What Sea Turtles and Beach Cleanups Have in Common

Attachments

Sea Turtle Activity Update August 23 (2).docx.pdf

Marco Island, like the rest of Florida, takes pride in its pristine beaches, diverse wildlife, and plenty of sunshine, but we also take pride that our beaches host nesting loggerhead sea turtles every year from May through October. According to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commissions (FWC), Florida hosts approximately 90 percent of loggerhead sea turtle nests.

On Sunday, August 28th, CJ’s on the Bay was closed for their Eighth Annual Beach Cleanup 

and hauled over 100 pounds of trash off our beach.  Again, plastic was the biggest contributor, and according to a beach volunteer, hundreds of straws (the biodegradable kind) were picked up along with buckets of aluminum cans from the dunes and vegetation, twisted tents that were left on the beach, cigarette butts, plastic candy wrappers and discarded monofilament lines.

Beach trash and turtle hatchlings are a deadly combination! At around 7:56 on Sunday morning, a beach walker came upon a tiny hatchling trying to make its way to the water. It was so tiny and unnoticeable – she almost stepped on it. If you were a hatchling trying to make it to the water these obstacles would have been deadly for you.

No Dogs are allowed on the beach per Marco Island City Code Section 54-36(b). As my group came over the boardwalk on South Beach we were greeted with the most disgusting sight - a pile of dog excrement inches from the big trash bins! Stepping on it would have made for a very bad day!

A clean beach is vital to the survival of our nesting loggerhead sea turtles! Thanks to all the volunteers to CJ’s on the Bay Eighth Annual Beach Up, to Marco Academy’s Key Club volunteers and to all the resident participants.