For the past five years, Folly Beach, South Carolina, has marked Earth Month with Toby’s Island-Wide Spring Litter Sweep, a yearly cleanup that unites residents in caring for their shoreline.
Volunteer Emerson Reece told local station WCSC that showing up to help is part of being a good member of the community. To take part, Reece even made a drive of about two and a half hours to arrive in time for the event.
During this year’s cleanup on April 12, volunteers removed more than 10,000 pieces of trash in less than two hours.
Sarah Butler, a volunteer and executive director of the nonprofit Waves 4 Women, said the effort comes from a deep love for the ocean and the environment. She explained that if people do not take responsibility for protecting these places, they will not remain healthy for anyone to enjoy, making the issue something that affects everyone.
While cleaning the beach, volunteers noticed a young Kemp’s ridley sea turtle struggling in the water. The species is considered the smallest and most endangered of the world’s seven sea turtle species.
Dave Miller of Folly Beach Turtle Watch said this was the beach’s first turtle stranding of the 2026 season. He explained that Kemp’s ridleys are uncommon nesters in South Carolina, since they usually nest along beaches in the Gulf of Mexico. He also noted that they are unusual among sea turtles because they nest in large groups during the daytime.
According to Miller, the turtle had been hooked in the mouth by someone fishing from the Folly Beach pier. Thankfully, when the rescue crew lifted the turtle with a drop net, the hook came free on its own.
Miller said that when a turtle gets caught on a hook, fishermen should not try to pull the hook out themselves. Instead, the fishing line should be cut while leaving several feet attached, which helps veterinarians locate the hook more easily if it has been swallowed. Had this turtle swallowed the hook, it would have been taken to the Sea Turtle Care Center for treatment.
Just over a week earlier, on April 4, another Kemp’s ridley was found stranded on Mustang Island in Texas. That turtle, a female, was spotted by lifeguard and marine biology student Nevaeh Vela, who quickly noticed she seemed to be struggling to breathe.
When specialists from the Amos Rehabilitation Keep at the University of Texas at Austin examined her, they found a piece of fishing hook lodged in her trachea.
Fortunately, the fragment was safely removed through an endoscopy.
Andrew Orgill, a staff supervisor at ARK, said the turtle was then placed under close observation and treated with antibiotics, pain relief, and anti-inflammatory medication.
Orgill added that situations like this are unfortunately common. He explained that abandoned fishing equipment, often called ghost gear, can cause severe harm to marine animals. Injuries can include deep cuts, loss of flippers, difficulty swimming, and ingestion of hooks, bait, and fishing line.
That same message was echoed after the Folly Beach rescue by Turtle Watch volunteer Vanessa Oltman, speaking through the local mascot Toby the Turtle. She said people only have one planet, and that human life depends on coexisting with wildlife. Because of that, she stressed how important it is to teach children from a young age to respect nature and always pick up litter.