t become a disaster for another beachgoer, a mama sea turtle trying to nest, or a baby sea turtle finding its way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Abide by fishing rules and regulations so that our natural resources are not exhausted.
- Remember the Leave No Trace principles that urge visitors to leave beach vegetation and other natural resources at the beach.
- Patronize only dolphin-watching companies that follow Dolphin SMART principles. They are taught how to respect the dolphins and their habitats, and share that information with their guests.
- Remember that what you do away from the beach also affects the coast. For instance, cutting your dependence on plastic water bottles and plastic bags will save what goes into landfills or gets left behind at the beach.
- Participate in Coastal Cleanup days or become a Share the Beach volunteer for sea turtles.
A clean, healthy coast is one of the biggest gifts you can give to future generations.
Leave A Comment