×
×
homepage logo
STORE

Captiva community cleans up island’s coast, waterways

By Staff | Oct 20, 2021

PHOTO PROVIDED

The Captiva community came out in force for Keep Lee County Beautiful’s International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 18.

Santiva Saltwater Fishing team guides led a team of 108 to clean up the coast and waterways in and around the island. Capt. Jimmy Burnsed and his wife, Sarah, started organizing the event last year.

“Providing an event to promote awareness to this vital mission and encourage our local community to take action on the welfare of our waterways is very important to us,” Sarah Burnsed, a marine biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, said.

“We hope to make this an annual event to create awareness in our community and give people a chance to feel like they truly make a difference in keeping Captiva a beautiful place to live, boat, fish and enjoy the water,” Jimmy Burnsed added.

The couple enlisted the help of local businesses and organizations, including Captiva Rod & Gun Club, Captiva Cruises and McCarthy’s Marina to provide the venue and R.S. Walsh Landscaping to provide food. In addition, FWC Officer Gabrielle Midolo and four others from the agency’s Division of Law Enforcement Southwest Region provided a dive team and two boats for the safety of the participants.

Also participating as divers were an additional five FWRI marine biologists from Southwest Florida and as far away as Key West. The Sanibel Police Department and Lee County Sheriff’s Office were also on hand, and Scubavice Diving Center provided tanks and diving equipment for use at the event.

Special thanks were extended to KLCB Program Coordinators Mike Thomas for his support — and dumpster that was filled to the brim — and Bianca Ferrara for her attendance and help at the event.