A local cycling group has turned an annual Earth Day tradition into an interactive shoreline cleanup effort.
Ten cyclists with Urban Bike Tours of Bridgeport rode nine miles on April 18, removing litter from Fayerweather Island, home to the Black Rock Harbor Light.
Urban Bike Tours has been leading free guided rides in Bridgeport for 13 years, focusing on community engagement, local history and environmental awareness, but its efforts to clean up the shoreline with a hike to the lighthouse as an Earth Day event began seven years ago, co-founder Ashley DiCarlo said.
“During the first group hike to the lighthouse we found so much trash along the beach and jetty rocks and filled each of the plastic bags along the way,” DiCarlo said.
Located south of the city’s Seaside Park, the 7.5-acre island sits in Long Island Sound and is connected to the mainland by a breakwater.
This year’s organizers created a cleanup-themed bingo card to make the experience more engaging. Participants marked off items such as fishing lines, bottles, cigarette butts, and clothes for a chance to win prizes.
“We always joke that ‘you could fill a bingo card’ with all the trash we find along this cleanup hike,” DiCarlo said. “I was just playing around with the idea last week and thought this would be a great year to gamify it with a good old-fashioned round of bingo.”
The group often finds a wide range of debris during the cleanups. “We find everything, clothing, shoes, food utensils, kids’ toys, diapers, documents, bottles, cans, cigarettes, boating equipment, fishing lines, rusted chains,” DiCarlo said.
“It is such a joy to create and collaborate with folks on different rides throughout the year,” DiCarlo said. “Our April Earth Day Ride is the only ride that is a Cleanup Hike, complete with rubber gloves and plastic bags.”
Co-founder Robert Halstead said the group also advocates for improved bike infrastructure and community connection. He mentioned ongoing discussions with the Aspetuck Land Trust to develop bike trails and open space in the city’s North End, potentially benefitting residents and nearby institutions.
“In this case of the Fayerweather Island condition, our efforts have supplemented long-term community improvements that have taken place over the past 45 years,” Halstead said.
The group hopes the event encourages participants to change their perspectives on environmental impact and stay engaged every day. “All of our rides are free, guided bike tours,” DiCarlo said.
“In a world full of subscriptions, it is important to have a place where we can gather, explore, celebrate, and learn without a fee.”
For more information about the cleanup, follow Urban Bike Tours on their Facebook page.
