140 volunteers descend to clean up Peddocks Island

Graduate student spearheads effort to remove debris

Volunteers walked down the UMass-Boston boat ramp to board a boat for Peddocks Island where they spent the day cleaning. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

When Robert DeCoste kayaked to Peddocks Island last year, he didn't instantly admire the quaint cottages, diverse wildlife, and historic fort the Boston Harbor island is known for.

Instead he was awed by the massive debris that had washed up on the shore over the years, including tires, engine blocks, oil barrels, and gas tanks.

"I landed here on the island and it was terrible," the 28-year-old graduate student said yesterday.

The sight inspired DeCoste, who is finishing up a master's degree in facilities management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, to organize a massive cleanup of the island's coast as his management project.

Yesterday, the project became a reality when more than 140 volunteers from as far as Iowa helped DeCoste rake the shores of the island and fill a 30-yard dumpster with garbage.

Denise Sarno-Bucca, supervisor of the Boston Harbor Islands for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, was on hand to help and thank the volunteers, who included several youngsters, toiling on the hottest day of the year.

"Volunteers are an integral part of the beautification of this island," she said. "We need you and we thank you."

Before yesterday, DeCoste had worked out all the details for his project. He advertised it through MySpace, Craigslist, and by word of mouth, calling for volunteers. He also raised about $5,000 in cash donations and $5,000 more through in-kind donations, including the dumpster and the cost of disposal of the garbage.

"Even growing up in the area . . . I remember going out [to the island] and there was trash everywhere," DeCoste said. "It needed to be done."

Some of the volunteers got to Peddocks yesterday by boarding a boat at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. A second group took off from Hull High School, meeting the first group on the island near the historic Fort Andrews, a cluster of brick buildings built about 1904 and retired after World War II.

The volunteers broke into groups and picked up equipment before spreading out across the beach. They took a short hike through thick trees, passing old houses hidden in the woods, on their way to the coast. They sorted through layers of shells and sand littered with shoes, plastic bags and bottles, and wire mesh.

Ten-year-old Sean Murphy hadn't walked far before he tripped over something - the tip of a tire. It took him about 15 minutes to dig out the tire with his father, Steven of Peabody.

Some of the volunteers said they had heard about the condition on shores of Peddocks, one of the largest of the Boston Harbor islands, and expected a long day of work.

"We had seen some video of what was going on out here," said Steve Kelly of Milton, as he worked to free the hull of an old fiberglass boat.

Other big finds: a kitchen sink, several large propane tanks, lobster traps, and a barbecue grill.

"I didn't think it was this bad, I really didn't," said John Sullivan, 27, who had kayaked to the island with DeCoste last year.

Jonnelle Marte can be reached at jmarte@globe.com.