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NEW CKPOTTERY 2019
 
THE THIRTY-FIRST
INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP
EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS!
September 25, 2016
 
Hurricane Hermine gave new meaning to the words “Coastal Cleanup” this year.  More debris was picked up by more volunteers than any year on record.  For carefully collected statistics, click on: http://cedarkeynews.com/index.php/city-news/2495-coastal-cleanup-2016-results
 
Cedar Key certainly needed the cleanup assistance, and it surely got that help.  Area residents and visitors showed up to gather debris. The number of amazing volunteers that signed up this year topped 170 with many more volunteers working unregistered.
 
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Clean up assistance was needed not only on the surrounding islands, the City Marina was also in dire need of cleanup and repair and it had to be completed before the Coastal Cleanup could take place. The fixed docks at the north side of the Marina were destroyed by Hurricane Hermine and the wooden platform between the parking lot and the Marina were severely damaged and appeared to be beyond repair. Thanks to the Public Works crew and the many volunteers who came to the city's aid, the Marina area was clear of storm debris and Bill Crandley and his crew were able to perform the major repairs needed to the wood decking and platform in time for the clean up.
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VOLUNTEERS GATHERED AND DISPERSED EVERYWHERE
Coastal Cleanup staff were ready and waiting at 8 am and earlier when eager volunteers arrived at the Cedar Key City Marina on Saturday, September 17, 2016.  Staff took names and, if not preselected by the volunteer, assigned the person, if on foot, to an area and, if on a boat, to an island needing attention.   
Volunteer crews came from everywhere and seemingly boated or walked everywhere in Cedar Key and beyond.  Some are noted below.
  • Cemetery Point Park volunteers, some from the UF service organization, Alpha Phi Omega, plodded through the grasses and mud under the boardwalks to gather debris which was all hauled to a trailer or stacked along the road for take-away.
  • The Trestle Trail, to the south of Kiss-Me-Quick, volunteer contingent led by John McPherson sloshed through the mangrove and brush picking up debris.
  • Hannah Blasak and Ashley Dlasak hunted debris from the inside Marina.
  • Snake Key debris got tough treatment from US Fish and Wildlife Service’s second boat with the help of Robin Gilles, Eric and Kate Hellgren, the Lowders, and others.
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service’s first boat, captained by Vic Doig and Sam Gibbs, tackled waste on Deadman’s and North Keys; they were ably assisted by Jim and Karen Decker and Ray Carthy.
  • The Department of Environmental Protection Big Bend Aquatic Preserve‘s four-man team, including Mark Hammond and Tim Jones, tackled inshore areas.
  • Allison and Royce Nelson’s five-man air-boat team focused upon the Palmetto area and the waters around the cemetery and Cemetery Point Park.
  • Bob Hudson and Rick Anthony concentrated on the areas near and under the Number Four Bridge.
  • The Hosteteler family, Mark, Meryl, Jaiman, and Tupelo cleaned up G Street’s beach.
  • Xanabeth Lazaro, Maria Saldana, and M. Tripp cleaned up the Airport area.
  • Carla and Ray Ermel tackled Rattlesnake Key debris.
  • The Seashorse Key Marine Lab skiff group focused on Seahorse Key debris.
  • The five-man Baker contingent, Shirley, Patrick, Arthur, Andy, and Alex, cleaned up the Third Street mangroves, the UF Dock, and Hungry Bend.
  • The Shleedes, aided by Susan Roper and Aiden Anderson cleaned up Palmetto and Airport Roads and the fishing bridge.
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 “I’m so excited,” said Commissioner Sue Colson. “That I see so many more new young people coming to help us.”  And indeed, Colson was correct; Santa Fe College and University of Florida students were many…and gracious, energetic, and ever so capable. 

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WOMAN’S CLUB FED THE HUNGRY GATHERERS
The Cedar Key Woman’s Club saw to it that the volunteers were hydrated and nourished.  Susan Hollandsworth, Judy Treharne, Daren Decker, Joan Selby, Donna Bushnell, Teri Brennan, and Susan Rosenthal were all serving at the Cleanup in many capacities.  Some served the hungry debris gatherers hot dogs, chips, cookies, lemonade, and water.
Indeed, the Cedar Key Woman’s Club tent was critical to the cleanup effort.  No matter what one ate or drank on the boat or in the weeds or along the shores, having a hot dog and drink handed to you by a smiling, appreciative lady or two can’t be underestimated.
 
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T-SHIRTS EARNED, SPONSORS NOTED 
The Aquaculture Association’s Rosie Cantwell, ably aided by Mike and Mindy Allen’s daughter, manned the t-shirt and key chain tent.    The blue shirt with white and orange lettering citing the 31st International Coastal Cleanup boasted some twenty sponsors.
 
Sponsors included:
Cedar Key Aquaculture Association,
UF/IFAS Shellfish Aqua. Extension,
UF Nature Coast Biological Station
Florida Nature Coast Conservancy,  
DEP Big Bend Aquatic Preserve,
USFWS Cedar Keys NWR,
Cedar Key Woman’s Club,
City of Cedar Key Marina,
Southern Cross Sea Farms,
Dog Island Blues Clams,
Piney Point Fish Camp,
Kayak Cedar Keys,
Marina Hardware,
Cedar Key News,
Pither Family,
B@E Seafood,
Cedar Shoals,
 and Clamtastics.
 
PRIZE WON
The winning team, the group that hauled in the most debris, was the Snake Key crew on the US Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge boat with Larry Woodard, Eric and Kate Hellren, Robin Gilles, Katheryn, Bill, and Michael Lowder, Sarah Hernandez, Josef Njerve, John Parks, Josh Havrid, and Sam Matelski.  The prize was a very large package of, what else? candy.
 
PELICANS RESCUED
Two pelicans, entangled in monofilament, were rescued by Woodard’s crew on the USFWS Refuge boat.
 
PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL EFFORT
The Cedar Key Coastal Cleanup is a part of the International Coastal Cleanup, the world's largest volunteer effort to help protect the ocean. Sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, an astounding 800,000 volunteers in 92 countries picked up more than 18 million pounds of trash from the shores of lakes, streams, rivers, and the ocean on just one day in last year’s 2015 International Coastal Cleanup. They have recorded every item found, giving us a clear picture of the manufactured items impacting the health of humans, wildlife, and economies.
For more information, visit www.oceanconsrvancy.org.
 
 
COMMUNITY GRATEFUL
Coastal Cleanup is organized and actualized by City of Cedar Key Commissioner Sue Colson, UF IFAS Shellfish Extension Agent Leslie Sturmer, and Nature Coast Biological Station Sea Grant Regional Specialized Agent Dr. Savanna Barry.
 
 
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