The Marine Science Club President Kaelin Drey, Treasurer Mae van Schalkwyk, and the Stockton Aquarium and Aquaculture Club President Alexander Wroblewski hosted a Beach Bash on Friday, October 3 to raise awareness on how detrimental litter is to beaches.

Hosts and attendees took to the beach with grabbers and bags for their “Leave No Trace” Beach Awareness Walk segment just outside Kesselman Hall in Atlantic City. Most debris consisted of bottle caps and torn plastics, but other findings consisted of a flick lighter, shards of glass, paper rose petals, and even rusting metals. By the waterline, plastic materials were strangling bunches of kelp. A majority of the attendees have a study in biology, but there were others eager to be part of a seemingly-small yet important act of service.

As the group was wrapping up their cleaning, some took notice of a halo around the slowly setting sun. The result and findings of this cleanup demonstrated the vulnerability of the biomes such as the beach are. New Jersey shorelines attract many tourists, especially during the summer months; this leads to rising risks such as carbon emissions and littering.

In the past year, there has been an abundance of microplastics that have fallen into freshwater bodies near urban areas, and other events, like stormwater, carry these plastics into the ocean. “I wish people were more aware about how much damage littering or leaving plastic […] in the wild causes, ” says Faith Jastrow, a senior studying Wildlife as an Environmental Science major, who attended the Beach Bash.

Wroblewski wanted to help gather people into one place with this event so people can gain a stronger interest in biology and marine life. He stated, “Our goal was to try and promote a greater sense of community among marine science students and to get people interacting with all our clubs so that way we can have a larger Stockton community as a whole. I hope that everyone that comes to the event leaves with a little bit of environmental spirit that it matters to take care of the planet […] there is a community here at Stockton that is willing to support you.”

Stockton University is not new to the world of nature and conservation, as the New Jersey Pine Barrens surround Galloway campus and the university’s own trails. Though the institute’s story began in the Mayflower Hotel in Atlantic City, they returned with a strong presence in the shoreline community in 2018 with John A. Scarpa Academic Building and Kesselman Hall, followed by Parkview Hall’s opening in 2023. Stockton students recognized that it’s small acts like going out of one’s own way to pick up trash that can be impactful—negligence over time builds up to larger hazards and issues.

The cleanup was preceded by rounds of bingo and a sunset watch before the Beach Bash concluded soundly. This Stockton Beach Bash was organized with the courtesy of the Marine Science Club, Water Watch, Stockton Aquarium and Aquaculture Club, Stockton Marine Technology Society, and Love Blue Stockton Chapter.