Coastal Cleanup set to tidy Beach
Three sites on Fort Myers Beach and three other off-Beach sites have been selected for pick-up designations for the National Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Coastal Cleanup, an event held throughout America in an attempt to keep the coastline free of debris, is the only cleanup where trash is collected and recorded. The data cards are then sent to the Ocean Conservancy where the information is used in the development of new environmental protection acts. The data cards are designed to have groups of four working together, three to collect litter and debris and one to record the findings.
For the 22nd year, the Pilot Foundation of Fort Myers Beach will coordinate the event on the Beach. Keep Lee County Beautiful will sponsor the local club in this effort while celebrating its 20th anniversary.
Students and residents of the community are asked to sign in at the local station which will be located in the parking lot of Beach Elementary at the end of School Street. Volunteers will receive collection supplies, bags and gloves, and will be assigned an area of the beach to pick up trash. All trash should be returned to the pickup point for weighing and classification of types of trash.
Pizza, soda, and water will be made available to all volunteers at approximately 11:30 a.m. All Beach Elementary students will have a special sign-up because those volunteers will be treated to an ice cream party on Monday, compliments of the local Pilot Club.
The Pilot Foundation of Fort Myers Beach is a local service organization which partners with the community to improve life. The special focus of the group is Brain Awareness which targets the prevention of head Injuries as the best way to help young people. BrainMinders is an educational program and the signature project of the Pilot International Foundation.
Organizers and coordinators
The annual cleanup is organized nationally by The Ocean Conservancy, and is coordinated locally by Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc., the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the Environmental Education Department of Lee County Schools and The Bonita Beach Improvement Association.
The two goals of the cleanup are to remove unsightly and environmentally harmful debris from Florida’s coastlines and raise awareness about this preventable litter problem. Litter poses a threat to wildlife. For example, plastic bags are mistaken for jellyfish and eaten by sea turtles. Lost and discarded fishing tackle is eaten by birds and becomes an entangling death trap to many types of animal life.
All data is recorded by volunteers and sent to The Ocean Conservancy. This data is part of the vital research needed to prevent illegal and improper disposal of solid waste. In 2008, more than 950 volunteers, including divers, turned out to clean up Lee County beaches and thanks to their efforts, approximately 4,500 pounds of trash and mono-filament fishing line was collected from the area’s coastline and waterways.
Check-in and or clean-up sites
n Beach Elementary School – 2751 Oak St., Fort Myers Beach
(Site coordinator – FMB Pilot Club)
This site offers plenty of parking and the volunteers spread out to cover all of Fort Myers Beach. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of litter sticks and t-shirts. Lunch will be back at the check-in site at roughly 11:30 a.m.
n Matanzas Pass Preserve (check in at Beach Elementary) Fort Myers Beach
(Site coordinator – Lee County Biologist Roger Clark)
Volunteers will meet at the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School to pick up supplies. Ask for Roger Clark as he will guide the volunteers through the Matanzas Pass Preserve to collected litter and debris. Volunteers at this site need to be prepared to get wet and maybe even a little dirty. Please wear long pants and preferably a long sleeve shirt.
n Bowditch Point Regional Park – 50 Estero Blvd., Fort Myers Beach
(Site Coordinator – Timberland Stores)
Located at the northern tip of Fort Myers Beach, the park offers rest room facilities and is easily accessible for the disabled. There are 75 parking spaces on a first come first serve basis at $1 per hour. The site coordinator will have parking passes on hand once you have checked in. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of litter sticks and t-shirts. Lunch will be back at the check-in site at approximately 11:30 a.m.
n Bonita Beach Park – 27954 Hickory Blvd, Bonita Springs
(Site Coordinator – Mayor Ben Nelson and wife, Lori)
The beach-front park is on the northern tip of Bonita Beach. From here volunteers will be directed to Dog Beach, Little Hickory Beach Park and Barefoot Beach. The site coordinator will have parking passes on hand once you have checked in. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of t-shirts. Lunch will be back at the check-in site at approximately 11:30 to 11:45 a.m.
n Bunche Beach – 18201 John Morris Road, Fort Myers
(Site Coordinator – Terry Cain, Lee County Parks and Recreation)
Located on San Carlos Bay, this is a much smaller site then some of the others with no facilities. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of t-shirts. Lunch will be back at the check-in site at approximately 11:30 a.m.
n Causeway Islands – SR/CR 867, Fort Myers
This facility, approximately 10 acres, is located on SR/CR 867, consists of the road sides of two spoil islands built and used to link the mainland to Sanibel Island. As you are traveling from the mainland towards Sanibel Island you will pass through a toll booth (toll is $6.00, no fee required for park use) then crossover a “sky” bridge and arrive at the first island, referred to as “Island A”. If you continue on, you will crossover another “flat” bridge and arrive at the second island referred to as “Island B”. “Island A” has parking only, while “Island “B” offers rest rooms and drinking fountains (located on each side of the road). The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of T-shirts. Lunch is being provided by Schnapper’s Hots at 1528 Periwinkle Way on Sanibel. Volunteers will receive a ticket at check-in time that will allow them a free hotdog and soda at Schnapper’s Hots + 20 percent off anything else ordered.
n Matlacha Community Park – 4577 Pine Island Road NW, Matlacha
(Site Coordinator – Karen Bickford)
This site offers plenty of parking and facilities. The site coordinator has arranged for a barge to pick up as well, so it is a good site for canoes/kayaks. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of t-shirts.
Sponsors of the 2009 Coastal Cleanup include Waste Pro, Veolia Environmental Services, Coca Cola, Town of Fort Myers Beach, Outrigger Beach Resort, SunStream Hotels and Resorts, Lee County Parks & Recreation, Nelson Marine, Schnapper’s Hots, Little Caesar’s Pizza (11600 Gladiolus Drive), Lee County Department of Solid Waste, DEX and Adventures in Paradise.
World-wide event
Florida Governor Charlie Crist proclaimed September as International Coastal Cleanup Month and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is celebrating with activities at various state parks and aquatic preserves on Saturday. Available for the public, the volunteer events provide an opportunity to help protect Florida beaches and coastlines and keep
Florida oceans and sea life healthy.
“By participating in International Coastal Cleanup Day both Floridians and visitors can help protect and improve the state’s beaches which attract millions of people to Florida’s beautiful coastlines each year,” said DEP Deputy Secretary for Land and Recreation Bob Ballard. “I commend each volunteer for their environmental stewardship and commitment to preserving Florida’s natural resources.”
Sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, the International Coastal Cleanup is a worldwide annual effort to clean and protect the environment through debris removal. The effort is the world’s largest organized marine cleanup, collecting millions of pounds of debris from inland roadsides, coastal areas, lakes and rivers. Volunteers also collect valuable data that is later used to educate the public.
Last year nearly 400,000 volunteers from 100 countries and 42 states cleared more than 6.8 million pounds of trash from oceans and waterways. Last year in the state of Florida more than 32,000 volunteers from 43 counties collected more than 416,000 pounds of trash.