provided to The Santiva Chronicle
On a foggy New’s Year’s Eve morning, Coastal Watch was joined by more than 30 volunteers to help clean up the causeway islands. It was a great way to say goodbye to 2021 and prepare to greet 2022 with clean beaches. Volunteers collected an impressive 500 pounds of trash from both Causeway Island A and B—much of it tiny pieces of plastic and metal, which can be extremely harmful to our local marine wildlife.
The new year is a great time to reflect on our personal impact on beach trash. Consider how much single-use plastic you use each day—perhaps one of your new year’s resolutions can be committing to bringing your own tote bags to the grocery store and using a reusable water bottle. It may seem like just a drop in the ocean, but it can make a wave of difference.
Coastal Watch wishes everyone a safe and healthy new year! If you would like more information on other volunteer opportunities, email coastalwatch@sccf.org.
While we all applaud the efforts of Coastal Watch and its volunteers, the beaches of the Causeway Islands are the responsibility of Lee County not Sanibel. Sanibel Police cannot patrol the Causeway; it’s the job of the Lee County Sheriffs. It seems that Lee County wants the lion’s share of the toll revenue but wants little or no responsibility when it comes to beach cleanup.
Again, thanks for the work of those who collected trash from Lee County’s beaches.