Excellent Turnout for International Coastal Clean-up at Tigertail Beach

Ninety-nine volunteers came to Tigertail Beach on September 16 to participate in the International Coastal Clean-up. Started more than 35 years ago, this annual event sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy is a world-wide effort to collect and tabulate statistics about trash found globally in coastal areas. Keep Collier Beautiful helps to organize the clean-ups in Collier County, giving guidance and donating supplies.

Friends of Tigertail hosted the Tigertail Beach clean-up. Of the 99 participants, 65 were students from various area schools including Marco Island Academy (MIA), Marco Island Charter Middle School (MICMS), and East Naples, Golden Gate, and Lely High Schools. Student organizations included members of MIA Key Club, Youth Haven, and SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco), and adult groups included employees of Collier County and the City of Marco Island, SWAT, Starbucks, the Esplanade community, Cardinal Health, and Friends of Tigertail members, as well as residents and visitors of Marco Island and Naples.

The volunteers fanned out from the park through mangroves to the beach, collecting 115 pounds of debris. A park recycle bin was filled to capacity with cans and plastic and glass bottles and containers, and large bags of garbage as well as loose construction materials were also retrieved.

The area is much improved after the work of so many volunteers. Though disheartening to see trash thoughtlessly strewn about, the number of participants, especially so many youths, gives hope for the future.

For a complete report of the global clean-up statistics, consult oceanconservancy.org. The next quarterly Tigertail Beach clean-up is scheduled for Saturday December 2, with information about this and other Friends of Tigertail activities available at www.FriendsofTigertail.com or on their Facebook page.