HOW TO ADOPT A BEACH

Caution! Walking along Orange County’s coastline can be hazardous to your health.

Shards of glass jut out from the shoreline, poised to puncture an unsuspecting instep. Sharp slivers of metal, hidden beneath sand, await a heel digging in to chase a volleyball, Frisbee or smash ball. Plastic debris--including six-pack holders, garbage bags and sandwich baggies--is everywhere, despite the hazard it poses to ocean animals mistaking plastic for food.

To combat the forces of garbage overtaking the California coastline, the California Coastal Commission has created a statewide Adopt-A-Beach Program, which relies on volunteers pitching in to remove trash from the beaches. Any person or group can adopt a section of the beach to clean three times a year.

Last year, 31,332 items of garbage were collected from Orange County beaches, according to Lisa Hybarger, spokeswoman for the Coastal Commission. Only about 10% of the trash gathered was recyclable glass and aluminum cans. Another 75% of the beach debris that volunteers dredged from the sand was plastic. Cigarette butts and other miscellaneous trash made up the rest.

A statewide Coastal Cleanup Day is planned for next Saturday. On that day, everyone who has adopted a beach and anyone else who is interested is invited to get together for a day of cleaning up and enjoying one of Orange County’s most valuable natural resources.

To adopt a beach:

* Contact the public information office of the state Coastal Commission in Sacramento and request an Adopt-A-Beach application and adoption agreement. The phone number is (415) 543-8555.

* The Coastal Commission will verify that the beach you (or your group) has chosen is adoptable, or the commission may suggest another beach that needs adopting.

* Upon receiving the completed adoption agreements, the Coastal Commission will register your group as the adopter of that beach.

* Contact the beach manager at your adopted beach listed below. All future cleanup dates, location and logistics for beach cleanups will be coordinated with the beach manager.

Adoptable beaches:

MAIN BEACH, LAGUNA BEACH Beach Manager: Terry Brandt Phone: (714) 497-3311

HUNTINGTON, BOLSA CHICA AND CRYSTAL COVE STATE BEACHES Beach Manager: Ken Smith Phone: (714) 536-1454

DANA POINT, CAPISTRANO, ALISO AND SUNSET BEACHES, SALT CREEK BEACH PARK AND SANTA ANA RIVER JETTY COUNTY BEACH Beach Manager: Michael Gaughan Phone: (714) 497-8287

DOHENY, SAN CLEMENTE AND SAN ONOFRE STATE BEACHES Beach Manager: Ginny McVickar Phone: (714) 496-6172

HUNTINGTON CITY BEACH Beach Manager: Jim Way Phone: (714) 536-5287

Source: California Coastal Commission and 1989 Beach Cleanup Results compiled by the Center for Marine Conservation