Submitted by Helen Comba Environmental Committee Chair
On Saturday, August 8, 2026, the Environmental Committee participated in the 26th Annual
“Hooked on Fishing†event sponsored by the LBI Fishing Club and the Borough of Harvey Cedars. This event invites children and their families to experience the joys of surf fishing while promoting a positive and healthy lifestyle. The landing of a helicopter on the field, instructional exhibits, fishing tips, lunch, door prizes and awards were all a big hit with everyone on this sunny day!
Judy Bouton, Linda Kragie, Mary Wilding and Marge Selfridge joined Chair Helen Comba in distributing Open Source aluminum water bottles to the young anglers. These 16 ounce water bottles were selected as a way to promote the reduction of single use plastics in our fragile environment. Plastic represented 74% of debris collected during 2025 beach sweeps in 2025. Although these aluminum water bottles are not intended to be used over a lengthy amount of time, they can be refilled after the initial consumption.As shown in pictures here, the Garden Club sticker was affixed to each and every water bottle!
In addition to our giveaway, we continued to bring awareness to the new Skip the Stuff Law by displaying and offering cutlery packets to the adult participants. Finally, we had our “Choose Bubbles Not Balloons†recipe for homemade bubble solution available. This was just one more way to bring awareness of the harmful effects of plastics, including water bottles and balloons, on our oceans.
