Join the Movement to Protect Our Coastlines

Mobilizing communities across Rhode Island and Connecticut to remove marine debris and protect our coastlines.

240 Cleanups Completed

63,093 Pounds of Trash Removed

3,000+ Volunteers Engaged

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Our Story

Our mission is to preserve and protect coastlines while inspiring people to take action for a sustainable future. Through impactful, hands-on beach cleanups and collaborations with businesses, schools, and organizations, ORCA works to create cleaner beaches, healthier oceans, and stronger communities. More than just cleanups, ORCA is a movement of people coming together to ensure our coastlines remain vibrant and thriving for generations to come.

Mahalo To Our Alliance Partners

Thank you to the 11 volunteers who collected 36lbs of trash last night in Misquamicut 🌊💙

Thank you to the 29 volunteers that cleaned 61lbs of litter at East State Beach tonight! Thank you @saltpondscoalition for teaming up with us for year #6!

We are stoked to help with the beach cleanup for the 6th year in a row at the @nescienceandsailing Catch A Curl Surf Classic.

Weather is looking great for Saturday. RSVP on ORCA’s website.

Join ORCA, the Misquamicut Beach Foundation, and our friends at the Windjammer on September 14th at 5 pm at the Windjammer in Misquamicut, RI for a beach cleanup!

All cleanup supplies will be provided. Link in bio to register.

At ORCA, we regularly find balloons, ribbons, and strings during cleanups across Rhode Island. While they may seem harmless, these items can be mistaken for food by wildlife or become entanglement hazards.

The good news? This is one type of pollution that’s completely preventable.
Instead of releasing balloons, consider celebrating with reusable decorations, planting something meaningful, or joining a community cleanup.

Have you ever found a balloon on the beach or in nature? Tell us where in the comments.

#OceanRecoveryCommunityAlliance #ORCA #BeachCleanup #MarineDebris #RhodeIsland

Congratulations @rachelettlinger !!!!

Thank you, Madison, for donating this amazing piece to ORCA!!!🫶🌊

Protect Our Coast 🌊

Made from organic cotton and recycled materials, it’s incredibly soft, comfortable, and built for cool nights.

This isn’t just another sweatshirt.

Every hoodie helps fund beach cleanups, volunteer supplies, and the work we do to protect Rhode Island’s coastline.

If you’ve been looking for a way to support ORCA while getting something you’ll actually wear, this is it.

Organic & recycled materials Premium relaxed fit Supports beach cleanups across Rhode Island

Limited quantities are available in the first run. Once a size is gone, it may be a while before we restock.

Grab yours through the link in our bio.

Tag someone who’d live in this hoodie #ORCA #rhodeisland #SupportLocal #Narragansett ProtectOurcoast

‼️5 days left to enter for a chance to win this incredible piece of art, “Neighborhood Watch”

The winner will be drawn on September 1st.
Check out the link in our bio.

Enter via Venmo
Raffle Entry Levels • $10 = 1 Entry • $20 = 3 Entries • $40 = 8 Entries • $100 = 25 Entries

Good luck and thank you, @madisonalma

‼️Cleanup added‼️ Napatree Point Conservation Area, 9/20

Thank you to the 40 volunteers who helped cleanup 71lbs of litter at the Sea Wall this morning in Narragansett, RI. 👏💙🙌🌊

Wella would like to thank the 11 volunteers who came out to Misquamicut Beach tonight to clean up 60lbs of litter from the beach and parking lots. Wella is 18 weeks old and in training to being a seeing eye dog. She is the sweetest 💙

Join us as we return to Misquamicut this Thursday, August 13th, at 5 PM at Wuskenau Town Beach. All cleanup supplies will be provided.
RSVP at oceanrecoverycommunityalliance.org

Support ORCA. Win an Original Work of Art.
We’re excited to partner with local artist Madison, who has generously donated her original painting, “Neighborhood Watch,” to benefit the Ocean Recovery Community Alliance.

Measuring 32” × 35”, this one-of-a-kind piece explores an important question: What if nature were watching us the way we should be watching over it? Inspired by the impact of littering and our relationship with the environment, Madison’s artwork encourages us to think differently about how we care for the places we all share.

Raffle Entry Levels • $10 = 1 Entry • $20 = 3 Entries • $40 = 8 Entries • $100 = 25 Entries

Join us for the Gallery Opening Reception! Tuesday, August 11, 2026 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Owl and Dove – Westerly, RI

Everyone is welcome! Stop by to meet Madison, view her gallery exhibition, and purchase raffle tickets in person.

Can’t make it to the reception? You can still enter by purchasing raffle tickets through ORCA’s Venmo (@orcacleanup) . Simply scan the QR code displayed next to the painting in person, not in person? Just send @orcacleanup your entry and include your full name and the best phone number or email address in the payment notes so we can contact you if you’re the winner.

The winner will be announced on September 1, 2026.
Please note: The painting will not be shipped. The winner must arrange to pick it up from ORCA.

Every raffle entry directly supports ORCA’s mission to organize volunteer beach cleanups, remove marine debris, and protect Rhode Island’s coastline. Your support helps provide cleanup supplies, educational outreach, and opportunities for our community to make a lasting impact.

