The Clean Islands Initiative is our community’s year-round effort to keep our island and waterways healthy. From caring for island easements and conservation properties to maintaining our Adopt-a-Highway route on North Gulf Blvd. through Charlotte County and restoring shoreline mangroves, we’re dedicated to protecting what makes our islands special.
Our volunteers work together to protect and restore the island’s natural beauty. Following hurricanes Helene and Milton, our volunteers led major cleanups — clearing debris, restoring shorelines, and ensuring animals can safely forage without construction waste blocking their habitats.
September 20, 2025. 8 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Thank you to everyone who brought their whole hearts, their own vehicles, garbage cans, and even heavy equipment to make today’s cleanup a huge success! Your generosity and dedication truly show how much you care about preserving our island’s beauty and environment. Today, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup — the world’s largest volunteer effort for ocean and coastal health — we weren’t just picking up trash; we were doing citizen science. By recording the types of debris collected, we are contributing valuable data to a global effort that has engaged over 19 million volunteers worldwide, helping inform policies and solutions to marine pollution.
How to Get Involved
Want to get involved? Join our island cleanups by signing up for our newsletter, checking the website calendar, or following us on social media. Cleanup dates are also posted on the freestanding poster signs around the island — and soon, you can register directly through our new volunteer page.
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International Coastal Cleanup Day 2025 Recap
Organized by: Bocilla Islands Conservancy
Sponsored by: Keep Charlotte Beautiful (a 501c3)
Key Highlights:
– About 80 cubic yards of palm tree debris collected.
– Approximately 506 standard 32-gallon trash cans filled and emptied into the dump truck by hand.
– 35 volunteers participated, including local Lemon Bay High school wrestling team members who brought enthusiasm and energy.
– Cleaned easements of 52 residential properties across the island.
– Collected 8 bags of construction debris plus additional construction materials pulled to the curb on Palm Drive, pending pickup.
Equipment Used:
– 10 private utility vehicles and 22 golf carts helped volunteers transport debris efficiently across the island.
– Dump truck and excavator provided by volunteer David Witters helped manage heavy debris and maximize dumpster space.
Cleanup Process:
Volunteers filled empty trash cans with debris, then emptied them into the dump truck, which was filled about six times just along Bayshore Drive. We had about 30 private vehicle dumps calculated and 47 Golf Cart dumps.
About International Coastal Cleanup
Since 1986, the International Coastal Cleanup has mobilized millions of volunteers globally—over 19 million people across more than 220,000 locations.
Together, we are part of a global movement to protect our oceans and coasts. Thank you for your generosity, your time, and your commitment to keeping our island beautiful!
July 6, 2025
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers, who are primarily residents of this island and your neighbors. A special thanks goes to the Lemon Bay High School wrestling team for their incredible support. Together, we successfully cleaned over 30 properties and the easements of Kettle Harbor Drive, Bocilla Drive, Adele, South Gulf Boulevard, Palm Drive, Bayshore Drive, Gasparilla Way, Tarpon Way, North Gulf Boulevard, and more! We removed large roll-down aluminum from South Gulf, trash from easements, debris from mangroves, construction debris, pilings, large pieces of plywood, and plastic concrete pavers. We filled two large waste management dumpsters—one for tree debris and another for construction waste.
How to Get Involved
Want to get involved? Join our island cleanups by signing up for our newsletter, checking the website calendar, or following us on social media. Cleanup dates are also posted on the freestanding poster signs around the island — and soon, you can register directly through our new volunteer pageVolunteer.
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A significant thank you to Waste Management of Port Charlotte for generously donating the dumpsters and supporting our mission to keep the island clean. We encourage everyone to please avoid overfilling the trash cans, as they will not be picked up. You may continue to dispose of waste in the construction debris area at South Gulf.
Thank you all for your hard work, your trucks, trailers, families, and equipment. Your participation made a significant impact, and you should be proud of your role in helping to keep our island beautiful. If you could consider donating to the Bocilla Islands Conservancy or Palm Island Estates, it would greatly assist us in continuing these important efforts. Thank you once again for your commitment! Big hugs! Jude
Saturday, May 3, 2025. 8 am-12 noon.
Today was a truly heartfelt day for our community! A massive thank you to everyone who poured their heart and soul into this effort! Your hard work was in display as we lifted heavy objects, pulled debris from the mangroves, and tackled the mystery trash that washed up after the last hurricane. It’s hard to point fingers when a storm affects us all, but today was all about putting everything aside and uniting as a community to treasure our beautiful island.
How to Get Involved
Want to get involved? Join our island cleanups by signing up for our newsletter, checking the website calendar, or following us on social media. Cleanup dates are also posted on the freestanding poster signs around the island — and soon, you can register directly through our new volunteer page.
