With a wave of new student groups lining up to clean the beach this quarter, The Shoreline Preservation Fund (SPF) has been sending dozens of volunteers to Isla Vista and beyond through its new and improved Coastal Service Program.

Shoreline Preservation Fund’s Grant Manager Scott Bull said the group, a student-run coastline protection organization, has been swamped this quarter by students wanting to earn $100 to $150 for their campus clubs by volunteering two to three hours of their time to help the environment. Bull said the primary reason for the flood of requests is increasing word of mouth, as cash-strapped student groups hear about the benefits of the SPF program. Bull said there is currently a waiting list to participate in the Coastal Service Program, which has been operating for three years. He said SPF has received more applications to participate in their programs in the first two weeks of this spring quarter than they usually do in an entire quarter.

“Typically up to 20 or 25 groups will apply,” Bull said. “We’ve been surprised that over 35 have applied in just the first two weeks of this quarter. What groups are doing now is turning in a blank form and taking anything that’s available.”

Last year, SPF expanded their program to clean up Del Playa Drive, and in fall of this year decided to accommodate the growing demand by creating a restoration program around the I.V. and Goleta coast, as well as a tree-planting program. It also recently kicked off a water-testing program this quarter.

Bull said SPF has been able to accommodate the growing demand by allocating more of its budget to pay student groups for volunteering. Utilizing the funds from their $3 lock-in fee, Bull said the organization is using between $3,000 and $4,000 per quarter for the Coastal Service Program. He said SPF also lowered the amount of money groups could earn – early last year SPF paid student organizations up to $250 per session, while this year they usually make less.

“It does cost us a lot of money,” Bull said. “Typically a group can make $100 to $150 depending on what program they participate in.”

Adrienne Cyr, the Coastal Service Program coordinator, said the program helps students protect the environment while learning about it.

“SPF funds beach cleanups so that groups can raise money while having an educational component, benefit the coastline and maintain student involvement,” Cyr said.

SPF attracts a wide variety of organizations looking to participate in community service projects, Bull said, including sororities and fraternities, the Gaucho Pep Band, a Chinese American group, Habitat for Humanity, a group from the San Nicholas residence hall and the UCSB SCUBA club.

“You can’t just say its one or any group – it’s every type of organization on this campus,” he said.

Bull said the recent increase in student participation has allowed SPF to better maintain UCSB’s coastline.

“By having students come out and help out, we can get a lot more work done with limited resources,” he said. “It’s amazing how much stuff we can get done. Four different groups are participating every weekend either cleaning up the beach, the streets or doing restoration projects.”

Bull said hundreds of pounds of trash are removed from the campus and I.V. coastline as well as from the length of DP every weekend by enthusiastic volunteers.

Fourth-year communication major Andy Lee said cleaning up the beach was a fun experience for him and other members of the Communication Association, which participated in a beach cleanup with the Coastal Service Program in January.

Lee said it was rewarding to be involved with the Coastal Service Program because it allowed him to give back to the community.

“It’s good to help out the community,” Lee said. “People walking by were surprised that someone was actually helping out.”