On October 11th more than two dozen volunteers from the greater Portland area joined the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA), the Ocean Conservancy and the Island Institute in a cleanup of the islands in Casco Bay. The cleanup was the last in a string of semi-annual island cleanups sponsored by MITA spanning the entire coast of Maine. The island cleanups represent just one of the many stewardship services MITA provides along the Maine Island Trail, a 350-mile “water trail” of islands accessible to kayakers and other boaters for day use or overnight camping.

The Casco Bay cleanup was particularly notable because of the number of participants involved and the unique collaboration between conservation organizations. Volunteers from as far away as Massachusetts and New Hampshire joined forces with Portland-area residents to remove more than 30 bags of trash, several tires and a number of miscellaneous bulky items from the shorelines of a half-dozen uninhabited islands in the bay. Boats provided by local residents worked alongside MITA’s skiffs and a vessel captained by John Williamson of Ocean Conservancy to transport volunteers to and from the islands and carry trash back to the mainland. Meanwhile, on Chebeague Island a team of island residents mobilized by the Island Institute fellow Thea Youngs cleaned the shore of the island that they call home. “The outpouring of support from the greater Portland and Chebeague Island communities for this cleanup is really significant,” according to Brian Marcaurelle, MITA’s Stewardship Director. “It signals a real connection to Casco Bay and a concern among locals for its upkeep.”

For Portland resident Megan Hayes, the day was as much about adventure as it was stewardship. “Getting to spend such a glorious fall day exploring an island was the true reward . . . . There is no better way to spend a day than outside on the islands MITA works so hard to maintain. Picking up a few bags of trash is the least we can all do to say Thank You!” One out-of-state couple of MITA die-hards were actually celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary on the cleanup.

In addition to gathering shoreline trash, the volunteers were also collecting data on the marine debris they found. Using data collection cards designed by the Ocean Conservancy, the volunteers catalogued each piece of debris they picked up before bagging it. “The data will give us a better sense of the make up and extent of marine debris in Casco Bay,” Marcaurelle said. “Our findings then can be compared to data taken from Ocean Conservancy-sponsored cleanups around the globe to give us a clearer picture of where Maine fits relative to the rest of the world.”

With a staff of only 7 and a modest budget, MITA has cared for islands along the entire coast by leveraging volunteers for 20 years. MITA organizes island clean-ups in the Spring and again in the Fall, monitors all the islands during the summer season, educates users in “Leave No Trace” practices, and establishes use guidelines and limits when necessary to protect island flora and fauna.

MITA volunteers and other members are rewarded for their contributions of time and dollars with access to some of the most beautiful islands in the world. Memberships of $45 ($65 family) provide a season’s access to some of these wild and beautiful treasures. And by volunteering their labor, they gain the direct satisfaction of community service that keeps these treasures sparkling.