Coastal Steward Long Island (CSLI), an educational organization dedicated to cleaning, preserving and restoring Long Island’s coastline, is hosting two shellfish restoration programs and one beach cleanup in June. 

The shellfish restoration programs will be held June 4 and 18, from 8 to 11 a.m., at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. Volunteers should be prepared to get a little wet and dirty with this interactive program, as they learn to raise and grow oysters. To find the program location, look for the flag outside the Shellfish Facility at Cedar Beach.

The beach cleanup will take place June 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Centennial Park/Belle Terre in Port Jefferson.

CSLI programs educate youth and local community groups in coastal environmental awareness through beach cleanups, shellfish population restoration and citizen science. Their goal is to engage with local youth and communities in order to foster a caring connection between Long Island residents and their shoreline and to create future generations of coastal stewards.

Last summer CSLI’s Shellfish Restoration Program counted, measured, cleaned and raised 80,000 oysters, 20,000 of which were deposited in Mount Sinai Harbor while the other 60,000 went to various locations in Port Jefferson Harbor. 

Last September, 60 volunteers participated in CSLI’s beach cleanup at McAllister Park in Port Jefferson, removing 3,740lbs of debris from local beaches. In October, volunteers removed 3,180 pounds of debris from Centennial Park and Mount Sinai Harbor.

For more information, visit CoastalSteward.org. To sign up to volunteer, call Bruce Folz at 631-742-7712.