FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 18, 2013
INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY OFFERS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
~Floridians can join international effort to clean up beaches on Saturday, Sept. 21~
Volunteers pick up litter along the beach in 2012.
TALLAHASSEE- The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection's Florida Park Service, together with Florida’s Coastal
Office invites citizens to volunteer in
the 2013 International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, Sept. 21.
The International Coastal Cleanup
started 25 years ago by the Ocean Conservancy. In 2012, more than 500,000
volunteers participated in the removal of 10 million pounds of trash along the world's
coasts. This year, Florida citizens have been challenged to pull together more
volunteers and collect more trash. You can make a difference in our world and
in our oceans simply by providing just a few hours of your day on Saturday,
Sept. 21.
"International Coastal
Cleanup Day is a worthy endeavor that stretches throughout all coastal
areas of the state -- and the world -- in an effort to clean up and improve the
environment for marine life, residents and
visitors,” said DEP
Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr.
“The annual International Coastal
Cleanup provides an opportunity for volunteers to help keep our beaches and
coastal areas clean and free of pollution,” said Donald Forgione, Director of
the Florida Park Service, "Volunteering in Florida's famous sunshine helps
people connect with nature."
Discarded trash results in injuries and deaths to marine life, damage to plant
life and hazards to human health. With this global event, attention is brought to all sites around the
world and not just the most popular and most traveled.
Florida sites where you can make a
difference are listed below:
Northwest Florida
Apalachicola National Estuarine Research
Reserve, Millendar Park in Eastpoint,
8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Cleaning up the mainland side of Bay
shoreline.
Bald Point State Park,
Alligator Point, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Picking up trash that has washed
up along the shoreline along with old road/building remains.
Dr. Julian G. Bruce St.
George Island State Park, St. George Island, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Picking up litter along the
bayside.
Edward Ball Wakulla
Springs State Park, Wakulla Springs, 9 a.m. to noon
Cleaning up the adopted section
road that borders the park and leads to the Wakulla River.
Grayton Beach State Park,
Santa Rosa Beach, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Cleaning up debris and trash from the
maritime forest along the coast.
Henderson Beach State
Park, Destin, 8 to 10 a.m.
Removing litter from our communities
and beaches. Clearing trash from park and beach.
Perdido Key State Park, Pensacola,
8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Removing trash and debris from the
local beaches and sand dunes.
St. Andrews State Park,
Panama City, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cleaning up the gulf beaches,
including Shell Island.
Northeast Region
Crystal River Preserve
State Park, Crystal River, 8
a.m. to 12 p.m.
Participating in a large-scale
marine debris cleanup.
GTM National Estuarine
Research Reserve, Jacksonville, 8 to 11 a.m.
The event will take place
simultaneously at the Environmental Education Center, 505 Guana River Road,
Ponte Vedra Beach and the GTM Research Reserve Marineland Field
Office, 9741 Ocean Shore Boulevard, Marineland.
Southwest Region
Delnor-Wiggins Pass State
Park, Naples, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Cleaning up at many different
sites.
Hillsborough River
State Park, Thonotasassa, 8 to 11 a.m.
Cleaning up the debris from the
river and the trails.
Oscar Scherer State Park,
Osprey, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Use park canoes and kayaks to pick
up trash around the mangrove estuary and along the creek.
Southeast Region
Avalon State Park, Fort
Pierce, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Cleaning up the park with gloves,
trash bags, and pick-up sticks.
Biscayne Bay Aquatic
Preserve, Pelican Harbor Marina, Miami, 9 a.m.
to 12 p.m.
Rain
or shine, help clean up the urban shoreline of Biscayne Bay.
Fort Pierce Inlet State
Park, Fort Pierce, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Clearing the park from debris.
Hugh Taylor Birch State
Park, Fort Lauderdale, 9 a.m.
Cleaning up the park’s shoreline.
John D. MacArthur Beach
State Park, North Palm Beach, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Cleaning up the beach.
Oleta River State Park,
North Miami, All day
Participating in Miami-Dade
County’s coastal cleanup.
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