Captiva native John Riegert, a marine science major at FGCU, has helped organize a Beach Clean Up this Saturday on Captiva. 

“This is a special year for the sea turtle population on Captiva and it’s our duty as a community to ensure the hatchlings have the best chances of survival we can possibly provide,” said Riegert, who organized the project with fellow students though his Foundations of Civic Engagement course. “If you have a few hours to spare on Saturday morning, please join us!”

As a long-time Captivan, Riegert has fond memories of a time when community beach clean-ups occurred more regularly and he hopes they will again become an island tradition.

“Thanks to our course, myself and a group of other students were tasked with finding an organization to volunteer with for service learning hours and I saw this as a perfect opportunity to partner with SCCF to help our sea turtles and to keep our beaches clean,” said Riegert.

For those who are unable to attend, the students are requesting donations be made to SCCF to support our mission and sea turtle program.

To participate, please be at Alison Hagerup Beach Park, 14790 Captiva Dr., at 8am on Saturday, July 25. You must wear a mask and practice social distancing. Call Riegert with questions at 239-691-6941. Bring a refillable water container to re-hydrate at water stations provided on the beach.