De-Sanding Hurricane Sandy #sandinmypants

Last week, Hurricane Sandy stirred up a raucous, making quite a mess of the east coast. Back home in New York, trees fell on fences, sidewalks, and cars, tons of people lost power, and public schools were cancelled for days. Gas lines are still lining up down the street in NYC, and for a while, it was impossible to drive into the city unless there were three or more people in the car. Here at BU, Monday classes and Tuesday morning classes were cancelled; a total surprise for the university notorious for holding class no matter what.

Along with affecting houses, power sources, trees, and wildlife, Hurricane Sandy also had an impact on the health and welfare of the water sources. It's easy to forget about storm water runoff polluting groundwater, overflow of rivers, and displacement of sand on beaches.

This afternoon, BU Branch Out's Leadership Collective took a trip out to South Boston to do some service at Carson Beach! Eight of us BU undergrads worked with the DCR (Department of Conservation and Recreation) on a mission to replace the sand that had been swept from the beach to the sidewalks. Shovels and rakes in hand, we shoveled sand from the sidewalk back onto the beach, and also picked up fallen leaves. Everyone did a great job!

Carson Beach! Someone had a really cool boat-swing I was so tempted to try...

The wonderful BU Branch Out volunteers, frolicking in the water!

Apparently, thousands of people, dogs, strollers, bicycles, skateboards, wheelchairs, and/or scooters frequent Carson Beach daily. Cleaning up public areas is important to encourage people to explore nature and develop an appreciation for the outdoors in a safe way. Seeing mothers with strollers, kids playing catch with their dads, and people in general enjoying a scenic walk along the newly cleaned sidewalks was my favorite part of the service event.

Afterwards, we got to watch the sunset at Castle Island; a gorgeous view and wonderful walk with some spectacular people!!!

View from the boardwalk at Castle Island, South Boston

#BUBranchOut @BUCSC #sandinmypants :D