October Beach News

The weather for Saturday, October 14th is forecasted thunderstorms with local heavy downpours, slightly windy, high 86F and 86% humidity. Luckily for the scheduled beach cleanup at Residents Beach, rain held up for the 50+ volunteers who showed up for the annual MICA and Our Daily Bread Food Pantry beach cleanup.

The Marco Island Key Club also joined the cleanup and thanks to members of the Beach and Coastal Resource Advisory Committee who provided the volunteers with grabbers, buckets, bags and gloves. For the next two hours, volunteers picked up an estimated 110 pounds of trash.

Most people come to the beach to bask in the sun, take a relaxing walk, listen to the rhythm of the surf, look for shells and check out the wildlife darting in and out of the surf with shorebirds picking through the wrack line.

What is a wrack line? A walker asked me why the County raker does not rake out the brown debris deposited at high tide. “It does not look appealing, it stinks and it takes away the aesthetics of a pristine beach.” There are two high tides per day that bring in debris to the shoreline such as algae, sponges, mangrove leaves and propagules, shells, pieces of corals, egg casings and trash. But to the shorebirds, this is a welcome treat and gift from the sea as they forage and feed. Wrack lines, according to Kaitlin Sikes, “is a nuisance to some, but is the beating heartbeat of the beach ecosystem.” For beachcombers, it is a treasure trove of shells! Who knows, a Junonia or a rare shell might be hidden underneath a pile of stinking seaweeds!

Wildlife rescue. This morning, a laughing gull with a broken wing had to be rescued and transported to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital. According to Brittany Piersma, biologist for the Audubon of the Western Everglades, you might encounter a bird with a fishing hook, or a sick bird just sitting by and not moving as you pass by, which is not normal behavior. If you are close to Residents Beach there are rescue crates at the Residents Beach Gate hut and if you need someone to transport the injured wildlife to the Wildlife Hospital, you can call the number on the crate. 

Update on sailboat on Sand Dollar Island – I received a photo of the sailboat on Sand Dollar Island this morning and a beach walker asked me what is the status for removal. On December 20, 2020, the forty-two-foot sailboat was beached at the north end of Sand Dollar Island. On April 9, 2021, per the Statewide FWC Derelict Vessel database, FWC removal authorization was sent to Collier County Coastal Zone Management. Per FWC, they have no further involvement aside from documenting when the County contractors will schedule removal of this derelict vessel. In August, 2021, the County had indicated that the derelict vessel off Sand Dollar Island will be the first priority under the second round of grant funded removal and was currently out for contractor’s bid. And yes, the sailboat is still there.

Government Week Beach Cleanup was Monday, October 16th at South Beach, sponsored by the Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee. We thank all the City Staff and volunteers that joined in the cleanup.