Volunteers Join "Bay Days" Cleanup on Tigertail Beach

What does it take to keep our area beaches pristine? Hard work by many volunteers who participate in several area beach cleanups every year. On March 5, Friends of Tigertail, in association with Collier County and Keep Collier Beautiful, sponsored a successful cleanup at the Tigertail Beach Park and Sand Dollar Spit. Described as "Bay Days", the County and Keep Collier Beautiful generously provide cleanup supplies and t-shirts for volunteers working on several area beaches. Five Friends of Tigertail board members joined 15 students and 26 other participants on Tigertail, all scouring the area and hauling in 82 pounds of trash. Two MIA students, Zach Antaramian and Steel Ciurzynski even braved some mangroves where there was excessive debris. Besides the usual bottles, cans, and food containers, interesting finds included a large Coca-Cola sign and a boat cover. Despite laboring hard, the weather was perfect and the volunteers enjoyed the effort, leaving the beach in beautiful condition.

While it is discouraging that beach trash continues to be a problem, the enthusiasm of volunteers and the results of their efforts are heartening. Friends of Tigertail host four cleanups annually and the next is on Saturday, July 16. For more information, visit their Facebook page or their website: www.friendsoftigertail.com.