Milanie D. 

Girl Reporter

On Saturday September 16, I went with my school, River Heights intermediate to Crystal Cove. Crystal Cove is a beach/park In Newport and has been open since 1979. It’s a beautiful and popular beach to visit because it is very calming and the beach is so serene and clean– you can have a great time without having to worry about picking up or stepping on any trash. 

We went to crystal Cove for the annual “Clean The Beach” day. It took us 1 hour and 30 minutes in travel time to get there and I didn’t think the bus ride over would be such a great experience, but it was! I was able to have conversations with my friends and get to know other peers that I have never talked to before. When we got to the beach, we were greeted by very kind park rangers who gave us bags and gloves so we could pick up trash. It was important for us to wear protective gear because we had to make sure we did not cut ourselves with glass or other sharp objects that might have been buried under the sand. As we gathered our bags, we walked down to the beach and there was not much trash that was visible. We did this because there were many people there to help clean up trash as well. It was amazing to see many people giving up their Saturday to make our beaches a better place for sea creatures. Keeping our beaches clean is important to our environment to ensure  healthy growth for earth and so, our wildlife can live safely and protected from human waste.

As we were picking up trash our chaperone Mr. Frajacomo showed us the tragic trash you can find at the beach and the damage that waste can do to our earth. There was a fishing line stuck with a lure inside of a ball of seaweed. Luckily, he was able to gather up the fishing line and the lure  the fish out of harms way. However, as we were walking further down the beach, you could see all the people actually digging into the sand to find trash. While my friend Lily and I were picking up trash we saw something hidden inside of a cliff. We turned the corner and there was a beautiful waterfall that was just hidden inside the cliff. I later found out that the water was trickling down form a nearby stream. After a few hours we went to view the tide pools. As we got there we found many sea enenimies and barnacles. The waves would crash into the huge rocks and bring in small fish and hermit crabs. 

Although we were having a ton of fun, we had to walk back to where all of our belongings were, and there we saw a seagull standing right in front of us. As the tide came in, the seagull grabbed a crab and held it in its mouth. It was definitely an event  I’ve never witnessed before until then.  After cleaning up the beach for an hour and a half, we were able to have a little bit of fun. My friends and I, got to play around and as we were playing in the water we saw a fin rise. At first glance we thought it was a shark, but come to find out, it was a dolphin! The dolphin was so fast, that I was not able to grab a quick picture but it was such a beautiful animal. 

 Overall, I had such a great time at Crystal Cove beach with my school. From cleaning the beach to finding interesting things you would not find anywhere else such as waterfalls in cliffs, tide pools, and even hardly any trash in sight. Crystal Cove is a great location for family’s to bond and create many amazing memories. Having the experience of being in the same area with such kindhearted people who care and love their community, is such a privilege in itself.