Volunteers Head to Linda Pedersen Park for 11th Annual Coastal Cleanup Today

UF/IFAS Extension Hernando County is holding its 11th annual Coastal Cleanup today, Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 8 a.m. to noon. Check-in and the event base is at Linda Pedersen Park, 6340 Shoal Line Blvd. in Spring Hill, and organizers need volunteers on land and on the water to help clear litter and debris from the county's coastline.

The event is timed to International Coastal Cleanup Day and is open to all ages, though kids need an adult with them. Trash bags and gloves are handed out at check-in, so volunteers don't need to bring anything special to work on shore. The first 150 people to check in get a free t-shirt.

Volunteers with a boat, kayak or other paddle craft can sign up to clean stretches of shoreline that aren't reachable on foot. Those volunteers need to bring their own vessel and safety gear. Pre-arranged groups, including diving and airboat teams, are asked to contact Dr. Brittany Scharf ahead of time to coordinate debris disposal and collection tallies.

This is now an 11-year tradition for the extension office, which uses the cleanup both to pull trash out of local waterways and to get residents thinking about what washes up along Hernando County's coast in the first place. Linda Pedersen Park, with its boat ramp and access to Jenkins Creek, has served as the staging point for the event in past years and gives cleanup crews a straightforward way to reach both shoreline and water routes from one spot. Anyone who wants to join can simply show up at the park before 8 a.m. Organizers haven't set a registration deadline, and no experience is needed to help on land.

Residents with more questions about pre-arranged groups or drop-off logistics can reach the extension office directly, or find event details through UF/IFAS Extension Hernando County's marine science and Sea Grant page.

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Header photo: DanTD / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)