You Observed: Surfrider Foundation cleans up north Longboat Key

A group of north Longboat Key residents decided to show their home a little extra love on Valentine's Day.

The morning of Feb. 14, several volunteers headed out to the beach access point at 100 N. Shore Road, grabbed pickers, buckets and bags and spread out along the sand. The garbage cleanup crew went as far as the edge of Greer Island and gathered pounds of trash, which they pooled together to dispose of as the cleaning wound down. As usual, the refuse consisted mostly of discarded single-use plastics. 

Suncoast Surfrider Foundation organized the cleanup, which is far from their first foray onto Longboat Key. The group has organized a few cleanups per year on the island and focuses on the north end. Often, they will partner with Suncoast Rise Against Plastics to help educate volunteers about what they find on the beaches. 

"The Suncoast Surfrider group had several volunteers who learned about recycling, microplastics, species of birds, sea life, beach erosion,and protecting what we love by keeping it clean," volunteer Tahniya Smith said. 

The next cleanup will be March 13. Contact Tahniya Smith at 284-2276 for information.