NC Coastal Federation and volunteers help clean up living shoreline in Oak Island

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — The North Carolina Coastal Federation and dozens of volunteers took part in helping maintain the shoreline at Veterans Park in Oak Island.

Volunteers were given boots, gloves and trash pickers to clean up around the shoreline for trash or debris in the area. The event was also used to celebrate the 200-foot living shoreline that was built in 2013 by Oak Island and the Coastal Federation. Bonnie Mitchell, Coastal Education Coordinator with the Coastal Federation says help from volunteers is vital for many reasons.

“We depend on volunteers and public engagement to be able to do that work that we do. We need our public to be aware of things, like for example it’s illegal to throw away oysters in the state of North Carolina because they provide such amazing environmental benefits,” said Mitchell.

The living shoreline is located in Lockwood Folly watershed and includes communities of Oak Island, St. James. As well as areas of Bolivia, Supply and Boiling Spring Lakes.