Students working to restore sand dunes in Coney Island. Here's why activists say their help is needed.
Students are swapping their textbooks for shovels in a mission to restore sand dunes at Coney Island Creek.
It's considered one of the most polluted waterways in New York City. For decades, environmental activists have been pushing to designate the beach there as a Superfund site so it can one day be eligible for a massive cleanup.
Environmental workers say nature-based solutions work
The National Wildlife Federation partners with the NYC Parks Department, American Littoral Society, and Coney Island Beautification Project in an effort to fight beach erosion and restore the shoreline.
"Nature-based solutions have been shown to be holistic and sustainable, and they work. Sand dunes will help to mitigate the next storm surge, chronic tidal floods and chronic erosion that is experienced by these communities," said Abby Jordan, the federation's climate science program manager.
Dozens of homes stand steps away from the beach, a community that was inundated and devastated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Jordan, who is from Brighton Beach, says trauma from the storm pushed her into this line of work.
"Being waist-deep in storm surge is something I will never forget. That is not something any young person needs to live through," she recalled, saying the experience changed her life.
Georgina Cullman, an ecologist from the NYC Parks Department, says student volunteers can help labor-intensive initiatives like this be more effective.
"The Parks Department takes care of 12% of the land area of New York City," she said. "But we need neighborhoods and our neighbors to take an interest and love and care for these spaces, too."
Students get hands-on learning experience at Coney Island Creek
Social worker Franky Jordan brought his students from Liberation Diploma Plus, a transfer high school that focuses on kids who fell behind.
"We know that students learn in different ways, and actually getting their hands dirty is one of the best ways for students to get involved," he said.
Public school students spent hours not just learning about the environment, but actively rebuilding it.
"It could help save lives eventually, like in the future," said 11th grader Nakaya Wry.
Rico St. Hilaire, a recent graduate, liked the program so much last year that he returned to learn more about the way this prevents flooding.
"It's basically forming a whole net, which, like, keeps it in place, which I think is really cool," he told CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger.
They're leaving more than just footprints in the sand; their work is shaping a stronger and greener shoreline.
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