Saturday, November 14, 2026
Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee Chair, Nathaniel O’Donnell, and Bob Eastman with nettings, foam and discarded ropes from the shoreline.
Ace Painting and the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee helped clean the beach on Friday, February 12, 2022.
Orange footed gull.
A morning scene in front of Residents Beach with flocks of terns, gulls, black skimmers and the unusual orange footed gull.
On a beautiful Saturday morning, Marco Island Yoga brings you an hour of mindful yoga on the beach.
A Conservation Award from AWE is given to MIPD/CSO in recognition of their achievement with wildlife conservation on Marco.
Thank you to all the volunteers at the JW Marriott Sponsored Beach Cleanup on February 6, 2022.
Thanks to the JW Marriott for sponsoring a beach cleanup the Sunday after the beach rock concert. For one hour, volunteers from JW Marriott, Marco Island Watersports and Marriott’s Crystal Shores collected over 60 pounds of trash. Beer cans and plastic beverage containers were plentiful in the dunes area.
On Saturday, February 12th, members of the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee and sponsor Ace Painting scoured the beach for trash. Straws, cigarette butts and small plastic items topped the list – and again – the dune was the repository of discarded beverage containers.
As of February 10th, Florida Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources unanimously approved the legislation SB 224, sponsored by Senator Joe Gruters, allowing municipalities to ban cigarette smoking on Florida’s beaches. Under current Florida law, only legislators can ban smoking in public places. But that might change if a new bill gets signed into law that lets coastal cities, like Marco Island, make the call on whether they want to ban smoking at the beach or public parks.
From the shorebird colony on Marco Island, Lin Taylor, the anchor winter shorebird for Audubon of the Western Everglades (AWE), shared that on an average day, the volunteers may talk to as many as 25 people each morning. The usual beach walkers will stop by to chat or tell them anything interesting further down the beach.
According to Taylor, with the cooler temperatures you are seeing plenty of shorebirds sitting by Residents Beach or JW Marriott. Skimmers have been prevalent on Marco’s beaches. Taylor and other volunteers have spotted an interesting bird – an aberrant Laughing Gull with beautiful bright orange legs and beak – which makes it stand out. This is a genetic difference and though we don’t see it often, Taylor said that this is not uncommon.
According to Taylor, the majority of these birds do not nest in our area, so these are your last two months to come see the flock. Feel free to contact her if you want to sign up and join her morning group on Marco’s Beach at: colliershorebirdstewards@gmail.com.
In December 2021, according to the MIPD Beach Report to City Council, Code Enforcement beach patrol units responded to 8,662 events, a 56% increase over 2020. Beach patrol enforces ordinances, performs community outreach, and responds to visitor and wildlife needs.
Further, the MIPD reported that Community Service Officers (CSO) logged more beach patrol hours in December versus November, with 258 hours. Increased patrols and more community outreach were among the primary reasons for the increased beach presence this month. While litter and debris removal continue to be the top incident requiring beach patrol enforcement, Community Service officers responded to an increase of reported dogs on the beach in December. Our officers continue to remind residents and Island guests that dogs are NOT permitted on beaches unless they are service dogs.
Calls for service with injured and sick wildlife increased in December versus the previous month, with 23 events. Community Service Officers Dodd and O’Keefe responded to a call that successfully freed a Cormorant without injury from a line wrapped around its beak. CSO Dodd also captured an injured Royal Tern for treatment at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. CSO O’Keefe, Curry, and Warder assisted in freeing a pelican trapped between rocks near South Beach.
According to Brittany Piersma, most of the CSO vehicles patrolling the beach now carry with them pet carriers or boxes and towels to help rescue and transport injured birds to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital.
In December, AWE awarded Marco Island Police Department Community Service Officers a plaque recognizing achievement with wildlife conservation efforts on Marco Island. The Audubon Society and Marco Island Community Service Officers have a strong collaboration. Together they protect a variety of species and make the beach safer from injuries from fishing lines and hooks.
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