How you can help clean up Okaloosa Island and Destin beaches this weekend

Devon Ravine, Northwest Florida Daily News
·2 min read

Saltwater Restaurants and the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department will host a beach cleanup Saturday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at six locations on Okaloosa Island and Destin.

The event will be held in conjunction with the International Coastal Cleanup, global effort organized by the Ocean Conservancy to reduce the amount of trash in the world's oceans.

A snack food wrapper and beer bottle tops sit beneath the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier recently. Saltwater Restaurants and the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department will host beach cleanups Saturday at six locations along the coast, from Okaloosa Island east to Miramar Beach.
A snack food wrapper and beer bottle tops sit beneath the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier recently. Saltwater Restaurants and the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department will host beach cleanups Saturday at six locations along the coast, from Okaloosa Island east to Miramar Beach.

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"Beach cleanups not only keep our beaches beautiful for visitors, but they create a safe environment for our wildlife," said Jessica Valek, coastal resource coordinator with the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department. "Certain animals, like sea turtles and shorebirds, rely on our beaches to lay their eggs and protect their young."

The cleanup locations are:

  • The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island, 1450 Miracle Strip Parkway, Fort Walton Beach

  • Norriego Point, 1 Gulf Shore Drive, Destin

  • Mattie Kelly Park & Joe's Bayou, 825 Beach Drive, Destin

  • Henderson Beach State Park, 17000 Emerald Coast Parkway, Destin

  • The Crab Trap/James Lee Park, 3500 Scenic Highway 98, Destin

  • The Surf Hut, 551 Scenic Gulf Drive, Miramar Beach

Participants will receive an event T-shirt (limited quantities) and a free post-cleanup breakfast will be available at The Boardwalk, The CrabTrap and The Surf Hut location

Scuba divers found a variety of trash during an organized cleanup around Destin's East Pass last year. Saltwater Restaurants and the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department will host beach cleanups Saturday at six locations along the coast, from Okaloosa Island east to Miramar Beach.
Scuba divers found a variety of trash during an organized cleanup around Destin's East Pass last year. Saltwater Restaurants and the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department will host beach cleanups Saturday at six locations along the coast, from Okaloosa Island east to Miramar Beach.

Volunteers are asked to bring their own bucket, mesh bag, gloves and grabbers to collect trash. Dress appropriately for the weather and bring water and sunscreen.

The event is now in its fifth year, and volunteers removed more than 2,000 pounds of garbage and collected more than 1,000 cigarette butts during the most recent cleanup.

Trash fills a bin on Okaloosa Island recently. Saltwater Restaurants and the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department will host beach cleanups Saturday at six locations along the coast, from Okaloosa Island east to Miramar Beach.
Trash fills a bin on Okaloosa Island recently. Saltwater Restaurants and the Destin-Fort Walton Beach Tourist Development Department will host beach cleanups Saturday at six locations along the coast, from Okaloosa Island east to Miramar Beach.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Boardwalk on Okaloosa Island, the Choctawhatchee Estuary Program will be hosting Choctawhatchee Bay Family FUN-FEST. The event celebrates National Estuaries Week and will feature food and other local vendors, activities for kids and door prizes.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa Island, Destin beach cleanup planned on Saturday. How to help