Keep Our Beaches Beautiful and Safe

Join the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee and the Chamber of Commerce for a beach clean-up on Saturday, June 9 at South Beach starting at 8 AM. We provide pails, grabbers and gloves.

Some of the most common items found during a beach clean-up are cigarette butts. The filters are loaded with chemicals that do not biodegrade over time. During high tide, these “butts” end up in the ocean.

Keep the Beach Safe for Wildlife

“Please Keep This Beach Tobacco Free” signs were provided by the Collier County Parks and Recreation Department to help keep Marco’s beaches tobacco free. Cigarette butts are toxic to wildlife on the beach and to marine life.

According to Mary Nelson, Marco’s “sea turtle lady,” due to the storm surge and high tide, we lost one nest out on Sand Dollar Island. Four other nests are inundated. Only time will tell if those nests survived.

Common Barriers for Sea Turtles Coming Ashore to Nest

• Sea turtles head to the dunes, the highest point on the beach, to nest. The following are some of the common barriers they face:
• Beach chairs left on the beach overnight.
• Beach equipment blocking the dune line.
• These are death traps for hatchlings, please fill them in.
• Sand castles. Please knock down to make the beach safe for hatchlings.

Share the Beach With Wildlife

It is illegal to flush nesting shore birds on the beach. The black skimmers and least terns are designated as threatened species. Let them rest, let them nest.

News from the Nesting Colony on Sand Dollar Island

According to the Collier Shorebird Steward, Col Lauzau, due to the heavy rains last week, the black skimmer colony washed over, causing them to lose most of their nests. Out of the 80-plus nests, 14 managed to make it through the storm. Rather than one large colony like last year, the black skimmers are forming smaller groups across Sand Dollar Island.

Let’s all do our part – join a beach clean-up.