Volunteers lend a hand in Mission Bay’s Clean the Bay 2014

MISSION BAY – More than 115 boaters, paddlerboarders and local residents helped rid the bay of more than 325 pounds of trash polluting Mission Bay during the third annual Mission Possible: Clean the Bay Day on Oct. 26.

Volunteers took to the water by boat, kayaks and standup paddleboards for the 3-hour cleanup. There were also volunteers on land who participated in the event hosted by SeaWorld and San Diego Coastkeeper.

“We’re from Carlsbad and spend a lot of time using Mission Bay, so we felt we should help clean it up,” said Gary and Judy Newton, members of Mission Bay Yacht Club.

The second annual cleanup resulted in the removal of 325 pounds of trash, which included a shopping cart, a piece of a boat oar, tennis balls, glow sticks and a plastic dinosaur, according to San Diego Coastkeeper.

“You can do anything if you use your imagination–one person’s trash is another bird’s treasure,” said Celina Bowns, a resident of El Cajon, who collected the trashed tennis balls so that she can turn them into toys for a local bird rescue organization.

Volunteers cleaned up the shoreline along Marine Starns Parks.

Prizes from SeaWorld were awarded to those who removed the most unusual items, the most cigarette butts and the most trash  by weight.

Last year’s inaugural event cleared a total of 561 pounds of trash in one day including a rusted metal pipe, a shopping cart and a sailboat rudder, according to San Diego Coastkeeper.

For more information about San Diego Coastkeeper, visit sdcoastkeeper.org.