Xavier Aguilar 
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND– A UTRGV professor is bringing beach pollution and conservation awareness to the forefront of her class.
Lucia Carreon, Biology Lecturer organizes a yearly beach cleanup to teach her class about human interaction with the environment.
“Right now, we are looking into the big problems that humans have created here because of pollution,” said Carreon.
Within two hours, Carrion and her class collected 580 straws and about 850 cigarette buds in 200 feet of beachfront.
Sea Turtle Inc. is an organization that educates the public on conservation and how certain marine life, especially sea turtles, can be affected by human interaction.
“We’ve taken in about 600 patients over the last 10 years and of that about 35 percent of them come to use because of some interaction with debris in the waterway,” explained Wendy Knight, CEO of Sea Turtle Inc.
Rosemary Aguero-Riojas, a vacationer, advised beachgoers to be more considerate and conscious of what they bring to the beach.
“I tell my husband and my kids to pick up after themselves,” shared Aguero-Riojas. “A recommendation I would give is just bring your own trash bag.”
The Environmental Health Services Department at South Padre Island in partnership with Republic Services provides recycling every Saturday for household items.
Any form of littering on beaches may be subject to a fine of up to $2,000.
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