A special thank you to Madison for donating this incredible piece and using her talent to support cleaner beaches and healthier oceans. Her generosity will help make a real difference for our coastlines and the communities that care for them.
Good luck, and thank you for helping us protect the coast we all love! 💙🌊
#OceanRecoveryCommunityAlliance #ORCACleanup #RhodeIsland #RhodeIslandArt #SupportLocalArtists

Support ORCA. Win an Original Work of Art.
We’re excited to partner with local artist @madisonalma who has generously donated her original painting, “Neighborhood Watch,” to benefit the Ocean Recovery Community Alliance.

Measuring 32” × 35”, this one-of-a-kind piece explores an important question: What if nature were watching us the way we should be watching over it? Inspired by the impact of littering and our relationship with the environment, Madison’s artwork encourages us to think differently about how we care for the places we all share.

Raffle Entry Levels • $10 = 1 Entry • $20 = 3 Entries • $40 = 8 Entries • $100 = 25 Entries

Join us for the Gallery Opening Reception! Tuesday, August 11, 2026 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM Owl and Dove – Westerly, RI

Everyone is welcome! Stop by to meet Madison, view her gallery exhibition, and purchase raffle tickets in person.

Can’t make it to the reception? You can still enter by purchasing raffle tickets through ORCA’s Venmo (@orcacleanup) . Simply scan the QR code displayed next to the painting in person, not in person? Just send @orcacleanup your entry and include your full name and the best phone number or email address in the payment notes so we can contact you if you’re the winner.

The winner will be announced on September 1, 2026.
Please note: The painting will not be shipped. The winner must arrange to pick it up from ORCA.

Every raffle entry directly supports ORCA’s mission to organize volunteer beach cleanups, remove marine debris, and protect Rhode Island’s coastline. Your support helps provide cleanup supplies, educational outreach, and opportunities for our community to make a lasting impact.

A special thank you to Madison for donating this incredible piece and using her talent to support cleaner beaches and healthier oceans. Her generosity will help make a real difference for our coastlines and the communities that care for them.
Good luck, and thank you for helping us protect the coast we all love! 💙🌊
#OceanRecoveryCommunityAlliance #ORCACleanup #RhodeIsland

The ocean doesn’t become polluted overnight, and it isn’t protected overnight either.

Every bottle, wrapper, fishing line, or balloon removed during a cleanup is one less piece of debris that can break into microplastics or harm wildlife. Beach cleanups do more than make our shorelines look better. They interrupt the pollution cycle before trash spreads farther into our waterways and ocean. That’s why every volunteer and every bag collected truly matters.

Join us at an upcoming ORCA cleanup and help protect the coast we all love.

#BeachCleanup #OceanConservation #VolunteerToday #ProtectOurCoast #OceanRecoveryCommunityAlliance

Day late on the Shark Week post, but we wanted to share this great find by our ORCA manager in May of 2019 on Narragansett Town Beach. Atlantic Shark Institute confirmed it’s from a white shark. The tooth measures an inch and a half long and an inch wide. You never know what you’ll find on the beach!

Join us in August at a cleanup! RSVP for a cleanup on our website.

POSTPONED. Today’s cleanup in Newport is postponed to next Wednesday, August 5th at 3pm

Six years of cleaner coastlines, stronger communities, and showing up for the places we love. 🌊

This past year alone, our incredible volunteers and partners helped make 36 cleanups possible and removed 5,166 lbs of trash from our coastlines.

Every cleanup, every bag collected, and every person who showed up has been part of ORCA’s story. We’re so grateful to everyone who has supported this mission over the last six years.

Here’s to 6 years of ORCA, and we’re just getting started.
Join us for the next cleanup and be part of what comes next!

#OceanRecoveryCommunityAlliance #BeachCleanup #OceanConservation #VolunteerToday #RhodeIsland

Thousands of dragonflies swarming Misquamicut Beach on July 27, 2024, is quite the sight, but what’s actually happening?

According to experts at the Rhode Island Natural History Survey, a massive swarm like this is unusual, but not unheard of. And despite what it may look like, it’s probably not technically a
migration. One possible explanation involves blue dashers, one of the most common dragonflies in the U.S. During particularly abundant years, changing conditions in their preferred inland habitats, including hot weather, shrinking ponds, and changes in food availability, can cause them to spread out in search of better habitat.
Once enough dragonflies start moving, it can create a cascading effect, sending huge numbers toward the Rhode Island coast.
And if you find yourself surrounded by them, there’s no reason to worry. Dragonflies don’t sting and aren’t a threat to beachgoers. In fact, they’re beneficial predators that feed on flying insects, including mosquitoes. Rhode Island is home to 140 species of dragonflies and damselflies, making moments like this a pretty amazing reminder of how much wildlife our coastal environment supports.

Did you see the dragonfly swarm at Misquamicut?

Source: University of Rhode Island / Rhode Island Natural History Survey
#Misquamicut #RhodeIsland #Dragonflies #MisquamicutBeach #RhodeIslandNature

Thank you, Brian, for having us back at the 16th Waterman Eco-Challenge/Summer Safe Ocean State 5K/10K. You and your crew put on an amazing event.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to learn about ORCA and the work our volunteers are doing.

Photo by: @vobphoto

Thank you to the 14 volunteers and the four legged ones🐾 who collected 70lbs from the Point Judith/Camp Cronin area. What a beautiful night! 🌊

End the weekend with a sunset cleanup with ORCA. Meeting at Camp Cronin at 6pm. All cleanup supplies will be provided.

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Get to Know Us

The Ocean Recovery Community Alliance (ORCA) is a service project of the Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR), launched in the spring of 2020 with the mission of protecting and preserving our coastal environments through community-driven action.

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