Park & Rec cleanup precedes Earth Day
During the next two Saturdays, there will be plenty of opportunities for the environmentally conscious person to contribute in cleaning up areas on Fort Myers Beach and near county parks. Let’s call it an Earth Day double team.
This Saturday, Lee County Parks & Recreation volunteers will lead other groups and individuals at the inaugural Pre-Earth Day Coastal Clean-up, while Keep Lee County Beautiful and the Pilot Club of Fort Myers Beach host the 21st annual Earth Day Trash Bash on the following Saturday (April 24). More on the latter next week.
The Pre-Earth Day Coastal Clean-up this Saturday will focus near the County park area south of Fort Myers Beach. Marine debris and beach litter will be collected along the shoreline and roadway near New Pass Bridge, Dog Beach and Big Hickory Island Preserve.
“We’re looking for volunteers to clean up the debris in that area,” said Event Coordinator Vickie Little, Lee County Parks senior supervisor. “If interested, plan on spending three hours picking up any debris that may have washed in from the water or left from any land lovers that may have been fishing from our shorelines or utilizing our beaches and parks.”
Check-in time is at 9 a.m. at Bonita Beach Dog Park at 8800 Estero Blvd., which is on the south end of Lovers Key. Casually known as Dog Beach by locals, the dog park event is expected to run until noon.
“We were contacted by a group of students from Florida Gulf Coast University who were looking to do some service hours,” said Little. “Earth Day on April 22 did not work into their schedule, so we came up with the idea to schedule a Pre-Earth Day cleanup the weekend before. We recruited a number of additional volunteers through Lee County Parks & Recreation and other groups who wanted to participate in that. It gives us a chance to tidy things back up after season is over.”
Trash bags, gloves and refreshments will be provided to all volunteers. Park officials advise wearing secure footwear, hats and sun screen. While at the event, you can learn about other volunteer opportunities with Lee County Parks & Recreation, including the Friends of Dog Beach.
For more information or to pre-register contact Little at vlittle@leegov.com or 229-0649. The event is supported by the Lee County Tourist Development Council.