FUN IN THE SUN TO KEEP THE BEACH CLEAN

So, what is there to do on a beautiful Sunday morning on Marco Island? Well, on August 19^th, which was one such Sunday, 30 residents gathered to clean up Marco Island’s beach. “CJ’s on the Bay” owners and staff, City of Marco Island Beach Advisory Committee members, Publix Manager and President of the Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Donlan, and Marco Island Civic Association (MICA) members all gathered at the South Beach boardwalk access to walk the seven miles of Marco Island’s beach to remove trash and debris while enjoying the warmth of the morning sun, the gentle breeze of the Gulf of Mexico and the sounds of gentle waves, birds and people enjoying the beach! Publix provided gloves, bags and bottled water for all the participants. It was a successful clean-up with the group removing approximately 45 bags of trash, including over 650 plastic straws, from the white sandy beach. A big thanks to all volunteers, “CJ’s on the Bay”, Publix and MICA for their stewardship of our beautiful beach.

Would you like to participate in this type of volunteer community event? There are opportunities! The City of Marco Island in coordination with the Friends of Tigertail Beach has monthly beach clean-ups scheduled. Businesses and groups are welcome to sponsor a clean-up date and any individual volunteers are welcome to participate! Save the dates for the next 2012 clean-up events which are scheduled as follows:

• Post Labor Day Weekend Clean-Up: Sponsored by the City of Marco Island Volunteer Beach Stewards and Publix: Tuesday, September 4^th, 8 am to noon. Meet at the South Beach Boardwalk Access. Gloves, bags and water supplied by Publix. All Volunteer Beach Stewards and public participants are welcome!

• International Coastal Clean-Up: Saturday, September 15^th, 8 am until noon at Tigertail Beach Park. To volunteer, contact Susan LaGrotta of the Friends of Tigertail (239-394-1470) or just meet at the Tigertail Beach Park kiosk that day. Gloves, bags and bottled water are provided by the event coordinator “Keep Collier Beautiful”. All public participants are welcome to attend!

• Beach Advisory Committee Clean-Up: Sunday, November 18^th, 8 am until noon, at the South Beach Boardwalk Access, the City of Marco Island Beach Advisory Committee and City staff will be sponsoring this clean-up. Publix is donating gloves, bags and bottled water. All public participants welcome to attend!

• Quarterly Friends of Tigertail Clean-Up: Saturday, December 8^th, 8 am until noon, at the Tigertail Beach Park kiosk. Gloves, bags and water provided by the Friends of Tigertail.  All public participants welcome to attend!

Another opportunity to enjoy and help our beach at the same time is to sign up as a Volunteer Beach Steward. This newly formed and successful program has been ongoing for several months this summer. The volunteer stewards regularly walk the beach at their convenience picking up trash, monitoring the beach and providing information to beachgoers on wildlife and other beach issues. If you are interested in the beach stewardship outreach program or would like more information on participating in the ongoing beach clean-ups, please contact Nancy Richie, Environmental Specialist, City of Marco Island, at 239-389-5003 or nrichie@cityofmarcoisland.com. Please get out and volunteer!