Amelia Island, Florida's Gorgeous Beachfront
EDITOR’S NOTE: Contributing Columnist, Steve Nicklas, expresses his views and insights on various topics in Steve’s Marketplace column.
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AMELIA ISLAND, NASSAU COUNTY, FLORIDA
Keep Nassau Beautiful takes to heart its role of germinating healthy conditions and appearances for our environment. The non-profit agency scrubs and cleans our area in a variety of ways — and teaches others to do so. Nothing is more of a focal point right now than keeping our beaches clean, however.
Our beaches here in northeast Florida are as white and spacious and bountiful as ever, despite what is happening on the Gulf Coast. And KNB executive director Todd Duncan wants to keep it that way.
Sit by the Seaside. Main Beach Park, Fernandina Beach.
And KNB will be ready for whatever comes our way — and whenever. In the meantime, Duncan is busily preparing for the biggest one-day volunteer event in the world, as he calls it. KNB and its volunteer forces will take part in the “International Coastal Cleanup” on Sept. 25, 2010.
The purpose of the special day is to purify coastal areas everywhere. And Duncan plans to scour all corners of our beaches for trash — again, with his bands of merry volunteers. (KNB will have sign-up booths the day of the event for anyone interested in taking part.)
The cleanup event provides more than a facelift for beaches. Organizers collect data on the types of trash hauled off (fishing line, cigarette butts, bottles, etc.), so they can more effectively target the culprits. “It gives us a good idea of what’s out there,” Duncan says.
KNB is also helping to showcase the “Sun Splash” summer concert series on the beach at the Sadler Road access. Duncan and his crews clean the beach before and after the concerts — and put up recyclable bins for trash.
Seaside Park, Fernandina Beach. Hosting Summer SunSplash
As for remnants of the oil spill potentially showing up here, Duncan’s trained volunteers will be vital. They would alert officials of the presence of oil or sludge, so it could be cleaned up quickly.
“The pieces are pretty well in place, until we get something for us to become a little more vigilant,” Duncan says about preparations. Clean, attractive beaches bring in major tourism dollars for our area. KNB plans to keep it that way. The battle never ends, however.
(Steve Nicklas is a financial advisor who lives on Amelia Island. He can be reached at 904-753-0236 or at thenicklasteam2@msn.com.)
Steve Nicklas
