Keep Lee County Beautiful recently hosted its annual “Monofilament Madness” marine cleanup. The event drew over 150 volunteers who removed 25,000 pounds of debris from the waterways, beaches, and mangroves of the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve.
Since 1991, KLCB has dedicated this event to removing monofilament fishing lines and other trash from the mangrove areas.
Volunteers set out on boats, kayaks, and paddleboards from Salty Sam’s Marina and The Mound House to tackle debris scattered by recent hurricanes. The storms carried trash bins, buckets, wood, and even large items like a sleeper sofa into the mangroves. Paddlers removed litter from the mangroves, passing bulky items to boaters for transport. The cleanup effort included volunteers combing the mangrove area on Mango Street on Fort Myers Beach, collecting hard-to-reach debris left by Hurricane Ian. Due to recent storms, KLCB also organized a Fort Myers Beach cleanup launching from the Tunaskin Store.
Following the cleanup, volunteers enjoyed an appreciation lunch and after-party at Parrot Key in Salty Sam’s Marina to celebrate their hard work and dedication.
Keep Lee County Beautiful is planning more waterway cleanups and encourages everyone to join in preserving Southwest Florida’s beautiful waters and protecting its marine environment. To support these efforts, visit klcb.org to donate. Every contribution, no matter the size, stays 100% local, directly benefiting Lee County.
It was a great time! Everyone was so nice and helpful. It was great hard work on everyone’s part. The lunch afterwards was great with great music. Met some new friends and hope to help out more!!! Are you going to post the video that was taken?
Thanks to all who participated, your efforts help keep FMB beautiful and safe for both humans and wildlife. Thanks so much.