Day 32 - 5 pounds for a total of 218.4
Cayo Costa Island in SW Florida ~ Cayo Costa island became a park in 1976 when it was acquisitioned by the state of Florida. The park is 2,416 acres of undisturbed beauty boasting nine miles of beautiful beaches as well as pine forests, oak-palm hammocks, and mangrove swamps.
The only way to get to it is by boat & the part we go to is at the other end, away from the state park entrance, etc.. It is a beautiful pristine place w/ wild pigs & a wide variety of other wildlife ~ in & out of the sea. We were happy to find a sea turtle nest near where we were & a manatee swam past our boat. The shelling & snorkeling is amazing & the island needs to be nurtured & protected. Every time we go, we always do a beach clean up.
I am so happy to report that we found very little trash. A portion of the trash consisted of cigarette butts, which was an excellent example of how long they take to degrade & stay in the environment. Previously plastic was more common, but there haven't been many storms, which is probably the reason for the lack of plastics. 
Not 5 min. into our beach clean up a sacrifice for the cause was given. Though I had flip flops on, a tree stump, dried nicely by the sun & sand, w/ razor sharp wood was in my path as I was walking.... I unfortunately was not looking where I was going :o) & it gored the side of my foot (pic. included). We doctored it & continued collecting what trash we could find for 20 min.. The accumulated trash weighed approximately 5 lbs. w/ the diaper :oP, full can of tobacco, bottles, etc..
We collect trash every where we go! But, I highly recommend, when cleaning up wild & wooded beach areas, wearing closed toe water shoes, & have gloves & a first aid kit on hand!
SORRY FOR YOUR FOOT SACRAFICE, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THE COMMUNITY COUNT!!
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MY GOAL - TO HAVE PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD SEND ME PICTURES OF WHAT THEY COLLECT FROM A BEACH IN 20 MIN. HOW MUCH IT WEIGHED AND THEIR THOUGHTS....HOW ABOUT YOU?
Hi Sara, so sorry to hear about your foot?! Or was that someone else's? Ouch!! Glad you posted the info about cigarette butts as they are highly toxic to water. I did a post a while back http://michellelouie.com/recycling/cigarette-butts-and-water-fleas you might be interested in.
ReplyDeleteTake care!
Thanks for the concern, alas it wasn't my toe! Sacrifice for the community count. But I know that a tetnus shot was given and all is well :D
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading your post on cigarette butts and their toxicity in water. It is disturbing. Thanks for your comments!!!