PLEASE READ: Save our beaches!

[TheBeachVoice]

On the heels of the blue wayfinding sign debate, the recently published ?Leave No Trace? international program press release by the TDC, as well as the cover article in today?s Northwest Florida Daily News about a rare loggerhead turtle that washed ashore at Henderson Beach State Recreation Area which park officials speculate may have swallowed a plastic bag, I would like to bring to attention the sad conditions of our beach in Miramar Beach. Regardless of whether or not you consider Miramar Beach part of Walton County (or SoWal), it is one of the 14 beaches marketed by the Beaches of South Walton and - to many - a beautiful destination to live and/or vacation.

In a place that it celebrated around the world for its sugar-white beaches, it has become apparent that we are neglecting our most precious amenity that is of utmost importance to our local economy. As a resident of Miramar Beach for the past six years (and having lived along the Emerald Coast since 1984), I have sat back and watched with disgust every year as our beaches suffer from the ignorance and blatant disrespect of our visiting neighbors and/or careless locals. Aside from the obvious physical action of picking up the trash that has littered our beaches (which my husband and I have done on numerous occasions), I have come to realize that it is time to be ?proactive? and voice my concern on behalf of all the residents that are proud to call the Emerald Coast home.

Below is a list of some of the litter that I found on a recent walk along a ? mile stretch of beach in Miramar Beach:

Beer cans
Beer cartons
Cigarette buts
Bicycle seat
Abandoned girl?s bike
Beach towels
Potato chip bags
Bottled water bottles
Plastic cups
Glass liquor bottles
Plastic ware
Plastic bags
Suntan lotion bottles
Cigarette cartons
Plastic juice bottles
Granola bar wrappers
Clothing items
Shoes
Candy wrappers
Beach toys
Laundry baskets
Fast food containers
Ice cream cups
To go containers
Fireworks cartons
Toothbrushes
Paper flyers

I have not had a chance to venture out and survey other area beaches to compare but I would imagine these conditions are not isolated to Miramar Beach. If enough people rallied together, we could initiate a county wide campaign that would benefit all 14 beaches of South Walton. For those of you that remember the 70?s campaign, ?Give a hoot! Don?t pollute!?perhaps we could stand to benefit from such a campaign on a local, grassroots level. Through my travels to the mountains and coastal towns around our country, I have found that littering is widely considered the eighth deadly sin. Why can?t the same sense of pride that is found in these locales apply along the Emerald Coast?!?

I welcome your proactive comments, thoughts, and suggestions on how we can band together as a community to help make a difference and KEEP OUR BEACHES BEAUTIFUL so we don?t find ourselves in the same boat next year. Litter, litter and more litter...

Suggestions for discussion:

• ?Tasteful? signage with a strong, consistent message that promotes the importance of keeping our beaches beautiful.

• Installation of proper dune fencing to ensure guided beach access and the protection of our sensitive sea oats.

• Plenty of conveniently-placed trash facilities to better enable the disposal of trash.

• Encouraging beach vendors and rental/condo facilities to participate by doing their part to keep the beaches clean.

• Stricter law enforcement on littering.

Bottom line: the beaches are sick and they need our help!

To see the evidence yourself, here is a link to view the photos from my recent trek along the beach in Miramar Beach. Please note these are all raw photos...none of the litter was touched or moved. None are duplicates. Warning! For those of you easily angered by litter bugs, some of you might find these images disturbing?

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=578885399951_59638231515&collid=83959131515.38903231515.1207800422835&page=1

 

[Smiling JOe]

The litter on the beach seems to grow with the numbers of people going to the beach. I walked along the beach from Grayton through Seaside a few times, recently, and have been a little more than pissed off with all of the cheap plastic crap left on the beach when no one was on the beach. Not only cheap plastic crap, but boogie boards, plastic bottles, rental unit towels, clothing, shovels, dumptrucks and many other toys, buckets, plastic parts off of cheap plastic crap, cigarette butts, food wrappers, etc. Surprisingly to me, Seaside was the worst. At WaterCooler, the beach looked like Eglin AFB pilots had dropped a bunch of small bombs on the beach. There were holes which were big enough to hind plenty of pirates' booty. I almost fell into one while looking at all of the other craters, trying to plan my path down the beach. Grayton, even with all of the cars, was a cleaner beach than Seaside. I really wanted a trailer to throw all of the crap into, to haul it off. There was way more than I could collect on my walks, and many of the cheap plastic crap toys were in good shape and could be used again, if they weren't washed out to sea or buried under sand. I can only do what I do, but I do ask everyone to be considerate of leaving your stuff and your kids stuff in our backyards (the beach and roadways). Don't just ask your kids if they have all their toys. Go physically check.

 

[SHELLY]

I really wanted a trailer to throw all of the crap into, to haul it off.

Geez Joe, was it so long ago that we would hardly fill up one of those plastic shopping bags with maybe a couple pieces of paper, a couple butts, a can, some fishing line and a broken pair of sunglasses---what a mess it's become!

I cringe at the thought of this summer's invasion of the beach nomads setting up, and leaving overnight, their rows of tents, umbrellas, and bazaars of beach junk and trash :roll:

.

 

[Matt J]

Geez Joe, was it so long ago that we would hardly fill up one of those plastic shopping bags with maybe a couple pieces of paper, a couple butts, a can, some fishing line and a broken pair of sunglasses---what a mess it's become!

I cringe at the thought of this summer's invasion of the beach nomads setting up, and leaving overnight, their rows of tents, umbrellas, and bazaars of beach junk and trash :roll:

.

All of them complaining about the trash on the beach.

