Kahalu`u Beach Park Clean-Up Set for Saturday

A community clean-up day has been scheduled for Kona’s Kahalu`u Beach Park Saturday.

Big Island residents and visitors are invited to participate.

The clean-up is part of the National Day of Service, which is being held in conjunction with the celebration of Marting Luther King, Jr. Day, the holiday for which is observed the following Monday.

Kahalu`u is one of the island’s best sites for snorkeling and fish and turtle viewing, with more than 400,000 tourists and residents visiting the Ali`i Drive park each year.

The day is being sponsored by the Kahalu`u Bay Education Center and the county Department of Parks and Recreation. They will be providing gloves and trash bags, and Starbucks will be providing refreshments.

Persons interested in participating are encouraged to sign up at http://action.2013pic.org/page/event/detail/4jrxt.

“The County does a fine job cleaning the park on a regular basis, but small trash and cigarette butts gradually accumulate on the beach and in the sand,” said Jean BevanMarquez, manager of KBEC. “Plastic trash and cigarette butts pose hazards to our marine life. This cleanup event provides the community a way to come together and make a difference for the bay’s inhabitants and our visitors.”

The KBEC is the result of a 10-year contract established between the county and the The Kohala Center to build an education and research center at Kahalu‘u Bay, and to work with the county to improve the beach park and implement a master plan to enhance its care.