Volunteers Clean Debris from Florida Keys Reefs During Trash Derby - Keys Video Advisory
Story: Volunteers Clean Debris from Florida Keys Reefs During Trash Derby
Locator Super: Islamorada, Florida Keys
Video: Video to match this story is available on the Florida Keys News Bureau's FTP server (download details below) or can be downloaded now via Google Drive link here. Underwater B-roll footage of scuba divers collecting marine debris during the annual I.CARE Trash Derby; land footage of debris collection; SOTs with organizer Michael Goldberg and participant Leslie Stair of Tampa, Fla.
TRT: 03:15
Filename: KeysReefTrashDerby.mp4
Video source: Florida Keys News Bureau
ISLAMORADA, Florida Keys -- Over 600 scuba diving and land-based volunteers have joined forces to remove underwater and coastal debris from the Florida Keys during the I.CARE Trash Derby that ends Sunday.
Cleanup activities from Key Largo to Key West are to continue Saturday, the same day as the Kentucky Derby horse race, and a Sunday Trash Derby Festival is set for Founders Park in Islamorada featuring an awards ceremony, music and environmental exhibits
I.CARE, an Islamorada-based organization that incorporates recreational divers in activities to restore Keys coral reefs, has partnered with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s Goal: Clean Seas initiative to offer free dive trips for volunteers with dive operators throughout the Keys.
Over 13,000 pounds of trash was collected by volunteers at last year’s inaugural Trash Derby. This year, the goal is to more than double that, with land-based cleanup crews joining dive teams to compete for awards and prizes for collecting the most trash.
“In this year’s I.CARE Trash Derby. we have over 600 divers today and tomorrow cleaning up our reef, pulling out debris for the betterment of our ocean,” said Michael Goldberg, co-founder of I.CARE and the derby’s organizer. “We even have about 200 people scouring the shoreline from Key Largo to Key West.
“Keeping our ocean and our coral reefs clean keeps the area free of debris so that corals, as they spawn, their larvae have a place to settle,” Goldberg said. “If it’s taken up by debris, they have no place and it’s vital that we give them a fighting chance.”
Leslie Stair a financial services marketer from Tampa traveled to the Keys to volunteer to help the reef.
“So it’s important to make a little bit of a difference,” Stair said. “You may not be able to change the world, but if you can improve just your little corner of it … if everyone did that it would be hugely impactful.
During three separate dives off of the Upper Keys Stair and her fellow volunteer divers did their part to cleanse the reef.
“We found a lot of anchors today as well as ropes,” she said. “Fishing line, fishing lures and a lot of fishin rods as well.”
All debris is to be weighed and catalogued, with prizes awarded to top collectors and raffle ticket holders at Sunday’s Trash Derby Festival at Islamorada’s Founders Park.
The free, family-friendly festival is open to the public. Attractions include live music, games and activities, environmental vendors and exhibits by local organizations helping to restore Keys reefs.
Underwater debris is harmful to coral reefs and can trap, injure or kill marine life including sea turtles and also impedes the development of future coral reefs.
###
FTP Information
Host: ftp://216.194.165.19
UserID: floridakeys@news.fla-keys.com
Password: islands
Folder: News Video
Filename: KeysReefTrashDerby.mp4
It is best to access and download files from the FTP site using a dedicated FTP software package such as Fetch.