Coastal Cleanup Day

The Guana Tolomato Matanzas Research Reserve announced to local Historic City News reporters that they would be collaborating with the Ocean Conservancy to host International Coastal Cleanup Day on September 15, from 8:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. and they are asking our readers to volunteer.

Local volunteers can join over a half million people in more than 150 countries cleaning up the shores of rivers, lakes, streams and oceans.

Last year alone, the trash collected globally totaled nine million pounds.

Participants can pick up their supplies from the Guana Tolomato Matanzas Research Reserve’s Environmental Education Center or their Marineland office.

The Reserve hopes to have people cleaning the Atlantic shoreline throughout St. Johns County and parts of Flagler County.

In 2011, we had more than 100 volunteers remove over 80 bags of trash from the area.

For the past 26 years, the International Coastal Cleanup has become the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean health.

Each year, countless marine animals are sickened, injured or killed because of trash that ends up in the world’s oceans.

This same trash also poses health threats to humans, contaminates marine ecosystems and causes serious damage to boat props.

Not only is trash collected from the shores on this day, but also the trash items are recorded.

The Ocean Conservancy compiles the data to help identify main sources of debris.

They also use the information to promote citizen awareness and better disposal behaviors.

The Environmental Education Center is located at 505 Guana River Road, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 32082.

The Marineland office is located at 9741 Ocean Shore Boulevard, Marineland, FL 32080.

The Guana Tolomato Matanzas Research Reserve is one of 28 National Estuarine Research Reserves around the nation focused on researching, educating, and protecting the natural biodiversity and cultural resources within the estuary. It is co-managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas.