My family spent the holidays at our house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Hurricane season wrecks this strip of island every year, and it takes all hands available to recover the island before peak rental season. As we work towards healthier oceans, we also need to put forth the effort to protect and preserve our beaches.

Over the near two and a half weeks I have spent here since the hurricanes, I've taken my fair share of walks on the beach. For the fun of it and to explore, it's a great way to pass the time when most businesses and attractions are closed for the season. But what I saw while walking in that cold ocean water was troubling. There were places where the dunes were two to three times the size they should be, and in other places they weren't there at all. People's pools and driveways are full of sand, and beach reconstruction (while underway) is taking a long time.

But the dunes aren't the only problem. There's a massive amount of debris and other trash still left on the beach from the hurricane and the other big storms that have passed through. So, my sister and I decided to do what we could. We took a trash bag down to the beach and pick up as much trash as we could carry back to our house, just to get it off the beach. We mostly picked up siding and roof tiles, but we also found some other odd things in the sand. My sister and I found a piece of a hose, some kids pool toys, other plastic items, and even some clothes that were lost on the beach.

I care about the beaches as much as the next twenty-something, but I cannot stress enough that the way we treat our earth has got to change. While exploring, I found the bones and decomposing bodies of six or seven birds, all on separate occasions and a few different locations. I also found a massive horseshoe crab and one smaller one; both were dead.

I can't explain the reasons behind why the wildlife out there is dying, but there are people who can. And they've been trying to tell us for a long time, but we have been too ignorant to listen. There are small things we can do, but it's much bigger than ditching plastic products. Do some research and see how you can help from wherever you are. We need to preserve our beaches for future generations to enjoy.