Volunteers Remove Nearly 2.5 Tons of Debris from Woman Key Refuge

Nearly 2.5 tons of marine debris no longer threatens the nesting beaches and seabird habitat of Woman Key after 37 volunteers converged on the remote refuge island March 9 for the 2nd Annual Key West National Wildlife Refuge Rodeo, a collaborative cleanup led by Key West-based nonprofit Reef Relief.

Woman Key, part of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge, sits well off the beaten path. The island is difficult to access without dedicated boat support and serves as critical habitat for sea bird migration and sea turtle nesting. Reaching it required a coordinated fleet: Key West Harbor Services, Tow Boat US Key West, Aquaholics Charters, Dawn to Dusky Charters, Honest Eco, and Conch Republic Marine Army all provided vessels and logistical support to transport volunteers and haul debris off the island. Reef Relief conducted the cleanup under a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with additional support from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The effort was funded by the Restore America's Estuaries Caring for Our Coast Grant Program, with support from CITGO Petroleum Corporation. Key West Seaport publicly congratulated Reef Relief and its partners following the cleanup.

The Woman Key haul fits into a larger pattern of coordinated debris removal across the Lower Keys. Since 2010, Reef Relief reports removing more than 440,000 pounds of trash through its Water Quality Program, which partners with nonprofits, government agencies, school groups, and private charter operators. Recent efforts include a kayak cleanup at Archer Key with Danger Charters during International Coastal Cleanup Day 2025, where 28 volunteers removed 498 pounds of trash, and a CNN Call to Earth Day cleanup with Lazy Dog Key West in which 13 volunteers pulled 101.3 pounds from local mangroves and waterways. Waste Management regularly picks up debris collected at these events at no charge.

Conch Republic Marine Army, one of the vessel partners in the Woman Key Rodeo, maintains its own robust cleanup schedule. The organization runs Saturday trips from The Perry Marina on Stock Island into the ocean and mangrove backcountry and has removed 25,000 pounds of debris from that corridor alone. Across its back-country nearshore mangrove island operations, CRMA has transported more than 6,000 volunteers, drawing participants from as far as Germany, the United Kingdom, and California. At Isla Bella Beach Resort in the Middle Keys, one CRMA team has collected more than 60,000 pounds of trash from that single site. "Carla has played a key role in the success of the CRMA project at Isla Bella," said Sean Roberts, director of guest experience at Isla Bella Beach Resort. "Carla and her team have collected more than 60,000 pounds of trash from the Isla Bella site alone, demonstrating their significant impact on our local community."

CRMA's broader results have drawn notice across the Keys conservation community. "CRMA continues to lead by example. Their impressive haul earned them top honors not only within their division, but across the entire event, taking home the title for the most debris removed," said Hudon, referencing the organization's performance. The group's deckhand Burns, who helps run volunteer expeditions, says the hardest part of the job is calling time on cleanup days. "My passion is I absolutely love it. I'm a deckhand," Burns said. "The hardest thing I have to do is tell our volunteers that 'Time's up!'"

Reef Relief invites anyone aware of debris-laden areas in the Lower Keys to contact the organization directly about future cleanup events or private partnerships.