Passion for Preserving Marco Coastline

Marco’s beach cleanup program has remained a constant in Nathan O’Donnell’s life, despite the conclusion of his term on the city’s Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee. 

“I definitely enjoyed my time on the committee,” said O’Donnell, whose eight years on the committee ended recently. “I am sad that I don't get to do it anymore. But I feel like the beach cleanups, I got so much out of them that it's something I'm not going to stop doing.”

The committee organizes and oversees the cleanups, which are sponsored by volunteers, community organizations, and local businesses. Each month, participants, including committee volunteers, walk from South Beach to Tigertail Beach, gathering and disposing of trash and debris.

“Really, that was probably my favorite thing, seeing different people come to the beach for cleanups, and meeting new people and trying to get more people involved,” said O’Donnell. And I love seeing the kids from MIA (Marco Island Academy) and the school’s Key Club. Seeing 50 young adults in high school come and help clean up the beach, it kind of makes you feel better about how things are going. There are some good, good young folks out there, and a good community that actually promotes helping each other and community service. I really love that.”

For the last six years of his tenure, O’Donnell led the cleanup effort, including being responsible for bringing the necessary equipment needed for cleanups to the beach, all the buckets, pickers, grabbers, and carts. Today, that effort is handled by his replacement on the committee, Chris Ricci, who was nominated by City Councilor Deb Henry. 

Ricci cited two motivations for wanting to join the committee. 

One was a shared desire he and his wife, Debora, held after moving to Marco full-time in 2023, from Silicon Valley. 

“Since this is our full-time home, we wanted to get to get involved in the area,” he explained. “We couldn't help but think that it (the committee) was one of the better places to go since we had already been volunteering to clean up the beaches and the like because of a general commitment to preserving and protecting our beautiful beaches and coastal environment. So, it seemed like a natural.”

The committee identifies short and long-term issues that affect beaches and coastal environment, evaluates potential solutions, and offers recommendations to the city’s staff for administrative or city council action.

“I believe in those goals, and I want to do what I can to support them,” said Ricci, in explaining another motivation for joining the committee. 

Reducing the amount of plastics, in particular straws, used on the city’s beaches is a personal goal for Ricci. He said plastics are a large part of the refuse found during the cleanups. 

“A lot of that takes the form of straws,” he said. “A lot of the drivers are the local restaurants, and we certainly want to support them. Everyone hates paper straws, including myself. But there are plenty of other options they can be using to help keep plastic off of our beaches. They affect the wildlife there, and they make it into the ocean and eventually become microplastics, which we consume. I'm a little passionate about that one.” 

To send an e-mail to Beach and Coastal Resources Advisory Committee members, please contact the city staff liaison, growth management GMHelp@cityofmarcoisland.com. The beach cleanup schedule for can be found at cityofmarcoisland.com/bc-bcrac/page/beach-clean-schedule. Volunteers and sponsors are welcome. For questions about the cleanups, please contact Amber Stonik at AStonik@cityofmarcoisland.com.