THE JOURNAL · OCTOBER 10, 2026

Jacksonville Beach

A Morning of Coastal Conservation

A little time spent protecting a place we love.

Dunes Protect Us sign at Jacksonville Beach — Protecting the dunes helps protect our coastline.

Jacksonville Beach: A Morning of Coastal Conservation — October 10, 2026

We headed to Jacksonville Beach hoping to join a Surfrider First Coast dune restoration event. After walking the beach and being unable to locate the volunteer group, we decided to make the most of the morning.

We documented the dunes, coastal protection signs, beach habitat, and scattered litter. The signs explain how dunes and their vegetation help protect the shoreline, while the small pieces of plastic we found were a reminder of why keeping our beaches clean matters.

Then we returned to the truck, grabbed our bucket and litter picker, and spent some time collecting trash along the beach. This was an independent BELOW THE FLAG™ cleanup, not an organized Surfrider volunteer activity.

Out on the water, surfers were enjoying the waves. Seeing people use the beach was a reminder that conservation is about protecting places we all share.

We didn't set out to organize a cleanup, and we didn't change the whole beach in one morning. We simply did what we could. Every piece of litter removed is one less piece that can reach the ocean.

The next time you're at the beach, pick up a few pieces of litter, respect the dune habitat, or join a local cleanup. Small actions add up.

BELOW THE FLAG™ — DIVE • DISCOVER • RECOVER.

Litter documented on Jacksonville Beach — Small pieces of litter can become hazards to marine life.

Coastal dune habitat at Jacksonville Beach — The dunes and vegetation are part of the beach ecosystem.

Jacksonville Beach pier and shoreline — A view of Jacksonville Beach.

Ocean waves at Jacksonville Beach — The ocean we're working to protect.

THE JOURNAL · SEPTEMBER 19, 2026

Vilano Beach

Nearly 68 Pounds Removed

A morning of community action during the International Coastal Cleanup.

On September 19, Below The Flag joined volunteers at Vilano Beach for the International Coastal Cleanup. The event brought the community together for a shared purpose: removing litter before it could return to the ocean and harm marine life.

Bags of litter collected during the Vilano Beach cleanup beside a Below The Flag volunteer — Collected litter was brought back, bagged, and weighed.

Volunteers spread out across the beach, collecting and weighing each bag as it came back. By the end of the cleanup, the recorded weights totaled 67.96 pounds—nearly 68 pounds of trash removed from Vilano Beach.

International Coastal Cleanup event sign at Vilano Beach — International Coastal Cleanup at Vilano Beach.

Handwritten tally of the cleanup collection weights — The recorded collection weights totaled 67.96 pounds.

For Below The Flag, conservation is more than something we print on a shirt. It means showing up, working alongside others, and doing our part to protect the waters and shorelines we enjoy.

We were proud to participate and grateful to the organizations, volunteers, and families who gave their time to help keep Vilano Beach beautiful.

DIVE • DISCOVER • RECOVER