As the sun sets July Fourth, Masonboro.org vice-president Jack Kilbourne expects the organization’s 75 volunteers will haul 5,000 pounds of trash off Masonboro Island. Picking up after the sprawling party that overtakes the island’s north end every Independence Day is hard work, he said, but he’s worried that if they don’t, boaters could all lose access to the uninhabited island year round.
The organization was formed in 2009, after July Fourth partiers left enough trash on Masonboro to prompt leaders and officials to question whether they should restrict public access to the island. Kilbourne co-founded Masonboro.org in 2009 with Richard Johnson and Haywood Newkirk to “protect public access, promote responsible use and preserve the traditions of Masonboro Island.”
Masonboro.org volunteers will walk the island July Fourth from 8 a.m. until dark wearing red shirts and carrying trash bags to collect partiers’ empty cans and other debris. The volunteers are community members who, Kilbourne said, like to visit the island on a quiet midweek evening and don’t want to lose that privilege because of events that occur once a year.
“Threats of closing the island were made to us law-abiding citizens,” Kilbourne said. “Why punish those people because of the acts of a stupid drunken group of people?”
Cleaning up after partiers feels like “a double edged-sword,” he admitted, like they’re enabling the irresponsible behavior. But because the party only occurs July Fourth, it’s worth it to him to preserve responsible boaters’ access the other 364 days of the year.
“This is not a holiday weekend phenomenon,” he said. “This is one day a year, a very isolated incident.”
The increase in law enforcement presence on the island has helped control the celebrations, he noted, saying, “Thank goodness for the sheriff’s department.” But the littering issues continue because of the large number of partiers who pick up a Styrofoam cooler and beverages from the store and hitch a ride to the island by water taxi.
“Ninety percent of the trash that is left on the island is by [those people],” Kilbourne said. “At the end of the day, they flag the first person they can find to take them off the island, and the last thing they’re thinking is, ‘Hey, I need to go grab my bag full of trash.’”
Besides taking everything you need, including potable water and sunscreen, Kilbourne offered simple advice to those planning to celebrate July Fourth on Masonboro.
“Make sure you have transportation to and from the island, and take your trash with you,” he said.
With the cooperation of partiers and the help of volunteers, Kilbourne hopes to preserve the island “so that in 100 years it looks exactly like it does now,” because, he said, “There are so few places like this left in coastal North Carolina.”
And because most days other than July Fourth, he said, “it’s our little, secret, eight and one-half mile gem.”
To sign up to volunteer for Masonboro.org on July Fourth, visit www.masonboro.org
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