- April 16, 2024
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Bridgette and Giana Clark
Bridgette Clark navigates the beach on a foggy morning.
Giana Clark
Giana Clark tries for a photo of the sun through the clouds.
Bridgette Clark found a smooth piece of aluminum washed up on the beach.
Carol Jensen stuck closer to the vegetation line and found more trash.
Carol Jensen stuck closer to the vegetation line and found more trash.
Bridgette and Giana Clark
Tim Hellige, Lonna Smith, Carlyn Vigil, Barbara Benz and Cyndi Seamon
Tim Hellige and Lonna Smith spread out across the beach to make sure no trash went unpicked.
Carlyn Vigil, Cyndi Seamon and Barbara Benz stuck close to the vegetation line.
Carlyn Vigil found a doll that's seen better days.
Lonna Smith
Barbara Benz
Carlyn Vigil
Cyndi Seamon and Lonna Smith remove a plank from the beach.
Barbara Benz learns about turtle stakes from Cyndi Seamon.
Cyndi Seamon removes the organic material wrapped around a rope.
Jan. 23 dawned foggy and damp, but groups of volunteers with the Longboat Key Turtle Watch still searched for trash along the island's beaches as part of their monthly cleanups.
Because the cleanups are organized through Keep Manatee Beautiful, small groups met up at different locations in Manatee County and spread out across the beach from tide line to vegetation line. Trash often gets caught in the seaweed near the water as the tide goes in and out, but on Saturday, there wasn't much to be found compared to other cleanups. Bridgette Clark and daughter Giana usually walk down at the tide line and Giana went about a quarter mile without finding any trash at all.
"The beach is pretty clean," Bridgette said. "I'm really very impressed."
However, up at the vegetation line, there was more trash to be found tangled in the dunes. Cyndi Seamon led a group around 9 a.m., when the fog was still hanging heavily, and the group filled bags with trash, including ropes, disposable face masks and gloves as well as plenty of microplastics.
