Friends of Tigertail hosts quarterly beach cleanups, with the most popular one held annually in September in association with the International Coastal Cleanup. Started in 1986 by two Texas women affiliated with the Ocean Conservancy, the event has grown to encompass many countries, including the United States.
Volunteers tabulate the items collected and the results are submitted to the county and eventually the Ocean Conservancy, so that world-wide statistics can be analyzed regarding types and amount of coastal area debris. The goal is raising awareness, leading to limiting and eventually eliminating garbage from coastal areas.
Over the years,18 million volunteers and 380 million pounds of trash have been collected from coastal areas worldwide with this annual event. Collier County and Keep Collier Beautiful support the effort with organization of groups on several area beaches, rivers, and canals and provision of cleanup supplies…