Nicole Tallent is someone who views cleaning the small beaches along the Ferry Landing as an obligation. I have seen Nicole cleaning the beaches in the past, but never knew her name until I stopped her in April to thank her when others were too fearful to pick up a single piece of trash.
Since the pandemic began, it seems Coronado is drowning in litter. Just look at the gutters, parking lots, medians, and beaches. There are gloves, masks, and wipes strewn across our town. People drop their take-out waste in the gutter rather than taking it home or disposing of it in a trash can. In a word, it is disgusting; but when you see a person cleaning the beach day after day, it is nothing less than inspiring. This is why Nicole Tallent is our April Emerald Keeper of the Month.
When I stopped Nicole to let her know she was our Emerald Keeper of the Month, she was humble about her actions. She said, “We may have a pandemic but the trash is still rolling in. It is important to be an Emerald Keeper because we need to recycle and take care of nature. I am all about the environment—with a group or without a group. It is easy to wash my hands after picking up the trash. It is what I do.”
Since I met Nicole in April, she has expanded her daily trash pick-up to the Silver Strand State Beach. “Once the beaches were opened,” Nicole explained, “I started biking down there. It’s a great ride. The beach has a never-ending supply of garbage.”
Nicole noted the litter has significantly increased since COVID 19 arrived. She said, “I really enjoy doing this for the environment and the sea life. I grew up going to the beach and never saw trash; and I hope someday in the future, the beaches will be like that again.”
Thank you, Nicole Tallent, for being our April Emerald Keeper of the Month. May your actions inspire others to take care of their own trash and step up to help clean our beaches.
