The crack of dawn at Dewey Beach is a popular time for certain activities: jogging, walking the dog, and, most importantly, beach cleaning. Every morning at 4AM, Tony Johnson Crivella climbs onto his tractor and guides his "surf rake" across the surface of the sand, picking up remnants of the beach revelry from the day before. Among the items he finds are disposable cups, towels, chairs, toys, cellphones, anything you might have ever seen people carrying onto the beach. People drinking tend to leave their cans. A LOT of cans.

This surf rake device is very effective. It has rows and rows of teeth that run along a belt, snagging articles from the sand and depositing them into the receptacle.

"This is my way of staying on the beach," Tony said amidst the rumbling engine. He loves to see the sun come up and watch the dolphins play. It certainly was gorgeous that morning; the light was gleaming off the water, there were no crowds, and it was that magic hour before the heat set in. Tony's family has a history of farming, so he feels right at home working on a tractor. That's why he's been "combing the beach" for 15 years. Seems like a great way to work!

As for the refuse gathered by the rake, important items (like wallets and cellphones) are turned-in to life guards or police officers, while everything else finds its way to the dumpsters. Now imagine if no one were carrying out this task, the insurmountable mess there would be on the sand. We would have mountains of garbage covering miles of shoreline. You'd have to bring a shovel just to get at a clear spot of sand to set your beach chair. A lot of that junk would eventually find its way into the ocean as well, and become a terrible source of pollution. Fortunately, we have people like Tony who are there to take care of the beach and make it a clean place for everyone to enjoy.

Written by Erik Yount. Photography by Errol Webber.