Newport Daily News — With little warning, Clean Ocean Access dissolves. What the founder says about its legacy

Clean Ocean Access summer interns help make Take a Toy-Leave a Toy boxes. Provided Photo / Dryden Eliason, Clean Ocean Access

Jan 12, 2024

By Savana Dunning — With little warning, Clean Ocean Access, the nonprofit agency that has cleaned up Aquidneck Island beaches for nearly a decade, announced that it will dissolve.

“Clean Ocean Access has enjoyed the last ten years serving and educating the community of Greater Newport and Rhode Island as a whole,” the news release read. “Thank you to all of our ocean-loving community of dedicated volunteers, interns and donors throughout the years. Without you COA wouldn’t have been able to do the work we’ve accomplished over the years. The Clean Ocean Access board of directors has made the decision to dissolve the organization.”

Founder Dave McLaughlin, with a group of fellow surfers, informally started what would later become Clean Ocean Access in 2006. The organization obtained nonprofit status in 2014 and grew dramatically over the following decade.

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