There's still lots to do in September in SWF

Autumn has arrived up north, but yearrounders here know September is a long, sticky month.

Fortunately, there's no lack of things to do and news to read about in the great outdoors. Snook season is open, the waterways are empty enough you can have a boat-less horizon and several events are coming up in which outdoors types can get involved.

. International Coastal Cleanup Day: The annual shoreline litter pick up is Saturday, Sept. 19. Before you sigh, in a been-there-done-that way, remember this cleanup is the only one in which trash is collected and recorded. The data cards are sent to the Ocean Conservancy, which uses information to develop new environmental protection acts and change the behaviors that cause marine debris in the first place.

This year, it's easier than ever to find an organized cleanup near you. At the Keep Lee County Beautiful Web site, www.klcb. org, no fewer than seven check-in sites are listed. Collier and Charlotte counties also have sites set up; go to www.signuptocleanup. org. It's easy to be involved. When you show up at 9 a.m., you'll work in a group of four — three collect litter; one records findings — and then you'll turn in your info to the site organizer. They even give you latex gloves. You'll be cut loose by noon, if not before. Bring your kayak or canoe to make it more fun.

Helping out at this annual gig takes the cliché "every little bit helps" to the nth degree.

. Snook season: The most coveted of game fish in Southwest Florida are yours to be kept now that the season opened here (it runs through Dec. 1).

Remember the keepers have to be within the 28- to 33-inch slot size limit. Even though reports of catches are mere trickles at this point, I'd expect recent rain and a wee bit lower temperatures (it is fall, right?) may produce more results soon.

. Shark news: The state took a step this month to increase shark fishing regulations to protect stressed shark populations. Since 1992, there's been a one-fishper person/two-fish-per-vessel daily bag limit for all recreational and commercial anglers. Nearly two dozen sharks are on the do-not-catch list, and finning — the practice of only harvesting shark fins — has been prohibited since then.

The next steps from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would bolster those rules further, adding a few more species to the list of those that can't be kept, establishing a 54-inch fork length minimum size limit for all sharks except for a half dozen common ones, and making a few other rules that affect how you can catch the fish.

A public hearing on the rules will be held during the FWC commissioners' meeting in December in Clewiston. Go to www.MyFWC.com.

. Kayak/canoe news: You may recall a column earlier this summer that outlined the FWC's efforts to communicate with the non-motorboat crowd and to address fears that mandatory vessel registration was on its way.

State staffers have finished compiling comments and feedback from their rounds of "listening sessions" with paddlers and have posted the report online at www. myfwc.com/RECREATION/ListeningSessions_ Summary.htm.

Before you log on to read the results, get yourself a cup of coffee and carve out some time. It's a long report. Fortunately, access issues and the need for more camping spots for kayakers are mentioned frequently. Let's hope FWC commissioners read this report.

. Mote Marine Laboratory: If you've not been to this Sarasota-based Mecca of marine knowledge, now's the time to plan a trip. You can visit Mote Aquarium and cruise local waters with the Sarasota Bay Explorers for $7 (normally $32-$41) on Sept. 26, a special price for National Estuaries Day offered in cooperation with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. For more information, call (941) 388-4200 or go to www.mote.org.

I've been to Mote more times than I can recall and each trip is well worth the visit.

. Bicycle the Keys: Bicycling enthusiasts can pedal through the Florida Keys on one of America's most scenic highways during the 200-mile BubbaFest Bike Tour, set for Saturday through Saturday, Nov. 7-14.

The fully supported seven-night bicycling adventure was created by retired police sergeant Bubba Barron, who has pedaled across America from the Atlantic to the Pacific, to enable fellow cycling fans to discover the Keys' environment and attractions while enjoying their favorite sport.

If you've ever sat in traffic on U.S. Highway 1, you can already visualize the liberating feeling it'd be to pedal the Keys' 42 bridges and stellar islands instead. As long as you're up for riding 45 miles a day.

Check it out at www.bubbafestbiketours. com.

Betsy Clayton is a freelancer based on Pine Island and also is Lee County Parks & Recreation's waterways coordinator. Contact her at boatingbybetsy@yahoo.com.