Searching for sea-life during a Beachcomber tour are Wooster, Ohio residents Amy Kepler and her sons, David and Jonathan, with Meghan McCarthy, Doylestown, Pa.

Did you know that it takes up to 200 years for an aluminum can to biodegrade?

Can you explain in detail the life cycle of a mud snail, or distinguish between a chestnut clam and a quahog?

If you are a certified Beachcomber, you probably can answer "yes" to these and many other environmental questions.

No doubt you have heard of Sea Isle City’s Beachcomber program, run by a nonprofit organization made up of volunteers from the SIC Environmental Commission.

The group has been leading guided walking tours along Sea Isle’s beaches since 1988 successfully educating the public about the environment and inspiring conservation.

Over the years, nearly 40,000 people have enjoyed these informative and enjoyable tours, which are offered twice weekly each summer.

The Beachcombers meet promptly at 10 a.m. at two locations: the 29th Street beach on Tuesdays and Townsend Inlet Park on Thursdays.

For the amazingly reasonable price of just $1 for adults and 50 cents for children, these knowledgeable guides share a wealth of information about the shore’s ecosystem and the many ways to help protect the oceans, beaches and dunes.

Once the tour begins, participants are grouped into small clusters, each centered around a single guide who displays a collection of shells and other sea specimens and explains the items in full detail.

After a series of questions are answered, the guide then instructs the participants to go out and comb the beach for new items to examine. When everyone returns, the newly discovered finds are shared and discussed.

When the tour ends, each participant receives an official Beachcomber Walk Certificate, signed by Mayor Desiderio.

Finally, everyone takes the Beachcomber Pledge, in which they vow keep the beach and ocean clean, recycle trash, preserve the environment, protect wildlife along the shore, keep off the dunes and to be a dedicated shell-seeker and Beachcomber.

Youngsters enjoy these tours because they not only get a free sand pail and Sara the Turtle coloring book, but they also get to search for natural treasures on the beach and feel like explorers in the process.

When asked what he learned during the Beachcomber tour, 9-year-old Jonathan Kepler, from Wooster, Ohio, commented, "I can now name mussels and quahogs, and I know that trash pollutes the beaches and hurts the birds and fishes, so people need to follow the rules and throw out trash (properly). This was fun and I learned a lot."

David Kepler, Jonathan’s big brother, also shared what he learned.

"I didn’t know that the wind helps make the waves,” he said. “I thought it was just the moon. Plus I learned that ghost crabs come out at night and live on the sand. This was pretty fun."

But don’t think that the Beachcomber program is only for children. It is as educational as it is entertaining, and adults love it because they inevitably learn something new and interesting.

"This is great," said Margie Evans, Norwood, PA, while visiting Sea Isle with her young family.

"The Beachcombers are so informative. I like that they taught us about the dunes and how to take care of them, and about so many other things too. We absolutely will come back for another Beachcomber tour in the future."

Beachcomber tours are approximately one-hour long and no reservations are required.

For additional information phone 609-263-9643 or visit Sea Isle’s tourism website: www.seaisletourism.org and click on "environmental awareness" and then " beachcombing."