St. Croix residents flocked to beaches the last couple of weeks for the annual Easter campout. The campers generally pack in an amazing amount of stuff. When they left on Monday, some did not pack it all out.
The beach at SEA Southgate Coastal Reserve was almost pristine and free of litter. There was one spot where someone hung a full garbage bag from a tree and they left a few beer bottles. The huge dumpster in the parking area was overflowing and debris was surrounding it, but it was all pretty well contained.
The beaches closest to Christiansted were nowhere near pristine or clean.
East of Altona Lagoon, at what locals call Little Bay, it looked pretty rough. There had actually been two bars with tables and chairs set up earlier in the weekend – one appeared to be sponsored by Presidente beer – and there were plastic plates, cups, cutlery and bottles all around the picnic tables and parking lot. There was a cement structure littered with all sorts of trash and tissue, where it appeared to be used as a place for people to relieve themselves.
There were piles of broken and smashed beer bottles. It did not look like there were any trash receptacles around the area. 
At Redbrick, between the Seaborne terminal and the Water and Power Authority Plant, the narrow beach and grassy areas were generally littered. It could have been campers’ litter or trash that had been there for a while.
There were small piles of wine and beer bottles scattered around where it was obvious camps had been. Empty 16 oz. water bottles were everywhere along with juice bottles. Gallon water jugs were also strewn around the area.
The water bottles made up most of the litter left behind by the Easter campers.
