August 5-11, 2004

mixpicks

Keeping the Coast Clear

Philly, are we coastal? That depends. This week sees the arrival of the Coastal Clean-Up Challenge to Fairmount Park, part of a 16-city tour down the East Coast to raise the issue of water pollution and its effect on our coastlines. While we're not that far from the coast — as those weekend highway jams of seaside visitors make clear — the point of the campaign, led by marine muralist Wyland, is to remind us that just because you can't see the ocean, that doesn't mean it can't see your trash. Instead, more than 265 marine species are threatened by floating plastic debris and lost fishing tackle, according to the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), whose local chapter will be on hand to get to the bottom of our waterways. Aside from local officials, who'll appear early in the day, the main draw for families will be Wyland himself, who has traveled the world advocating for environmental care using his gigantic marine-themed artwork, providing a hard-to-miss message about conservation. (He's executed 68 whale murals, such as this one pictured in Hawaii.) He'll be painting alongside kids, hopefully explaining how Fairmount Park itself is affected by our industries, while San Diego surf-poppers 34 Below grab the adults' attention.

Coastal Clean-Up Challenge, Tue., Aug 10, 7 a.m.-sunset, free, Fairmount Water Works, Fairmount Park, Kelly Dr., www.wylandoceanchallenge.com.

—Juliet Fletcher