State of Westport Beach !!

[howlsatthemoon]

Have seen many lizard like creatures down at dunaverty golf course but enough of the locals. Have seen lizards but have not got a clue if they are sand lizards or newts.

[Kintyre Forum News]

I have copied this from the Council's Flotsam & Jetsam Newsletter which highlights a disappointing turn out for the beach clean at Machrihanish. Pity with so many people caring about the beach I did point out that no-one sent us an e-mail to raise awareness on the forum however.

Big Beachwatch Event at Westport Beach, Campbeltown

The GRAB Trust, in collaboration with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Argyll & Bute Council (ABC), held a Beach Clean & Public Awareness Event for the Marine Conservation ’s Big Beachwatch Weekend,on the 17th September.

The initial turn out for the 10:30am beach clean was disappointing with only 3 local people turning up, which included Ian Fawcett who used to work for the Council and Leslie Ellerton,who lives locally with her husband Peter who runs ‘Live on the Edge Surf School ’,dropping by to help.However,there were about 20 more people who were co-opted throughout the day who were out walking their dogs, who helped clean the beach.

All who participated in the clean were offered a light refreshment of tea, coffee or hot chocolate and a biscuit, which were kindly bought with vouchers donated by the Co-operative Group. In the end we collected 15 bags of rubbish and other larger
items such as a dust bin lid, big pieces of rubber tubing and a big rubber mat!

Stan Phillips from SNH was on hand to discuss the use of the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)and to help people understand Scotland ’s Access and Wild Camping codes. Steve Wood from ABC was also there to advise people about dog
fouling and litter.

[Ross]

Sorry couldnt attend the beach clean the other weekend but was away with work that weekend. Doesnt stop anyone else picking up a bit of litter any time there at the beach, quite often go for a walk through the dunes and back along the beach to scower for rubbish, if everyone did just a wee bit everytime it would make the world of difference.

[kintyre 84]

The Kintyre Schools Pipe Band did a sponsored walk from Westport to Machrihanish last Sunday. Along the way they had a treasure hunt to find items beginning with each letter of the alphabet. This acted as a mini beach clean. The comments made during the walk were how well the beach looked and how tidy and clean it was.

There were many surfers there enjoying the weather and facilities and no mess was evident.

As usual it is the minority who spoil things for everyone. Each person who uses the beach is responsible for their own mess be it camper, walker, dog owner, horse owner etc etc., and more importantly parents should be showing an example to their own children and teaching them the importance of cleaning up after themselves.

[bill]

"Pet owners who bag up dog poo and leave it on beaches are threatening the safety of people who visit the seaside.

A new survey shows an overall increase of 11% in dog mess on UK beaches - it's gone up 71% in Scotland.

Dog poo is dangerous because it contains high levels of bacteria - if it gets into water it can be very bad for bathers' health.

Almost 4,500 volunteers took part in the survey by The Marine Conservation Society - across 335 UK beaches.

The society says that pet owners have been thinking ahead by carrying plastic bags to clear up dog mess - which is a good thing.

But it now wants to encourage them to take the bags off the beach and bin it in one of the many dog bins provided.

Even though levels of dog poo were up, there was some good news: overall litter levels were down this year."

[LANDROVER ROGER]

I can not understand the mentality of people who put their dog`s faeces in a bag and then just leave it.Perhaps they think that the dog s**t fairy comes along and collects it all.I see it all the time where I walk my dogs.The bags invariably get ripped open by magpies or rodents so what is the point!

[gizmo]

[quote="billA new survey shows an overall increase of 11% in dog mess on UK beaches -[b][i][u] it's gone up 71% in Scotland.
."[/quote]
How many surveys do thse people do. Is there any subject anywhere that is survey free. How do they measure dog poo. Tell me Im not paying for this. I have never seen these surveyors, where do they operate? Anybody need a survey done, send me some cash by Paypal and I will send you the results of my in depth investigation by return.