INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEAN UP…CEDAR KEY STYLE

Thanks largely to the energy, charm, and perseverance of the Nature Coast Biological Station’s Savanna Barry, Cedar Key Vice-Mayor Sue Colson, and the University of Florida IFAS’s Leslie Sturmer, the 2018 International Coastal Cleanup effort attracted nearly three hundred dedicated naturalists who labored from 8 am to noon and beyond on Saturday, September 15, 2018, in an around Cedar Key.

Whether devoted to clean water, clean habitat for healthy ecosystems, or just plain anti-trash, these nature caretakers combed the waters in boats, scoured the lagoons and shorelines on foot, while others separated the trash for possible recycling or garbage depositing, and still others counted the kinds of trash collected.

Many clean-up folks came to Cedar Key specifically to clean this area, some from Tallahassee, Gainesville, and Atlanta. Devoted locals included two Lower Suwannee and Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge boats powered by staff and crewed with Cedar Keyans. Cedar Key School and University of Florida students abounded.

The Cedar Key Woman’s Club smilingly fed the clean-up crews. Hot dogs, sausages, and many healthy items were served. Furthering Cedar Key’s Healthy Levy effort, fresh, chilled pineapple, grapes, and watermelon were served from a toddler’s plastic ice-filled pool and delighted many a parched throat.  To reduce the impact of plastic on the environment, no bottled water was served; recyclable paper cups provided the alternative.

Quantities and categories of trash are recorded and added to Cedar Key’s database and forwarded to International Coastal Cleanup to add to theirs. According o the Ocean Conservancy website, https://oceanconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Building-A-Clean-Swell.pdf, in 2017, “nearly 800,000 volunteers collectively removed more than 20 million pieces of trash from beaches and waterways around the world.  That’s 20 million fewer potential impacts on whales, turtles, and other beloved ocean wildlife.”   Cedar Key comparisons will be reported on soon.

Two prizes were awarded, one to a land-based group and one to a boat-based crew. UF IFAS’s Dr. Mark Clark and his 17-person crew received the prize of a metal straw and straw cleaner for picking up the most debris on land. Mayor Heath Davis’s crew received the same for picking up the most debris from the water and the islands.

Photographs compliments of Katherine Dunlop

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