KGIB Receives State Honor for Marsh Madness Initiative

At the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation conference held recently in Savannah, Keep Golden Isles Beautiful was awarded the 2025 Community Catalyst Award for its Marsh Madness salt marsh cleanup initiative. This award highlights the efforts of a group or individual to foster outstanding collaborative leadership between neighbors, local businesses, and community organizations with the purpose of collectively improving the local environment. 

Keep Golden Isles Beautiful has transformed coastal stewardship through its signature Marsh Madness initiative, an annual month-long campaign engaging residents, businesses, civic groups, and visitors in protecting Georgia’s vital salt marshes. What began in 2014 as two cleanups grew to 46 marsh and marsh-adjacent events in March 2025 alone, involving 552 volunteers who removed 9.5 tons of trash, including 70 tires. Over the more than decade-long history of Marsh Madness, 3,511 volunteers have removed 69 tons of trash and 677 tires across 236 cleanups (2026 stats not included). While the award was for the effort through 2025, it’s important to note that the March 2026 event exploded to 57 cleanups, adding even more recovered trash and debris tonnage to the already impressive stats.

With just a two-person staff, KGIB relies on site leaders from local organizations and businesses to coordinate each cleanup, recruit volunteers, and ensure safety and efficiency, making this effort a true community-driven endeavor. Beyond the cleanups, Keep Golden Isles Beautiful amplifies its impact through social media and traditional outlets, educating residents and visitors about the importance of Georgia’s salt marshes and the risks litter poses to this critical estuarine ecosystem. By mobilizing volunteers, energizing community partners, and combining hands-on action with public education, Keep Golden Isles Beautiful has cultivated a culture of shared responsibility that safeguards one of the state’s most important natural resources.

Photo caption: (L-R) KGIB’s Lahra Meusel and Lea King-Badyna with the Keep Georgia Beautiful Foundation 2025 Community Catalyst Award.