Seeking Silver in Trash Pickup

It’s spring break for South County students, and most youngsters are spending their vacation just kicking back. Three Girl Scouts from Laguna Niguel, however, are doing just the opposite.

Kelli Nerison, Sharon Jotblad and Heather Bone are dedicating part of their vacation to a massive spring cleaning job at Dana Point Harbor--all 419 acres of it.

“There’s a lot of trash in the harbor,” said Heather, 14, a student at Aliso Viejo Middle School. “If people just cleaned up after themselves, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

The 30-hour project is part of the girls’ efforts to earn the Silver Award, the highest honor for the Cadette level of Girl Scouts.

Donning life vests, gloves and a lot of sunscreen, the trio spent all day Monday navigating through the harbor’s maze of channels in a tiny rowboat, scouring the murky waters for trash and scooping it up with nets.

Over the weekend, they washed the harbor’s public benches and picked up litter in the picnic areas. They even gave the Richard Henry Dana statue a good scrubbing.

Today, they are expected to complete the harbor project by leading about 40 younger Girl Scouts and their parents in a cleanup of the tidal pool area and the so-called Baby Beach, a spot with shallow, calm water that is popular among parents of babies and toddlers.

“People have told us that they really appreciate what we’re doing,” said Sharon, a 13-year-old student at Aliso Viejo Middle School.

Once they finish the task of tidying up the harbor, they hope to earn the Silver Award, which they have worked toward for the last two years.

“It’s equivalent to an Eagle Award in the Boy Scouts, but not many people know that,” said 13-year-old Kelli, a student at Niguel Hills Middle School.

For many passersby enjoying the gorgeous spring weather, the cleanup couldn’t have been a more welcome sight.

“It’s an excellent idea,” said Don Brecker, who was visiting from the San Francisco Bay Area. “We need this done in our area.”