Call with any questions: 813-841-3601

Thanks for planning to be a part of the National Day of Service tomorrow at Ft. DeSoto Park. We’re meeting at the very end of the park: Shelter #1, the last shelter on North Beach. Plan to ARRIVE BETWEEN 8:00 & 9:00 am, arriving NO LATER than 9:00 – we start signing in everyone at 8:00, with waiver forms needing to be signed by everyone.

Park Superintendent Jim Wilson will greet us at 9:00, and after some brief remarks on the meaning of the day for America, we’ll form teams and hit the beach!

Pinellas County has provided 10,000 1” container sea oats plants in 50 trays of 200. Friends of Ft. DeSoto has also provided 1,000 larger sea oats plants that will be used to form a border around the beds of smaller plants to prevent their being trampled.

WHAT TO BRING:

a. AMERICAN FLAGS: Sept. 11 is a very appropriate day to display our flag. Bring whatever size flag you might have and we’ll temporarily plant them on the beach where we are installing the sea oats – should make for great photographs!

b. POTLUCK ITEM: bring a side dish item to share. After we finish planting, we’ll celebrate America’s natural heritage on our Gulf of Mexico. Sierra Club will provide hot dogs (kosher & veggie); you bring a side dish to share.

c. BEACH ATTIRE & GEAR – hat, sunscreen, towel, etc. We’re advised that BUG SPRAY could also come in handy.

d. YOUR OWN WATER CONTAINER. Sierra Club will have a water cooler at Shelter 1 that will provide unlimited FILTERED cold water throughout the day. We do not provide bottled water. Park staff us that plastic bottles are the #1 type of trash that washes up on its beach. We will have a recycling bin on site to collect any other recyclable beverages you might want to enjoy (no alcohol at the park, of course). We’ll also have a limited number of reusable plastic cups on hand in case you need one.

e. YOUR CAMERA. If Sierra Club staff takes your photo tomorrow we will ask for your written permission for its potential use in a Club publication or media release.

f. YOUR COOLER if needed to keep your potluck contribution fresh through the morning.

g. YOUR CHILDREN/GRANDCHILDREN 8 years old+ are very welcome to participate with your supervision.

h. Trowel or small shovel & gloves (optional). The #1 plants go in the sand by hand quite easily.

i. YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY & NEIGHBORS: Fill up a car, ride your bikes, paddle your kayak, etc. and take the GO BEYOND OIL CHALLENGE: Come to Ft. DeSoto using as little gas/oil as possible per person.

As Sierra Club has reserved Ft. DeSoto’s most popular shelter, SHADY & COOL Shelter #1, for the entire day, please feel free to STAY AS LONG AS YOU LIKE tomorrow and make a day of it with your family and friends. Enjoy one of America’s best beaches as you pause to reflect on how blessed we are to live in America and be able to enjoy such a wonderful beach that was spared from the recent oil disaster.

Phil Compton, Field Organizer, Sierra Club Florida Regional Office
111 2nd Ave. NE, Ste. 1001, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727-824-8813, ext. 303; 813-841-3601: cell

 Go Beyond Oil Challenge: use as little oil/gas to get there as possible!

Who can go the furthest, bring the greatest number, and get to Ft. DeSoto in the most creative manner, by land and by sea, using the least amount of oil per person. To truly move beyond oil to a clean energy future, we all need to minimize our personal use as we help preserve our natural heritage.

 Help Plant Thousands of Sea Oats and Clean Up:

After check-in, we’ll clean up one of America’s best beaches, Ft. DeSoto County Park’s North beach, and plant thousands of sea oats to stabilize the beach so it can serve as a nursery for birds and other Gulf wildlife.

 Party on the beach: Afterwards, celebrate the Gulf of Mexico and our work to help make it healthier at Shelter #1, shaded by Australian Pines. Participants in the Go Beyond Oil Challenge will be recognized.

 WHEN: Saturday, September 11, 2010

WHERE: Shelter #1, North Beach, Ft. DeSoto Park

TIME: 9:00 am – 12:00 noon (Check-in 8:00-9:00 am)

WHY SERVE OUTDOORS?  The great outdoors is part of America’s heritage, so it’s vitally important we work to protect it. When service members return from the battlefield, or firefighters have time off from work, they should be able to go to the beach to fish or hike with their families just like generations of Americans have done before them. Our wild places are part of what makes America so special.

Volunteering to help Ft. DeSoto reminds us we need to protect America's wild legacy for our children and grandchildren. The Gulf Oil Disaster reminds us of the need to protect our natural heritage on the Gulf Coast. Whether you joined Hands Across the Sand, or just like to fish, swim or walk on our beaches, please join us help a special spot on the Gulf do its part to help repopulate the Gulf’s wildlife impacted by the Gulf Oil Disaster.

More on Ft. DeSoto: The largest park in the Pinellas County Park System, Fort DeSoto Park’s 1,136 acres spread across five interconnected islands. Named America's Top Beach twice in 3 years, recent budget cuts eliminated 2/3 of the park’s staff. Ft. DeSoto needs your help to remain one of the Gulf of Mexico’s treasures.

Sierra Club, 111 2nd Ave. NE, Ste. 1001, St. Petersburg, FL 33701   727-824-8813, ext. 303