DATE: Friday, June 20, 1997                 TAG: 9706190185

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DOUG BEIZER, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   53 lines

PIONEERS, SCOUTS WORK TOGETHER TO CLEAN UP LESNER BRIDGE AREA

Mingled among early morning fishermen under the Lesner Bridge, volunteers picked up trash ranging from beer cans to a car muffler along the beach and in the water last Saturday for Clean the Bay Day.

Members of Bell Atlantic's Pioneers of America community service group and troops of Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts made up the crew of about 50 that cleaned under and around the bridge.

The Lesner Bridge volunteers were among 4,300 Clean the Bay Day volunteers who cleaned waterways stretching from the North Carolina border to Delaware. Besides picking up trash, volunteers cataloged everything picked up so statistics can eventually be generated.

The Boy Scouts from Troop 364 and Cub Scouts from Pack 364 quickly filled up their plastic bags with cans, pizza boxes and other trash.

Jeff Waller, the troop's scoutmaster, said the project was a natural fit for the Scouts because they got to help the community while being outside at the same time.

``We look for service projects because one part of the Scout oath is `duty to others,' '' he said. ``In addition to the boys getting service time, they always like coming to the beach; so we get to kill two birds with one stone.''

Waller hoped the project reminded his Scouts that they are responsible for maintaining their hometown's resources.

For Kiresten Robel and her sons Brandon and Bradley, cleaning the bay was partly motivated by their love of the beach.

``My children are out here cleaning because we go to the beach all the time and they want it to be nice, especially when they get older,'' she said. ``I'm surprised and a little disappointed by how much garbage we're actually finding here.''

Working from about 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers made their way about a half mile down the beach. Some sunbathers even helped out as the crew got near them.

Will Shepard and his Cub Scout son Keenan live near the bridge and visit the beach often.

``We do this just about every week,'' Shepard said. ``We just are in the habit of picking up trash when we come down here. But with this group effort today, we'll get a lot more accomplished than he and I could on our own.''

Boy Scouts Robert Toney, T.J. Vinson and Ian Becker looked at the project as time to hang out with friends on the beach.

``We drive by here everyday on our way to school, but I didn't realize how much trash was down here,'' Toney said. ``I like coming out here because some people don't care about the beach, but this shows we care.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DOUG BEIZER

Brandon Robel, 5, and Bradley Robel, 7, pick up trash on Clean the

Bay Day at the Lesner Bridge.

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