As the morning sun rises over the Georgia coast, a group of volunteers climbs aboard fishing boats and skiffs, trading a day of leisure for a day of service. Their destination isn’t a fishing hole or a day on the water. It’s a stretch of beach on St. Catherine’s Island where they will spend the day collecting everything from plastic bottles and discarded fishing line to old tires and other marine debris. For nearly two decades, these volunteers have shared one goal: protecting one of Liberty County’s most beautiful natural treasures. On Saturday, August 15, Keep Liberty Beautiful (KLB) will host its 19th Annual Beach Sweep, continuing a tradition that began in 2007. The annual cleanup depends on generous volunteer boat captains who transport participants to the island, where they work together to remove litter before it can harm wildlife or wash back into Georgia’s coastal waters. Every year I’m amazed by the generosity of our volunteers. Our boat captains donate their boats, their fuel, and their time because they believe these beaches are worth protecting. When our community comes together like this, we’re not just picking up trash, we’re preserving the natural beauty and wildlife that make Liberty County such a special place to call home. Although St. Catherine’s Island is relatively isolated, its shoreline collects debris carried by tides and ocean currents. Items left behind by beachgoers also contribute to the problem, creating hazards for both wildlife and the…
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