The Ocean Conservancy has organized two major International Coastal Cleanup events organized dedicated to improving our beaches this month. Keep Collier Beautiful and Keep Lee County Beautiful, with additional local coordination by the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, will take place from 8 to 11 a.m. and 9 a.m. to noon, respectively, September 15.

The Coastal Cleanup is the only event in which trash is collected and recorded. Data cards are then sent to the Ocean Conservancy, where the information is used in the development of new environmental protection acts and changing the behaviors that cause marine debris. Groups of four volunteers will work together, three to collect litter and debris and one to record the findings. Latex gloves will be distributed and participants are encouraged to bring work gloves to handle the rough debris.

The mission of these events is to remove unsightly and environmentally harmful debris from our coasts and raise awareness about this preventable litter problem. Litter poses a threat to wildlife. Plastic bags are mistaken for jellyfish and eaten by sea turtles, and lost and discarded fishing tackle is eaten by birds to become an entangling death trap for many types of animal life.

For more information, visit Facebook.com/keepcollierbeautiful and Facebook.com/klcbInc.