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We aimed to touch as many corners of the island as possible, making a difference on South Gulf Blvd., Bocilla, Kettle Harbor Dr., Tarpon, Bayshore Circle, Palm Dr., Gasparilla, and more. With over 50 volunteers showing up with boundless energy and positivity, we spent hours raking, finding creative ways to haul out discarded golf cart parts, tires, and plastic from our mangroves and waterfront lines. Together, we loaded over 120 bags of debris and filled two large Waste Management dumpsters. A special thanks to Buzz for bringing his tractor and sharing his time and talents with us.
April 22, 2025. Earth Day & Charlotte County North Gulf Clean Up
On April 22, 2025, we proudly celebrated Earth Day by fulfilling our obligations with the Charlotte County Adopted Highway Program, focusing our efforts on North Gulf Blvd. Our generous community came together, even after exhausting themselves with their own personal clean up and property repairs. This first cleanup of the year was intense, as we encountered massive contractor debris, including plywood, plastic, styrofoam, beach chairs, umbrellas, aluminum, rebar, golf cart parts, personal belongings, and a ton of small contractor debris.
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Their willingness to help clean up debris that may not have even been theirs truly embodies the spirit of unity and compassion. We felt a deep sense of gratitude for everyone who participated, reflecting the strength of our community and our shared commitment to restoring our environment, even when everyone was exhausted.
How to Get Involved
Want to get involved? Join our island cleanups by signing up for our newsletter, checking the website calendar, or following us on social media. Cleanup dates are also posted on the freestanding poster signs around the island — and soon, you can register directly through our new volunteer page.
Join our conservation programs to protect and restore our island’s ecosystems. Volunteer your time and talents, make a donation to support essential resources, or participate in our adoption program by nurturing sea oats or mangrove propagules, or adopting a mini reef to aid in marine life restoration.
Our programs are designed for volunteers eager to learn about the ecosystem! Participate in activities such as building Vertical Oyster Gardens, propagating mangroves, restoring shorelines, and planting sea oats. Unlike traditional lectures, these hands-on experiences allow you to engage directly with the environment and make a tangible impact.
Volunteer Island Cleanup Team
The Clean Islands volunteer team is dedicated to preserving the beauty of our island. Our passionate group of volunteers comes together to clean vital areas, including easements and beach access points, ensuring our environment remains vibrant and accessible. Thanks to our generous community members and visitors, we have successfully removed approximately 10 tons of construction debris and 6 tons of vegetation, all fueled by the energy and big hearts of our volunteers. Join us in making a real difference—get involved and help us keep BOCILLA Island beautiful.
Coming this Fall 2025
Join us in this vital mission to protect and revitalize our aquatic ecosystems! VOGs consist of oyster shells strung together with lengths of rope, designed to hang below docks. Building on the success of our pilot projects at the Marine Life Park and Artificial Reef, we are excited to introduce our upcoming program this fall. This effort not only aims to enrich our park’s biodiversity but also encourages community members to establish similar gardens at their docks.
20 Mini Reefs were installed by Ocean Habitat on May 17, 2023 at the Artificial Reef & Marine Life Park.
If you have a dock, you can purchase your very own Mini Reef, and we’ll help you install it. And if you don’t have a dock, you can still join the fun by adopting a Mini Reef that will be installed at a host location or one of our parks. Best of all, you can adopt a portion of a Mini Reef — every contribution helps, and together we’ll build reefs that clean the water and bring marine life back to our islands. Each Mini Reef filters up to 30,000 gallons of seawater daily while creating a habitat for fish and other marine life.
We are proud to be a Nationally Certified Wildlife Habitat Community, recognizing that our community as a whole met the requirements by certifying 40 individual properties and providing ongoing education that supports and celebrates wildlife conservation.
Receiving a Certified Wildlife Habitat® designation from the National Wildlife Federation means that your property provides the essential elements wildlife need to thrive—food, water, cover, places to raise young, and sustainable practices that support the local ecosystem. This certification recognizes your commitment to creating and maintaining a healthy environment where native plants and animals can flourish.
Be the first to learn about our Island Living lecture series and exciting fundraisers, where we unite to support preservation and environmental education! Stay informed about our upcoming clean-up events and hands-on demonstrations in our parks, like creating oyster strings that benefit our beautiful shores!
Bocilla Islands Conservancy Overview
Bocilla Islands Conservancy is a public, nonprofit, non-political organization working in partnership with the residents of the Bocilla Islands chain, including Don Pedro Island, Knight Island, Little Gasparilla Island, and Thornton Key. Our mission is dedicated to the long-term preservation of open, undeveloped spaces and natural habitats across the Bocilla Islands. The Conservancy can customize conservation easements through land acquisition, ensuring sensitive habitats are preserved and protected to maintain the ecological balance of the islands.
Disclaimer:
The content provided on this website is for informational purposes only and reflects the views and opinions of Bocilla Islands Conservancy members. It is not intended as legal, financial, or professional advice. Bocilla Islands Conservancy assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or the accuracy of the information provided. Visitors are encouraged to consult qualified professionals regarding any concerns or decisions. By using this site, you agree that Bocilla Islands Conservancy and its contributors shall not be held liable for any actions taken based on the information presented here.