In the summer of 1987, a 50-mile-long garbage slick washed ashore on Long Beach Island, its origins traced to illegal dumping. A number of local residents joined hands – for “Hands Across the Beach,” a protest against ocean pollution – and then joined together to establish nonprofit Alliance for a Living Ocean, which continues today to safeguard our shores.

Virginia “Ginnie” Gottshall, now 98, was one of ALO’s first volunteers, alongside her husband, Earl. On an early fall day, in a common room at The Residence at Stafford, a senior living community, the former Beach Havener recalled her devotion to the coastal environment and the activism that defined much of her life.

Philadelphia native Ginnie met Earl at Drexel University; she studied design, and he chemical engineering. They later settled together in Bel Air, Md. and spent summers at Earl’s family home on East Fifth Street in Beach Haven. The house, said Ginnie, was close to the LBI Historical Association Museum and Surflight Theatre – where she still regularly attends shows. Back then, the ALO office was situated next to The Show Place Ice Cream Parlour, in that same area of Beach Haven.

Ginnie had always loved the beach, and the water. She took swimming lessons in Philly as a child, and her favorite activity at the shore was “jumping the waves.” In later years her daughter, Barbara, taught her to waterski.

Every summer in Beach Haven, Ginnie would walk the two blocks to the beach and pick up trash. Perhaps her most memorable find: a balloon that had floated up from the annual Easter party at the White House in Washington, D.C.

The Gottshalls soon after drove to D.C. to represent ALO at a meeting at the Center for Marine Conservation (now Ocean Conservancy), letting them know about the trash on LBI, and the nonprofit’s response to this pollution crisis. “It was my job to tell my government what I thought,” said Ginnie. “I was astonished they had a working group, and they were astonished by me.

PAST PRESS: Gottshall is featured in a 2011 article in The Beachcomber, which includes a photo of her and husband Earl. (Photo by Ryan Morrill)

“They then gave us an assignment,” she explained. The center asked the couple to pilot a national marine debris monitoring program, a project that came at the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ginnie and Earl, with several other ALO volunteers, decided to focus on Island Beach State Park. IBSP wasn’t as popular a spot then as it is now, and the group wanted to see if they would find a lot of trash even on a relatively quiet beach. They did, and, said Ginnie, “we then realized the size of the problem.”

The volunteers worked tirelessly to collect debris and log what they found.

Richard “Rick” Mellerup, then-president of ALO, nominated the Gottshalls for the New Jersey Governor’s Award Program for their efforts working with ALO to determine and resolve the source of marine pollution. The couple received their awards, in the environmental category, and were honored in June 1991 by Gov. James Florio.

The couple traveled statewide and beyond to speak about their environmental work, including at the Third International Conference on Marine Debris, hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association in May 1994.

‘INSPIRING’: The Residence at Stafford is impressed by the former Beach Havener’s tireless work to promote sustainability and environmental awareness.(Photo by Ryan Morrill)

The following year, Earl lost a battle against prostate cancer, and in 1996, Ginnie sold their Maryland home and moved to Beach Haven full-time. Most days, she walked from her house to the beach and picked up whatever litter she spotted.

In 2001, two plaques arrived from the Center for Marine Conservation and the EPA, recognizing the Gottshalls’ dedication to the National Marine Debris Monitoring Program.

Ginnie continues to champion environmental causes at her young age of 98, and recently received recognition from the National Arbor Society for her outstanding contributions.

As The Residence at Stafford stated, “Ginnie is truly an inspiring resident and a passionate environmentalist, renowned for her dedication to keeping our oceans and lands safe for all creatures. Alongside her husband, she tirelessly worked to promote sustainability and environmental awareness.

“Ginnie’s commitment serves as a wonderful example of how grassroots activism can lead to meaningful change.”

SHORELINE PROTECTOR: Ginnie takes a moment to look over the old Beachcomber story. (Photo by Ryan Morrill)

On this sunny day on the second floor of the building, Ginnie was animated while speaking of her past stewardship, her love of the marine environment, her trips back to LBI to see friends and Surflight shows, and her fondness for her current home.

“They take good care of us here,” Ginnie said of The Residence at Stafford, leaning in to activities director Erica Gallagher, who clearly adores her.

The current ALO Board of Directors was thrilled to hear Ginnie has carried her coastal stewardship through the decades, and former president Mellerup said recently he would be visiting The Residence at Stafford to chat with Ginnie about those early days of the nonprofit they helped build.

Protection of this shoreline – our fragile home – is paramount. As Ginnie emphasized, “You have to keep caring.”