By Lisa ZahnerINDIAN RIVER COUNTY – Boaters can still register and participate in today’s Second Annual Treasure Coast Waterway Cleanup on Saturday, July 25. The countywide effort, which is sponsored by the Florida Inland Navigation District, runs from from 8 a.m. to 12:30 pm Saturday at the following locations: Indian River County cleanup sites will include:
Sebastian Main Street Boat Ramp
Sebastian Inlet Marina.
Riverside Park Boat Ramp
Vero Beach Municipal Marina
Loggerhead Marina at Grand Harbor
Captain Forsters Park Dock on Jungle Trail
All volunteers receive an event t-shirt and a burgee to display on their vessel during the cleanup.Divers already conducted an underwater dive cleanup on Saturday at the Sebastian Inlet and the Near Shore Reef. Those interested in participating in Saturday’s cleanup should RSVP to Steve Haigis at (772) 664-8500.
Haigis, who serves as president of MIATC, said the Florida Department of Environmental Protection will be mapping the trash collected and that anyone with a GPS device is asked to use it to pinpoint locations.”This will help us to educate boaters and create awareness about the importance of protecting our boating habitat,” he said. “We invite all boaters and non boaters to be part of this historic effort.”Monofilament fishing line, which poses a danger to birds, fish and wildlife, will be collected and recycled as part of both the underwater and shoreline cleanups.
The Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, Inc. is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to the promotion of pleasure boating and its related industries, which contribute $18.4 billion annually to the Florida economy and provide approximately 7.600 jobs. For more information, call April Price (772) 285-1646 or go to www.tcwaterwaycleanup.com.