Nobody likes a filthy marina. All that...

Nobody likes a filthy marina. All that plastic and non-biodegradable rubbish is unsightly to humans above the water line and potentially deadly to the creatures below.

“We’ve been doing dolphin research down here, and we are acutely aware of how much crap gets in the water after a windstorm or a rainstorm,” says Charles Saylan, executive director of the Ocean Conservation Society in Marina del Rey. “This is a trapped area, so it moves up and down with the tidal flow but it doesn’t go in and out. It’s dangerous to marine life, marine mammals and seabirds.”

To help protect this habitat, Saylan has organized the Marina del Rey Boat and Kayak Cleanup. Sport Chalet and Cobra Kayak donate equipment, Starbucks and Noah’s the bagels and coffee, and volunteer power comes from the L.A. Dolphin Project, UCLA, various high schools and middle schools and anyone else who makes it here by 8:30 a.m. to sign up. In this, his second go-round (the first was a smaller, unsponsored affair), Saylan amasses a flotilla of 40 garbage-picking one- and two-person kayaks, each volunteer equipped with rubber gloves, life vest, net and color-coded trash bags for recyclables, non-recyclables and biohazardous waste. Thankfully, no condoms or needles are found. By noon, 442 pounds of previously waterborne filth are piled at the boat launch to be ferried to more dolphin-friendly disposal sites.

Herewith, some volunteers for the three-hour tour of duty.

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The next clean-up is scheduled for Earth Day, April 22; https://www.ocean

conservation.org.

VOLUNTEERS

Courtney Johnson, 15

Occupation: Student, Santa Monica High School. Sample trash inventory: “Mostly cigarette butts and beer cans and plastic wrappers and a Tupperware top.” Why I’m here: “Because I get extra credit.”

Debra Jacobsen-DeWitte, 44

Occupation: Massage therapist; also a volunteer for L.A. Dolphin Project. Trash inventory: “Two dead pigeons, party favors, empty beer bottles, electrical outlets and a lot of slimy stuff.” Why I’m here: “I love dolphins. I’ve been a part of taking care of dolphins for the last 20 years.” Conclusions drawn about the people who live here: “I just think people can be more conscious of what they’re throwing overboard after a party because it gets into the marina, and it clogs everything up.”

Jonathan Salkind, 32 Occupation: Veterinarian. Sample trash inventory: A Christmas ornament, a sock, a sandal, a bottle. A lot of balloons and champagne corks and “hundreds and hundreds of those little stirrer straws. Those were the worst.” Why I’m here: “It’s always good to get the trash out because I hate looking at it. Also, I was a manatee researcher for years.” Conclusions drawn about the people who live here: “They like to party a lot, evidently. And they don’t pick up afterward.”

Ann Chung, 15

Occupation: Student, Mark Keppel High School, Alhambra. Sample trash inventory: “A dead bird, a catsup bottle, a watch, a beer bottle and a taillight.” Why I’m here: “Because I love the water, even though I’m not really coordinated in there.” Conclusions drawn about the people who live here: “Down by the smaller boats and stuff, their area wasn’t as clean as where the bigger boats were. People should be more careful and considerate about what they’re putting into the water.”