International Coastal Cleanup to be held September 20

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:13:49 -0500

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. – (August 18, 2008) – Beaches of South Walton are recognized as some of the cleanest most admired beaches in the nation. To ensure that the beaches remain pristine, the community is invited to join the world-wide effort to clean the coast during International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 20 from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Coastal Cleanup is an international program sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy engaging people to remove trash and debris from the world’s beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of debris, and to change the behaviors that cause pollution. Locally sponsored by the Walton County Tourist Development Council (WCTDC) and Walton County Schools, this program encourages stewardship of the county’s precious coastal area.

This year’s event will have four main clean-up sites including Dune Allen Regional Beach Access, Ed Walline Regional Beach Access, Grayton Beach Access and Miramar Beach Regional Access on the western side of Pompano Joe's. Complimentary cleanup supplies, water and Coastal Cleanup T-shirts will be provided at each access.

For more than 20 years, Coastal Cleanup has been a major event in data collection and education. At each site the collected debris is cataloged, then sent to the Ocean Conservancy and used for studies concerning the welfare of the nation’s coastline. During last year’s cleanup, over 378,000 volunteers removed 6 million pounds of debris from 33,000 miles of coasts, spanning 76 countries and 45 states.

For more information on volunteering contact Melinda Wickham, WCTDC Administrative Assistant at (850) 267-1216 mwickham@beachesofsouthwalton.com

or visit www.oceanconservancy.org

Beaches of South Walton Beach Nourishment & Beach Safety Tips

International Coastal Cleanup to be held September 20