More than 2,000 pounds of marine debris was collected from Long Island this past weekend in a joint effort of Kodiak Island Trails Network and Boy Scouts Troop No. 626.

Much of what was collected was lightweight plastic, said Andy Schroeder, executive director of Island Trails Network.

“That’s a whole lot of water bottles,” he said.

The first of a series of marine debris cleanups was a huge success, Schroeder said.

“I’m really proud of those guys,” he said.

About 25 people, including 14 Boy Scouts and 11 adults, camped at Long Island during the weekend cleanup.

The marine debris cleanup is funded through a grant from the Marine Conservation Alliance Foundation. The MCAF received nearly $500,000 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to administer a statewide cleanup initiative. Schroeder said Island Trails Network has a grant budget for this season of $60,000.

The Boy Scouts got involved because the Long Island cleanup combined two of their major activities: camping and community service.

Michael D’Elia, 13, has been in Boy Scouts for two years and was a Cub Scout before that. D’Elia said he enjoys camping most and liked being part of the cleanup effort because it keeps areas where he likes to camp clean.

D’Elia described finding countless water bottles, buoys and other debris around Long Island Lagoon where efforts were concentrated.

Matthew Kernan, 12, is in his first year of Boy Scouts.

“I thought it’d be fun,” Kernan said of his decision to join. He said he enjoyed the camping trip and the cleanup.

“It keeps the water clean and the fish a lot more healthy,” Kernan said.

Scoutmaster Steve Paulson said the Scouts made an outstanding effort on the cleanup.

“Everybody participated,” he said.

The beach is noticeably cleaner, he said.

“It’s like what you expect a Kodiak beach to look like,” he said. “There is a real sense of accomplishment there, you know?”

Debris can travel from all over the world, Paulson said, holding up a plastic crate sporting the name Budweiser and foreign writing Paulson said may be Japanese.

Paulson said the Boy Scouts hope to be involved in more efforts like the past weekends’ cleanup.

Schroeder said he identified seven target sites, Long Island included, for cleanup. He did aerial surveys of the archipelago to determine which areas need attention most. He said about 40 percent of the archipelago is surveyed and he hopes to do the rest this year.

Schroeder said areas were selected according to need and accessibility.

Other areas to be targeted include Shuyak and Sitkinak islands.

Debris collected is stored at NOAA until the end of the year, then shipped off-island.

Schroeder said the biggest debris impact is from entanglement and ingestion. Floating six-pack rings can entangle birds or other wildlife and plastic items, like a milk jug, become brittle with time and then fragment. Plastics floating on the ocean may appear to be food to birds and are sometimes ingested. Once a bird swallows the plastic, Schroeder said, it remains in their stomach until they die. Seabird mortality studies show many birds die with stomachs full of plastic.

Schroeder said cleanups also support the perception of Alaska’s pristine marine environment.

Schroeder said he might offer “volunteer vacations” to those outside Kodiak. A person would pay a fee — usually less than they would pay for a vacation — to travel to Alaska and be involved in the cleanup. The money collected is then used for further marine debris cleanup.

Schroeder said the volunteer vacations have been successful elsewhere.

Mirror writer Misty Maynard can be reached via e-mail at mmaynard@kodiakdailymirror.com.