TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The 325th Civil Engineer Squadron Natural Resources Flight will be hosting the “Tidy Up for Turtles Beach Clean-Up” on Saturday, April 21, 2018.
“We hope to clean at least six miles of the beach, three miles of Crooked Island West, and three miles of Shell Island,” said Rebecca Johnson, 325th CES Natural Resources Flight wildlife technician. “We ask that all participants bring work gloves and good walking shoes. Additionally, sunscreen, a hat and a water bottle would also be recommended.”
Although this is the first year that this specific clean-up event will be hosted, Tyndall does have other beach clean-up opportunities planned. The 325th CES is scheduled to sponsor an annual beach clean-up in September that correlates with International Coastal Clean-up Day.
There is no sign-up for the event and volunteers only need to show up at the NCO Beach House at 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
In addition to having the beaches remaining in pristine condition for Airmen and their families, volunteers can reflect on their service with a larger sense of purpose.
“The impact of a beach clean-up is immense,” said Johnson. “While we do not have the problems that most public beaches have with beach-goers leaving trash on the beach, there is quite a bit of garbage that washes ashore. The importance of keeping all of this debris off our beaches is important not only for aesthetic purposes, but also for the environmental protection of the several endangered animals that call the beach and Gulf their home.”
According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s factsheet on “The Impacts of Mismanaged Trash” from their Trash-Free Waters initiative, all trash can be harmful to marine life. Plastic trash has the greatest potential to harm the environment, wildlife and humans.
Trash can be found floating at the surface, suspended in the water column, or on the bottom of almost all water bodies. It is transported by rivers to the ocean, where it moves with the currents, and is often eaten by birds and fish, concentrating toxic chemicals in their tissues, and filling their stomachs, causing them to starve.
“Being able to provide stewardship for their habitat is such a wonderful benefit for all of us who live here at Tyndall,” said Johnson. “It gives us a unique opportunity to see animals that most will never get the chance to encounter. There are four species of sea turtles, and several shorebirds that nest directly on Tyndall beaches and keeping the beach free of obstacles is crucial to their survival.”
For more information about Tyndall’s ecosystem and how to volunteer to get involved, call Beckie Johnson at 850-541-3517 or 850-283-2822.
For information of the EPA’s “Trash-Free Waters” initiative and what you can do to help, visit: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters