The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is urging all Texans to take advantage of their right to access the public beach Saturday, Sept. 22 for the 26th Annual Texas General Land Office Fall Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup. The cleanup will take place at 29 sites along the Texas coast.

“A right not exercised is a right that will be lost,” Patterson said. “Join us Saturday, Sept. 22 for a fun time and a great cause, exercising your rights and keeping Texas beaches trash-free.”

Adopt-A-Beach volunteers can register at any of 28 check-in sites all along the Texas coast between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 22. Volunteers must pre-register for the St. Jo Island location in advance. Volunteers should wear shoes, a hat and sunscreen. Volunteers will be given data cards, gloves, pencils and trash bags. Most sites along the coast conclude the day’s cleanup with cold drinks, hot food and lots of fun.

Volunteers may register on-line at http://www.TexasAdoptABeach.org or become a fan of the Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach program on Facebook. Texans who can’t make it to the beach but still want to support the effort can make a tax-deductible donation at www.TexasAdoptABeach.org. Sponsorship levels range from $25 to $25,000.

The Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach program began in the fall of 1986, when 2,800 volunteers picked up 124 tons of trash. Since then, it has grown into one of the most successful all-volunteer efforts in the nation. In 26 years, 430,000 Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up more than 8,300 tons of trash from the Texas Gulf Coast.

Shell Oil Company is the statewide sponsor for the 26th Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup. Other sponsors include Apache Corporation, AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry LLC, Cheniere Energy, Halliburton and the Ocean Conservancy.

For more information about how you can get involved, call 1-877-TXCOAST or visit our Web site at www.texasadoptabeach.org.