Fifth of July is for cleaning up
While most people sleep in after a night of watching fireworks on Independence Day, July 5 is for dedicated volunteers on Fort Myers Beach who clean up the remains, residue and trash left over from the night before.
Many groups and individuals – from the Fort Myers Beach Pilot Club; Fort Myers Beach Yacht Club; Estero Bay Buddies; Lee County Parks & Recreation; Keep Lee County Beautiful; Veolia Environmental Services as well as residents, neighbors and visitors- spent their Sunday morning by walking the seven miles of beach and Bunche Beach Preserve with trash bags during the annual Fifth Of July Beach Clean Up. The event started six years ago by the local pilot club as part of their Adopt-A-Shore committment.
With cleanup sites arranged at the Outrigger Beach Resort, the Newton property, Bowditch Pointe Park and Bunchee Beach, the FMB Pilot Club-coordinated event collected an estimated 200 pounds of litter from the Independence Day weekend.
The Pilot Club, 18 years ago, was the first organization to adopt and commit to clean a section of the beach.
“We found $100 worth of unused fireworks last year,” said FMB Pilot Club President Judy Owen from the Outrigger site. “This year, we found only a table-full of them.”
Three years ago, Donna Hennsiak, Pat Maio, and Karen Swanbeck discovered an American Flag Sand Scupture while cleaning the firework remains on the Beach.
“We do four cleanups a year,” said Owen, who was joined by her husband, Bob, the commodore of the FMB Yacht Club. “When the club first started the cleanups, the ladies were called the Dumpster Dollies.”
Lee County Parks & Recreation’s Terry Cain thought the cleanup event was a success. Cain is the land stewardship coordinator for the county.
“Every one who came and pitched in did an outstanding job of making our beaches beautiful and clean for visitors and wildlife,” she said. “Many thanks to all who participated in the Fifth of July Beach Clean Up and a special thanks to the people who made it happen. The beaches of Fort Myers Beach and San Carlos Bay and Bunche Beach Preserve are brighter places to visit because of you.”