On August 5th 2019, Ben Tuff made the epic swim around Jamestown in nine hours and seven minutes, and with the help of 240 individuals and businesses raised over $54,000 to advance the mission of Clean Ocean Access to improve ocean health.
Despite the obstacles facing all of us with the impacts, unknowns, and uncertainties associated with COVID-19, we have been able to take action to grow our impact and set in motion new goals and objectives with a greater focus on Conanicut Island for the residents of Jamestown.
Here are just a few of our current efforts: With a focus on improving ocean health starts on land, we activated a compost education initiative at Melrose Elementary School and a zero-waste lunchroom initiative at Lawn Middle School. In support of the Town efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 we are now working to review scientific studies that show that reusable bags are safe and aiming to expire the executive order that prohibits these bags. We successfully launched our weekly shoreline cleanup at Mackerel Cove on Tuesday afternoon for the entire summer. There is more work to be done to address the litter issues at numerous shoreline access points and continue to educate, inspire, and empower the community to foster environmentally responsible behaviors.
Thank you to Ben Tuff, all the people that made the event possible, and the hundreds of families and friends that have invested in our mission. Enjoy the day and the beautiful summer weather, and please do reach out to me if there are any environmental issues that require our attention, we are here to help.
Thank you
Dave McLaughlinExecutive DirectorClean Ocean Access