The 2023 Coastal Cleanup Day at Montecito Beaches

Montecito is extremely lucky to have Pyp Pratt lead the cleanups for Butterfly Beach. He is the Beach Captain for the third year during this important annual Coastal Cleanup Day that takes place along California’s entire coast. Along with his dad Paul Pratt and mom Rali Kirova, they have been doing beach cleanups in Montecito for over five years. When I arrived on Saturday, September 23, Pyp was called by the Coastal Cleanup team to help a few other beaches, including East Beach and up the coast at Refugio Beach! Following that, he went on to do his volunteer work at the Sea Center. 

Volunteers till the end of cleanup time were Westmont College students Desiree Tinkess and Analee Josselyn with minors in environmental studies who brought their friend from Santa Cruz, Jared McConnell. Separating all the trash for the count and MarBorg pickup were annual volunteer Sawyer Smythe, a Junior at Anacapa School, and prior volunteer Santiago Sierra who brought his friend Mayra Mosqueda for her first beach cleanup. Mosqueda shared, “I’m so surprised about the trash on the beach, it’s like, the trash can is right there, why can’t they put it in the trash can?”

Here is the cleanup tally of trash collected from the 58 volunteers:

Total pounds of trash = 163

Total pounds of recyclables = 95

Distance cleaned = about a mile on Channel Drive and the neighborhood around Butterfly Beach 

Most unusual items = game console, a bike frame, and a shopping cart

And it just gets better, as the Laguna Blanca School team marked its 10th year at Hammond’s Beach. Yes, down that steep rocky incline headed 64 volunteers who pulled up 150 pounds of trash, including rusted metal parts, a carpet that couldn’t fully be removed, and a new teddy bear toy with baby clothes. The team leaders were teachers Allison Armstrong, Katie Pointer,and Kevin Valdez, and school parent and All Saints Church parishioner Allison Grisham.

Pyp is the only under-18-year-old Beach Captain in the area. In between studies and volunteer work, he was generous to take time for a quick interview:

Q. Tell us about being Beach Captain.

A. I was honored to be selected again this year as a Beach Captain for Butterfly Beach on Coastal Cleanup Day. I have my parents on my team because they taught me the importance of caring for our environment and participating in community service. I see my role as a Beach Captain as organizing, guiding, and managing the cleanup operation. The real cleanup effort would not be possible without the many volunteers who do the real work of collecting hundreds of pounds of trash and recyclables on Coastal Cleanup Day and during regular community beach cleanups. I graduated from Santa Barbara Middle School in May and now go to Midland School. Midland School is an independent boarding high school in Los Olivos with a special outdoor education program.

Why is the ocean and environment important to you?

My love for the ocean and awareness of the importance of ocean conservation started at a very young age when walking with my family and dog on the beach and surfing in the Pacific. In 2018, I started participating in beach cleanups with Explore Ecology and volunteering at the Santa Barbara Sea Center to educate people and raise awareness of the many marine species and ecosystems in the Santa Barbara Channel. I have also been volunteering with the University of California Santa Barbara’s Marine Science Institute to document changes in beach width and erosion on another local beach here in Santa Barbara.

I have seen the impact of ocean pollution, specifically plastic pollution, as an ongoing problem for the ocean. When I participate in beach cleanups, I not only do my best to collect trash but also report the data through the Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell application. About 75 percent of the trash we collect is plastic. Plastic debris can kill wildlife and leak toxins into the environment. These toxins can enter the food chain, such as the fish we have for dinner. The trash that our volunteers collect will not end up in the ocean. 

I was selected earlier this year as an Ocean Ambassador with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Completing a training program with NOAA has helped me meet other people who are passionate about the ocean, study the threats to our ocean, and learn about possible solutions. I am hoping that it will lead me to new opportunities to become more involved in ocean conservancy and connect more deeply with my community.

I have not yet decided on what I want to do for my career. I do know that regardless of what I choose to do professionally, I will continue to be a voice and a positive influence for the ocean.

Pyp said he is happy to talk to anyone interested in learning more and getting involved; his email is listed in the 411. The team at the MJ thanks Pyp and all the volunteers for keeping our beaches clean!

Coastal Cleanup Day is brought to you by Explore Ecology and the County of Santa Barbara Resource Recovery and Waste Management. The California Coastal Commission organizes the statewide event and the international event is organized by the Ocean Conservancy.

411: PYP contact: ppratt@midland-school.org

Coastal Cleanup Day: https://exploreecology.org/coastal-cleanup-day/