As summer comes into full swing, so do the organizers of the 11th annual Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup, which will take place on Saturday, July 28.
Conducted by the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast (MIATC), and sponsored by the Florida Inland Navigation District, since 2008, the event has engaged more than 8500 volunteers who have removed more than 72 tons of trash from the waterways of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties.
This year, organizers are excited to add additional clean-up sites, “This year, we’ll be adding two new sites in St. Lucie County and one in Martin County, and for the first year ever, we are including Jonathan Dickinson State Park and the northern reaches of the Loxahatchee River in Martin County,” said logistics coordinator Valerie Lindh. “In St. Lucie County we are adding the White City Park Boat Ramp in the North Fork of the St. Lucie River and the new Causeway Cove Marina at the southeast base of the South Causeway Bridge in Fort Pierce.”
July 22-28 will be proclaimed Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup Week by the counties of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River, along with the municipalities of Stuart, Port Saint Lucie, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach and Sebastian. The governmental entities will all recognize the efforts of MIATC and the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND), along with businesses, community organizations and the groups 1000 plus volunteers who work to keep local waterways clean.
“The waterways in the District can accumulate trash and debris from many sources. FIND sponsors voluntary waterway clean ups in each of the 12 counties in the District with Keep Florida Beautiful affiliates, as well as Marine Industry Associations,” says Janet Zimmerman, Assistant Executive Director for FIND. “We believe these cleanup efforts are important not just for the health of the waterway because of the removal of the debris, but they also help to bring together the users of the waterway in a spirit of community and in a way that fosters environmental awareness. These are good projects, and we enjoy sponsoring them up and down the waterway.”
Cleanup volunteers will receive a commemorative event t-shirt and water craft participants will also receive a commemorative burgee. Volunteers will be recognized at a thank you barbecue on a to be announced Sunday in August.
To sponsor and or organize a team of volunteers at one of the 25 Treasure Coast sites, visit www.tcwaterwaycleanup.com or call April Price, (772) 285-1646.