 

[Hop]

On the heels of the blue wayfinding sign debate, the recently published ?Leave No Trace? international program press release by the TDC, as well as the cover article in today?s Northwest Florida Daily News about a rare loggerhead turtle that washed ashore at Henderson Beach State Recreation Area which park officials speculate may have swallowed a plastic bag, I would like to bring to attention the sad conditions of our beach in Miramar Beach. Regardless of whether or not you consider Miramar Beach part of Walton County (or SoWal), it is one of the 14 beaches marketed by the Beaches of South Walton and - to many - a beautiful destination to live and/or vacation.

In a place that it celebrated around the world for its sugar-white beaches, it has become apparent that we are neglecting our most precious amenity that is of utmost importance to our local economy. As a resident of Miramar Beach for the past six years (and having lived along the Emerald Coast since 1984), I have sat back and watched with disgust every year as our beaches suffer from the ignorance and blatant disrespect of our visiting neighbors and/or careless locals. Aside from the obvious physical action of picking up the trash that has littered our beaches (which my husband and I have done on numerous occasions), I have come to realize that it is time to be ?proactive? and voice my concern on behalf of all the residents that are proud to call the Emerald Coast home.

Below is a list of some of the litter that I found on a recent walk along a ? mile stretch of beach in Miramar Beach:

Beer cans
Beer cartons
Cigarette buts
Bicycle seat
Abandoned girl?s bike
Beach towels
Potato chip bags
Bottled water bottles
Plastic cups
Glass liquor bottles
Plastic ware
Plastic bags
Suntan lotion bottles
Cigarette cartons
Plastic juice bottles
Granola bar wrappers
Clothing items
Shoes
Candy wrappers
Beach toys
Laundry baskets
Fast food containers
Ice cream cups
To go containers
Fireworks cartons
Toothbrushes
Paper flyers

I have not had a chance to venture out and survey other area beaches to compare but I would imagine these conditions are not isolated to Miramar Beach. If enough people rallied together, we could initiate a county wide campaign that would benefit all 14 beaches of South Walton. For those of you that remember the 70?s campaign, ?Give a hoot! Don?t pollute!?perhaps we could stand to benefit from such a campaign on a local, grassroots level. Through my travels to the mountains and coastal towns around our country, I have found that littering is widely considered the eighth deadly sin. Why can?t the same sense of pride that is found in these locales apply along the Emerald Coast?!?

I welcome your proactive comments, thoughts, and suggestions on how we can band together as a community to help make a difference and KEEP OUR BEACHES BEAUTIFUL so we don?t find ourselves in the same boat next year. Litter, litter and more litter...

Suggestions for discussion:

• ?Tasteful? signage with a strong, consistent message that promotes the importance of keeping our beaches beautiful.

• Installation of proper dune fencing to ensure guided beach access and the protection of our sensitive sea oats.

• Plenty of conveniently-placed trash facilities to better enable the disposal of trash.

• Encouraging beach vendors and rental/condo facilities to participate by doing their part to keep the beaches clean.

• Stricter law enforcement on littering.

Bottom line: the beaches are sick and they need our help!

To see the evidence yourself, here is a link to view the photos from my recent trek along the beach in Miramar Beach. Please note these are all raw photos...none of the litter was touched or moved. None are duplicates. Warning! For those of you easily angered by litter bugs, some of you might find these images disturbing?

http://www.kodakgallery.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?UV=578885399951_59638231515&collid=83959131515.38903231515.1207800422835&page=1

awareness becomes knowledge...knowledge becomes action...to the board...

 

[Teresa]

awareness becomes knowledge...knowledge becomes action...to the board...

very wise words hoppy.

thebeachvoice. we have many threads on SoWal.com dedicated to preserving our beautiful beach environment, with many good observations and ideas for making them cleaner and safer. your discussion thread is very thoughtful and timely! such discussion helps remind locals and visitors of how they can help spread awareness and take action. so, thanks!

 

[Miss Kitty]

BeachVoice! Thank you for your timely, but sad post. I am arriving soon and will once again be the trash patrol on the WC beaches...it is part of my duty. I will speak with the guys on the beach about trash and those damm holes and once again let the WC "bosses" hear about what I find. Your list, while not surprising, is disgusting. Thanks for caring.

 

[TreeFrog]

Starting my 4th year as a full-timer in SoWal, I find it near-impossible that a turtle could succesfully nest. The hole-digging seems to grow every year. You'd think it would be relatively constant. But even without it, it's almost impossible to find a square inch of sand down here on the eastern half that isn't trampled with footprints, except maybe in the Deer Creek area.

 

[jodiFL]

Surprisingly to me, Seaside was the worst. At WaterCooler, the beach looked like Eglin AFB pilots had dropped a bunch of small bombs on the beach. There were holes which were big enough to hind plenty of pirates' booty. I almost fell into one while looking at all of the other craters, trying to plan my path down the beach.

My son was just reading over my shoulder and saw this and said it is horrible down there. He said that he and 3 friends (all in their teens and not small) were walking down the beach a few nights ago and that all 4 fell in to one at the SAME TIME, walking abreast of each other. He said they just got out of the hole and looked at each other with the WTF? bubbles above their heads. LOL he called it synchronized falling but said that it was crazy.

 

[John R]

BeachVoice, as indicated above, sad but true. Some people are pigs, and apparently those pigs like to go to the beach. The bummer is that the trash is not limited to the beach. We wouldn't have 'adopt a highway' programs if it was. Some just feel that when they're done with whatever it is they're using, it's not their responsibility anymore. It's infuriating because if they were standing on the curb at their house and someone they some garbage out the window and it landed at their feet, you can be sure they'd be pissed. What they don't realize is that it's ALL their front yard. Litterbugs are a subhuman species and that's all there is to it Tourist or local, it doesn't matter. It sucks.