Four budding environmentalists are making a statement on Planting Island Road.

While visiting their grandparents, cousins Michael Smoyer, Owen Reese, Javier Muleiro, and Henry Myers decided to take some of the trash washed up on the beach and turn into a monster on their cottage lawn.

Owen came up with the idea after seeing a similar “monster” at a marine center.

“They had this really crazy tall statute,” said Owen. “They had all the netting and litter they had found on the beach. It was five times this size.”

With the idea in mind, Michael and his grandmother, Mary Smoyer, went to the beach to collect garbage for the project. In only an hour, they collected enough plastic bottles, rope, and other items to make their environmental artwork.

The boys, who hail from Connecticut, Oregon, and California, worked together to create their sculpture, which is supported by garden stakes. They also included a pet for their creation.

“This is to show that there is too much litter on the beaches,” said Javier. “Litter makes monsters.”

The kids, no doubt, get some of their green behavior from their grandmother.

“Our grandma really likes to protect the beaches. She really supports cleaning up the waters,” said Owen.

Michael, who visits Marion with his cousins every year, said there’s always garbage to be found on the nearby beach. But he added, “Sometimes we find cool things too, like buoys and horseshoe crabs.”

And in the days since the cousins put up their unusual lawn ornament, it has caused neighbors to pause, said the boys.

“There was one guy biking along and he kept on biking. Then he looked back. He did a double take,” said Henry.

To see the litter monster for yourself, take a drive down Planting Island Road.