
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 9, 1994                    TAG: 9406080155 
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN                     PAGE: 20    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: BY PHYLLIS SPEIDELL, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: 940609                                 LENGTH: SUFFOLK

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT TO HELP CLEAN THE BAY \

{LEAD} If you are concerned about Suffolk's rivers and shorelines and would like to do your part to help keep them clean, circle this Saturday on your calendar.

Volunteers are needed to participate in the sixth annual Clean the Bay Day, organized in Suffolk by the Driver Ruritans and the Bennett's Creek Ruritans.

{REST} Groups of volunteers will help clean debris from the shoreline and beaches at all of Virginia's coastal state parks and other locations around the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Information on the types and quantities of litter found will be used to identify local pollution problems.

Volunteers often gain a new perspective on environmental responsibility and what they can do to help safeguard the rivers, creeks, and especially the wildlife, organizers said.

``The whole purpose of the day is to put itself out of existence by eliminating the problem,'' said Fred Hazelwood, manager of Seashore State Park and Clean the Bay Day coordinator.

Locally, volunteers will be gather at 9 a.m. at the fishing pier at the Portsmouth campus of Tidewater Community College in Suffolk.

From there, teams will move along the beaches to collect litter until noon.

``Volunteers should be sure to wear sturdy shoes and gloves,'' said Carolyn Hawks, Bennett's Creek Ruritan president. ``And don't forget a hat and sunscreen.''

Volunteers with boats will meet at 9 a.m. at Bennett's Creek Landing Park on Shoulder's Hill Road to collect debris along Bennett's Creek and the Nansemond River. by CNB