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Tag: Sister Keys cleanup

Reel Time: Sister Keys Cleanup 2026

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Environment, Outdoors.

Suncoast Waterkeeper teamed up with Sarasota Bay Watch on Sunday, April 12, to conduct their 17th Annual Sister Keys Cleanup. The event was a collaboration of the two non-profit organizations, the town of Longboat Key, Reef Innovations and the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant. 

Close to 40 volunteers worked for four hours on the island and around the mangrove fringes collecting trash and recyclable items. 

The four-island, 74-acre Sister Keys located just south of Longboat Pass in Sarasota Bay were originally slated for development in the early 1960s as the Shangri Isle Club and they were once again threatened in 1989 when they went on sale for $1 million. 

That spurred a group of citizens to form the Sister Keys Conservancy in an attempt to buy and preserve the islands as a nature preserve. After a three-year effort to raise funds for the purchase that included bake sales and the Music in the Park series, the Longboat Key Town Commission voted to fund the balance of the purchase price on July 10, 1992.

The islands underwent a million-dollar mitigation in 2007 that removed all invasive species, planted native flora and created a two-acre wetland. Today, mature mangroves dominate the waterways and are rich with crustaceans, minnows, juvenile finfish and wading birds. 

Native species, planted on the uplands that were first created from the dredging of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in the late 1800’s, have matured, making the islands one of the best examples of a thriving native marine ecosystem in coastal Florida.

The cleanup is part of an ongoing two-prong effort to clean the islands of trash and prevent the resurgence of invasive species.

Larry Beggs, owner of Reef Innovations, once again provided a barge to pick up bags and debris collected by volunteers along the island. The Longboat Key Police Department provided a boat to slow traffic in the Intracoastal Waterway during the event. In all 2,061 pounds of debris were collected by 44 volunteers.

Following a tradition started by Ed Chiles of the Chiles Group (who still provides parking for volunteers), Beachside Hospitality, the new owners of the Mar Vista, Beach House and Sandbar restaurants provided volunteers a waterfront venue, box lunches and service. 

To learn about upcoming volunteer opportunities, visit the Sarasota Bay Watch and Suncoast Waterkeeper websites.

Sister Keys cleanup celebrates 15 years

Sister Keys cleanup celebrates 15 years

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Environment, Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

Suncoast Waterkeeper teamed up with Sarasota Bay Watch this past weekend for the Annual Sister Keys Cleanup.

The event, held yearly since 2010, was a collaboration of the two non-profit organizations, the Town of Longboat Key Police and Public Works, Reef Innovations and the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant.

 

Close to 50 volunteers worked for four hours on Sister Keys and around the mangrove fringes collecting a massive amount of trash and recyclable items, much of it from Hurricane Helene, which swept over the island with an estimated 4-foot storm surge.

This year’s harvest was the largest ever with over 400 pounds of insulation, numerous trash and recycling bins, lumber and a large picnic table. The total weight of debris came to over 2 tons.

The Sister Keys were originally slated for development in the early 60s as the Shangri Isle Club and were once again threatened in 1989 when they went on sale for $1 million. That spurred a group of citizens to form the Sister Keys Conservancy in an attempt to buy and preserve the islands as a nature preserve. The Town purchased the islands in 1994 with a stipulation that the keys would never be developed.

The islands underwent a million-dollar mitigation in 2007 that removed all invasive species, planted native flora and created a 2-acre wetland. Today, mature mangroves dominate the waterways and are rich with crustaceans, minnows, juvenile finfish and wading birds. Native species planted on uplands, first created from the dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway, have matured, making the islands one of the best examples of a thriving native marine environment in coastal Florida.

The cleanup is part of a con­tinuing effort to clean the islands of trash and the resurgence of invasive species.

Kayakers and those without a boat were ferried to the island by the Suncoast Waterkeeper patrol boat and volunteer boaters David and Lori Price and Jim Costa.

Back at the Mar Vista, volunteers loaded the debris into a dump truck provided by the Town of Longboat Keys Public Works Department, which clears and marks the trails on Sister Keys in advance of the cleanup as part of their annual invasive plant sweep. The event was hosted by the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant and volunteers were treated to a hosted box lunch. The restaurant, now under the owner­ship of Beachside Hospitality, agreed to keep hosting the event, continuing a multiyear tradition started by the Chiles Group.

The efforts of Sarasota Bay Watch and Suncoast Water­keeper have been responsible for major initiatives that educate the public on the importance of a healthy bay and hold munici­palities responsible to mandates established in the landmark 1982 Clean Water Act. SCWK also conducts bi-monthly water testing of inland coastal waters.

For more information on the groups’ missions and to become a member, visit their websites, www.sarasotabaywatch.org and www.suncoastwaterkeeper.org.

Sister Keys clean-up set for Nov. 4

Reel Time: Sister Keys clean-up set for Nov. 4

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Outdoors, Reel Time.

Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) is conducting its annual Sister Keys clean-up on Saturday, Nov. 4. The event is a collaboration with Suncoast Waterkeeper, the Town of Longboat Key and Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant. Volunteers will work for four hours on the island and around the mangrove fringes collecting trash and recyclable items. After the event, volunteers will load the collected debris into a truck provided by the Town of Longboat Key Public Works for disposal. All plastics and cans will be collected in separate green bags provided by SBW and recycled. The volunteers will then be treated to a box lunch courtesy of the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant, a longtime supporter of the event.

The Sister Keys were originally slated for development in the early 60s as the Shangri Isle Club and were once again threatened in 1989 when they went on sale for $1 million. That spurred a group of citizens to form the Sister Keys Conservancy in an attempt to buy and preserve the islands as a nature preserve. Longboat Key purchased the islands in 1994 with a stipulation that the keys would never be developed.

The islands underwent a million-dollar mitigation in 2007 to remove all invasive species. Native flora was planted and a two-acre wetland was created. Today mature mangroves dominate the waterways, which are rich with crustaceans, minnows, juvenile finfish and wading birds. Native species planted on uplands created from the dredging of the Intracoastal Waterway in the late 1800s have matured, making the islands one of the best examples of a thriving native marine environment in coastal Florida. The clean-up is part of a two-pronged ongoing effort to clean the islands of trash and support the resurgence of invasive species. The Longboat Key Marine division will be patrolling the Intracoastal Waterway to slow boaters. Kayakers and those without a boat will be ferried to the islands by volunteers.

The Sister Keys clean-up is just one of many projects that SBW is involved in. In recent years, SBW has planted over 1,000,000 clams in the bay and recently obtained a restoration lease in Sarasota Bay, a first of its kind, in its ongoing restoration effort. Other clean-ups (including underwater) are conducted at various locations throughout the bay, as well as an annual monofilament cleanup and much more.

Suncoast Waterkeeper (SCWK) is a Sarasota-based non-profit committed to protecting and restoring the Florida Suncoast’s waterways through enforcement, fieldwork, advocacy and environmental education for the benefit of the communities that rely upon these precious coastal resources. Their efforts have been responsible for major initiatives that hold municipalities responsible for mandates established in the landmark 1982 Clean Water Act. SCWK also conducts bi-monthly water testing of inland coastal waters. To learn more about the work of these organizations and join the effort, check out their websites at www.suncoastwaterkeeper.org and www.sarasotabaywatch.org.

The event is limited to the first 40 registrants, so reserve your spot today.

Reel Time Sister Keys Cleanup

Reel Time: Sister Keys cleanup scheduled

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

Sarasota Bay Watch (SBW) will be conducting their Annual Sister Keys Cleanup on Saturday, May 4. The event is a collaboration with the Town of Longboat Key and the Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant. Volunteers organized by SBW Events Coordinator Ronda Ryan will work for four hours on the island and around the mangrove fringes collecting trash and recyclable items.

The Sister Keys were originally slated for development in the early 60s and were once again threatened in 1989 when they went on sale for $1 million.

That spurred a group of citizens to form the Sister Keys Conservancy in an attempt to buy and preserve the islands as a nature preserve. After three years of lobbying, bake sales and two music in the park series the group had only raised $50,000 towards the $1 million sale price. They then went to the Town of Longboat Key, which needed additional open space for its comprehensive plan. The Town consummated the sale in 1994 assuring the keys would not be developed.

The islands underwent a million-dollar mitigation in 2007 that removed all invasive species, planted native flora and created a two-acre wetland. In the last decade, six-foot-high mangroves have grown from seeds recruited naturally from the waterways. The rest of the uplands have matured, making the islands one of the best examples of a thriving native marine environment in coastal Florida.

The Longboat Key Police Department marine division will be patrolling the Intracoastal Waterway to slow boaters. Kayakers and those without a boat will be ferried to the island by volunteers with boats and by SBW board members. Reef Innovations Inc. will once again help the effort with a barge where volunteers can offload their trash. The Town Public Works Department will pick up bags deposited along the mangrove shoreline by volunteers.

Once back at the Town boat ramp volunteers and Town Public Works volunteers will load the debris into a truck provided by the Town of Longboat Key. Public Works employees recently did an invasive cleanup and cleared and marked trails for those participating in the cleanup. Volunteers in the past have found a wide range of debris including bed frames, boat cushions, umbrellas, life vests, a boat hull, a tackle box, crab pots, fishing poles and buoys. Most of the debris enters the mangroves on high tides and is trapped there. All plastics and cans will be collected in separate green bags provided by SBW and recycled.

At 11:30 a.m. all volunteers will return to Mar Vista where they will be treated to a complimentary lunch of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, Caesar salad and all the trimmings. This cleanup will mark the beginning of the second decade for this event. The Sister Keys Clean Up is just one of many projects that SBW is involved in. In 2018 SBW planted over 250,000 clams into the bay and is currently raising close to 750,000 clams for a future restoration. Other cleanups are conducted at various locations around the bay and include underwater events as well. In the fall the annual monofilament cleanup will take place at bird rookeries (nesting areas) bay wide. Participants in this year’s cleanup should register online. Here you’ll have all the information on the event as well as others throughout the year.

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