By Shari Roan
On behalf of the Beach Ambassadors
April 29, 2020
The old adage “absence makes the heart grow fonder” could probably apply to the relationship between the residents of Amelia Island and their beaches. The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent temporary closure of our beaches made many of us long for the feeling of soft sand on our feet, the sound of thundering waves and the sight of seabirds gliding in formation over the sparkling water. Soon, we’ll be reunited with our 13-miles of beautiful beaches, and the Beach Ambassadors will once again take up our cause.
We are a volunteer group of local residents, launched in 2018, who clean the beaches each evening throughout the summer months. Typically each person or group takes one evening a week at one of the city beaches and spends an hour or so plucking plastic bottles, sand toys, flip flops, candy bar wrappers, cigarette butts and more off the sand. We wear gloves and carry buckets and grabbers. Beach Ambassadors Susan and Jim McCutcheon say they think the presence of volunteers cleaning the beach sends a signal to others. “We enjoy being on the beach at the end of the day and encountering people who are excited about what we are doing,” Sue says. “It’s easy to feel powerless in the scope of the global environmental crisis, and this gives us the sense that we might be making a small bit of difference.” Denny and Carrie Lee joined Beach Ambassadors out of appreciation. “We live in the most beautiful place on Earth, and we want to keep it that way!” says Denny. Toby Tovar, who was an original member of the Beach Ambassadors, says “I have been a volunteer Beach Ambassador since the beginning. I like knowing that, by cleaning the beach, it keeps sea birds and marine life from dying by human trash.”
Sometimes the work is discouraging. (Smokers: really? Is it that hard to collect your cigarette butts in a cup and throw them in a trash can?) Mostly, however, our task is a labor of love. One evening last summer, my daughter, who was visiting from New York City, joined me to clean Peters Point. Soon after we began our walk, a couple of children joined us, their parents happily watching from a distance. We told the inquisitive kids about the Beach Ambassadors and how trash on the beach harms sea life, plant life and human health. They quickly became our scouts, pointing out trash for us to pick up and deposit. This went on for an hour until we left, thanking them and christening them “junior Beach Ambassadors.” Beach Ambassadors needs additional enthusiastic volunteers to help keep our beaches pristine.
Please contact Christine Harmon at [email protected] to join our wonderful group. You will enjoy it and will be contributing to protecting the magical place we so missed during the pandemic. Through our efforts and our visibility (we have awesome hats!), we can establish an unwavering island tradition that promotes clean beaches and environmentalism. Years from now, I’d like to think those junior Beach Ambassadors will return to the beaches of their youth – buckets and grabbers in hand.
Just came across a quote from Dr. Doom about his opinion on when we can have a sports return. His commented it would be premature “until we can guarantee everyone’s safety”. With this style advice, I guess we can forget about any sports or perhaps even going to the beach to recreate till every malady on the planet is muted. Let me sum up what the lock down has accomplished to date: we have a projected federal deficit of $4 Trillion dollars, so far. We have hollowed out the health care system up to and including bankrupting some facilities we were trying to protect while laying off many medical employees. Now our food distribution system is in jeopardy requiring a demand by the President for processing plants to reopen. I am sure there are others I have not addressed. What I am leading up to is with advice like this, how can any politician came up with a sensible beach plan. Here is my plan, we know the risks, the media blares that all day. So, open the beaches. If you don’t want to go, stay home.
Per Nassau Count Commissioners this evening, county beaches to open 6am Monday May 4th. Per the State of Florida Governer today at 5pm, “local” governments should be hard pressed to insist on standards stricter than state standards. Translation Gents in City of Fernandina Beach Town Hall………… City beaches to open Monday 6am. I can’t wait for the “excuses” to flow as to why this cannot happen. Good luck “shooing” those pesky Seniors off the beach come Monday morning at 6:01am. The stupidity has come to an end. Please focus your attentions on stoppping your porpensity for reaching into everyone right rear pocket for yet again increased taxes. In case you havnot heard…..priviate business and people in general are without any”extra” cash these days. Please do what you were elected or perhaps paid to do~~~~manage.