As Brevard County reinvents itself as an ecotourism location, it is imperative that our recreational areas be presented as clean, well maintained nature centers. Keep Brevard Beautiful has recently introduced the Adopt an Island program to help control litter on the island spoils along the Indian River Lagoon.

The annual cost of adoption for any island is $50 for nonprofit organizations or $100 for a corporation. This charge covers the cost of the materials needed for the cleanups. KBB furnishes litter collection grabbers, trash bags, gloves, and bug spray.  If you’re interested in Adopting an Island, please contact Denise Song with KBB at (321) 432-3620.

Additionally, KBB has partnered with some local recreational organizations to clean up Brevard’s waterways. The Kennedy Space Center Barracuda Dive Club has been performing one to two underwater clean ups a year for the past 20 years. “So many people have the philosophy of ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ but when you go below the surface, you see everything people have tossed,” said KSC Barracuda President, Philip Stasik. “It’s a worldwide issue, not just a Brevard issue.”

The Barracudas perform clean ups in the Indian River and Banana River; however, any time they go below the surface they are looking for trash. The group’s clean ups typically last a couple of hours and include a surface clean up.  On average they pick up 100 pounds of waste with items like fishing materials, cell phones, toys and car parts. For more information on joining the KSC Barracuda Dive Club, please contact Philip Stasik at (321) 455 -2221.