Dr. Karen Bell
Keep Liberty Beautiful
World Ocean Day is a global movement focused on creating a healthier ocean and a more stable climate through collective action. Communities, organizations, and individuals around the world come together to protect marine environments and promote sustainable practices.
This year, Keep Liberty Beautiful (KLB) is partnering with Beach.com to help make a difference locally through a special cleanup event at St. Catherine’s Island and the waterways surrounding Sunbury boat ramp.
In honor of World Ocean Day, Beach.com invites people to take action and help protect our shores, like St. Catherine’s Island Beach Cleanup. Beach.com’s mission is to inspire travelers and coastal communities to care for the places we love, and this Global Day of Ocean Conservation is the perfect opportunity to make a difference.
As Beach.com helps travelers discover the best coastal stays, we remain committed to preserving the beauty and health of our oceans. Our beach cleanups bring together volunteers, ocean advocates, and community leaders to remove harmful debris and raise awareness about plastic pollution. By joining a beach clean-up, you’ll be part of a movement to keep our beaches clean and our marine life safe, one piece of trash at a time.
On Saturday, June 6, Keep Liberty Beautiful will provide cleanup supplies and commemorative T-shirts to volunteers participating in the local World Ocean Day event. Volunteers should meet at the Sunbury Boat Ramp. Check-in begins at 7 a.m. Participants are expected to return around 10 a.m.
KLB is especially seeking boat captains willing to volunteer their boats and time to transport participants from Sunbury boat ramp to St. Catherine’s Island. Boat support is essential to making this cleanup possible.
Boat captains interested in participating or learning more can contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880-4888 or register using the volunteer form at https://forms.gle/LKuSNh1T2uLdF8Np6 For cleanup volunteers, this event will focus on collecting litter and debris found along the shoreline and waterways. Much of the waste discovered during beach cleanups originates inland and eventually makes its way into coastal habitats.
While Keep Liberty Beautiful hosts its Annual St. Catherine Beach Cleanup each August, this event is separate and specifically celebrates World Ocean Day through a smaller targeted cleanup effort.
For those considering volunteering, KLB encourages participants to think of it this way: if you’re willing to pick up litter, why not do it while enjoying one of Georgia’s beautiful coastal beaches?
Volunteers can register through Beach.com to participate in the 2026 St. Catherine’s Island World Ocean Day Beach Cleanup at https://www.beach. com/cleanups/2026-stcatherines- island-worldocean- day-beach-cleanup/ Beach cleanups do more than improve appearances. They create meaningful environmental and community benefits. Research and educational resources on coastal stewardship highlight several important outcomes of cleanup efforts, including:
- Protecting marine animals from harmful debris and plastic pollution
- Preserving natural habitats and improving environmental quality
- Reducing toxic contaminants entering waterways
- Supporting local economies through cleaner recreation areas and tourism
- Creating safer public spaces by removing hazardous litter
- Encouraging responsible waste disposal practices
- Helping reduce plastics entering the food chain
- Providing opportunities to enjoy the outdoors
- Collecting valuable environmental data on pollution trends
- Building community and connecting volunteers through shared action Even small actions can have a lasting impact. Items such as cigarette butts, plastic fragments, and other litter can affect water quality and threaten wildlife when left behind.
Keep Liberty Beautiful also reminds the community to save the date for its Annual St. Catherine Beach Cleanup on August 15. Additional details for that event will be announced in the coming weeks.
Whether volunteering a boat, joining the cleanup crew, or helping spread awareness, every participant contributes to protecting Liberty County’s coastline for future generations. For more information, contact Keep Liberty Beautiful at (912) 880-4888 or klcb@libertycountyga. gov.