A volunteer cleanup at California's Cuesta Inlet also created a public giveaway of select boats for neighbors willing to claim them through the proper process and put them back to use.
Organizers say the giveaway is now over, and they also reported that some people did not follow the rules.
Here's what to know
The public could only claim a limited set of unclaimed vessels listed on the Save Cuesta Inlet website and the county's "Trash to Treasure" map, according to SFGATE. Organizers said some people bypassed that process and either tried to take boats or removed them without permission.
The site's current notice says: "THE BOAT GIVEAWAY IS OVER! There are no boats left to claim. Please don't ask, and please don't come looking."
The offer was part of a larger cleanup at Cuesta Inlet, a 13-acre oceanfront property in the Los Osos area roughly 12 miles from downtown San Luis Obispo.
Volunteers filled two dumpsters during the first cleanup, removing 31 boats and 10 catamarans that the Cuesta Inlet website describes as "abandoned, damaged, waterlogged, and no longer seaworthy."
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Roughly 700 boats still remained at the inlet, and many were never included in the giveaway because they were still registered to owners through the county.
More background
Although Cuesta Inlet had been privately owned for decades, residents regarded it as a cherished place for birding, walking, paddling, and gathering by the water.
After the property went up for sale in 2022, locals quickly organized a grassroots fundraising push. Save Cuesta Inlet, the nonprofit leading that campaign, eventually bought the parcel for $780,000.
Linda Parks, of the Santa Lucia chapter of the Sierra Club, wrote, "Two of the most remarkable features of their grassroots effort were the amazing speed in which most of the funds were raised, and the sheer number of people who got involved."
What's being done?
The nonprofit now manages the property itself after county parks management was considered, an option that would have brought a $200,000 annual maintenance cost.
One of the earliest major stewardship efforts on the newly protected parcel has been the cleanup and boat-adoption program.
Boats that cannot be saved are being removed, while usable vessels are being directed to new owners instead of being left to rot.
One practical starting point is donating money to climate causes, especially to local groups protecting public land and waterways.
Looking back on the effort to save the inlet, local resident Zach Blumner said: "Oh my god, you kidding me? We got together and raised like a million dollars."
Save Cuesta Inlet Executive Director Margarete Schmidt said: "This is a win for everyone. Boats that might otherwise end up being discarded have an opportunity for a second life, while new boat owners get the chance to find an affordable way onto the water."
Where can I learn more?
Cleanup efforts at Cuesta Inlet are part of a broader push to keep abandoned debris and plastic waste out of waterways. Other coverage looks at ocean, river, and volunteer cleanup work in California and beyond to stop trash before it spreads.
• In Los Angeles County, crews worked to stop plastic upstream before it drifted seaward.
• In Thailand, The Ocean Cleanup launched a plastic interceptor in a river to catch floating waste.
• Volunteer crews showed how river barrier blocks pollution before debris chokes waterways.
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