STATEN ISLAND N.Y. -- There's nothing better than walking the Island's beaches with rolling waves at your feet, a cool breeze through your hair and warm sunshine.

You may even encounter some natural shoreline trinkets as you amble on your journey: Sea shells, rocks, driftwood, some seaweed.

But then there's the ugly, mindlessly tossed trash -- large and small -- from plastic juice bottles to more repulsive waste.

While the Parks Department does what it can to clean the swimming areas at Staten Island's beaches each day, the tide -- and careless beach-goers -- rarely fail to leave a mess behind.

In more remote shoreline spots that are home to some of the area's most graceful creatures -- cranes, ospreys and egrets -- you'll stumble across more revolting refuse, like tires, beer bottles, food wrappers and worse.

"It bothers me tremendously," said a man perusing the salt marsh at Gateway National Recreational Area one afternoon. "I think it would do good with a nice cleaning."

Meanwhile, just a mile past the lifeguard area where people work on their tans, fisherman cast their lines at Crookes Point.

Items discovered there were not out of the ordinary: An abandoned pair of rubber boots siting neatly by one garbage can; discarded bait and one more overflowing garbage can.

Frank Cipriani of Arden Heights walks the water's edge with his grandson, Dante, as they fish together. He said he tries to teach him to pick up after himself, but others who come to fish ingore that responsibility.

"I want to fish, so if I have to walk through it, then that's the way it is. I'm trying to teach him to [clean up]," Cipriani said of his 4-year-old grandson.

With the Borough President's anti-litter campaign in full swing for Staten Island's streets, there's now an effort to educate younger generations.

But there are many items along the Island's shore that go beyond litter and qualify as illegal dumping.

Along the beach at Lemon Creek Park a rusted Chrysler engine sits embedded in the sand.

Bricks, re-bar and concrete can be a danger to beach-goers and their pets at Gateway National Recreation Area, like Mike Orso, who also happened upon a stranded dogfish in the sand.

"Most dangerous part is the re-bar from an old pier," said the New Dorp Heights resident. "I walk my dog here with my wife ... anybody can step on it."