Keep Lee County Beautiful

A lot of volunteers are needed to help in this international cleanup effort to rid Florida's coastlines of litter, pollution and debris. Many sites throughout Lee County are coordinated each year by Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc. for collection and documentation of beach litter.

SPONSORS NEEDED! For just $250.00 your company will be printed on the event T-shirts!

Now your donation can be made right from your computer, simply click the Donate button below.

Join us for Coastal Cleanup

The Coastal Cleanup is the only cleanup where trash is collected and recorded. The data cards are then sent to the Ocean Conservancy where the information is used in the development of new environmental protection acts and change the behaviors that cause marine debris in the first place. The data cards are designed to have groups of 4 working together, 3 to collect litter and debris and 1 to record the findings. Latex gloves will be handed out, however some of the marine debris will be rough so please feel free to bring work gloves.

Waste Pro, Veolia Environmental Services, Lee County Visitors & Convention Bureau, Coca Cola, Town of Fort Myers Beach, Royal Scoop Ice Cream, Buffalo Chips, South Seas Island Resort, Doc's Beachhouse,

Lee County Parks & Rec, Nelson Marine, Lee County Department of Solid Waste, DEX, Surfing Evolution and Preservation Foundation, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Preferred Materials,

Bonita Beach - 27954 Hickory Blvd., Bonita Springs, FL 34134 (8:00 - 12:00) (Site Coordinator - Nelson Marine)

This beautiful beach front park is on the northern tip of Bonita Beach. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda. Lunch will be provided by Buffalo Chips and Royal Scoop Ice Cream will be on hand to offer up a refreshing treat for all volunteers.

Bunche Beach - 18201 John Morris Road, Fort Myers, FL 33908 (Site Coordinator - Terry Cain)
Located on San Carlos Bay this is a much smaller site then some of the others. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of T-shirts.

Causeway Islands - SR/CR 867, Fort Myers, FL 33908 (Lee County Visitors & Conventions Bureau)
This facility, approximately 10 acres, is located on SR/CR 867, consists of the road sides of two spoil islands built and used to link the mainland to Sanibel Island. As you are traveling from the mainland towards Sanibel Island you will pass through a Toll booth (toll is $6.00 , no fee required for park use) then crossover a "sky" bridge and arrive at the first island, referred to as "Island A". If you continue on, you will crossover another "flat" bridge and arrive at the second island referred to as "Island B". Island "A" has parking only. Island "B" offers restrooms and drinking fountains (located on each side of the road). The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of T-shirts.

Fort Myers Beach Elementary School - 2751 Oak Street, Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931 (Site Coordinator - FMB Community Foundation)
This site offers plenty of parking and the volunteers spread out to cover all of Fort Myers Beach. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda and a limited supply of litter sticks and T-shirts.

Mantanzas Pass Preserve (Check in will be at Fort Myers Beach Elementary - ask for Roger Clark)
Volunteers will meet at the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School to pick up supplies. Ask for Roger Clark as he will guide the volunteers through the Mantanzas Pass Preserve to collected litter and debris. Volunteers at this site need to be prepared to get wet and maybe even a little dirty. Please wear long pants and preferably a long sleeve shirt.

Matlacha Community Park- 4577 Pine Island Road NW, Matlacha, FL 33993 (8:00 to 12:00) (Site Coordinator - Karen Bickford)
Located on Pine Island this is a much smaller site then some of the others. The site coordinator will have data cards and pencils, latex gloves, trash bags, water and soda. There is a kayak/canoe launch site for volunteers that wish to clean the waterways.

Organizers
The annual cleanup is organized nationally by The Ocean Conservancy, and is coordinated locally by Keep Lee County Beautiful, Inc. (KLCB), the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF), the Environmental Education Department of Lee County Schools and The Bonita Beach Improvement Association.

The 2 goals of the cleanup are to remove unsightly and environmentally harmful debris from Florida's coastlines and raise awareness about this preventable litter problem. Litter poses a threat to wildlife - plastic bags are mistaken for jellyfish and eaten by sea turtles. Lost and discarded fishing tackle is eaten by birds and becomes an entangling death trap to many types of animal life.

All data is recorded by volunteers - data cards are provided so amounts and types of collected debris can be sent to The Ocean Conservancy. This data is part of the vital research needed to proevent illegal and improper disposal of solid waste. In 2011, more than 950 volunteers, including divers, turned out to clean up Lee County beaches and thanks to their efforts, approximately 4,500 pounds of trash and monofilament fishing line was collected from the area's coastline and waterways.