BEACH SERVICES
Seaweed Management & Raking
Beach Raker uses a unique raking method to manage the varying quantities of seaweed and organic material that comes ashore each day. Our fleet of Kubota tractors are equipped with custom fabricated rakes and front ends that are designed specifically to deal with the excessive seaweed and differing beach conditions found in Florida. We rake and incorporate the seaweed and organic material with sand at the tide line using our custom fabricated rake. Any debris that is in the seaweed is removed by our operator before the seaweed and organic material is incorporated with the sand. The debris is taken off the beach for disposal. Behind the customized rake is a drag bar which eliminates the rake marks and tire tracks leaving the beach level and smooth.
Composting & Barriers
Beach Grooming & Sand Sifting
Very few companies are able to offer beach grooming and sand sifting services to their clients. We feel it is just as important to pay attention to the upper beach; the area most used by beachgoers! At Beach Raker we use a combination of specialized equipment including Barber Surf Rakes, Beach Tech STR 3000, Cherrington Sand Sifter, and Barber Sandman to groom and sift the upper portion of beach. Our beach grooming and sand sifting equipment removes small trash items, such as, bottles, cans, and cups while aerating the sand at the same time. It is impossible to pick up these small trash items by hand. As the Barber Surf Rake moves across the beach, the mechanical tines rotate through the sand and pick up small objects and deposit them into the waste bucket at the back of the surf rake. At the end of the process, the waste bucket is mechanically lifted and the waste material and recyclables are sorted then deposited into our waste disposal and recyclables containers off the beach.
Turtle Nest Monitoring
We typically have thousands of Sea Turtle nests on the beaches we clean during the Turtle Nesting Season. This creates an additional level of complexity that our operators have to deal with each day as they perform their work.
To assist the Turtle Monitoring Program Beach Raker has invested in sub-meter GPS technology, and ArcMap 10 to accurately plot the location of every turtle nest in the areas that we provide beach cleaning services. With this data our operators are authorized by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC) to locate and reestablish turtle nests that have been washed over during a severe storm or exceptionally high tide. Once we reestablish the nests, our operators can resume the work of cleaning the beach with no interruption of service to our clients.
Shown is a screen shot of our ArcMap 10 program showing the turtle nest locations on the beach. Each black triangle represents a turtle nest on the beach. The GPS location of each nest is accurate to within 20 inches of the nest egg chamber buried in the sand.
Hazardous Materials Removal
From time to time we are called on to remove hazardous materials from the beaches we clean. Below are some examples of conditions we are ready to deal with when they occur on your beachfront.These included but are not limited to tree removal, Man-O-War, boat removal, and excessive seaweed deposits.
Dune Planting & Maintenance
The dune system is our first line of protection against severe weather systems and high tidal events. Beach vegetation is critical to a healthy dune system. Vegetation helps trap windblown sand which stabilizes the dune, and provides a habitat for coastal animals. Native plants are essential to the dune ecosystem. However, many undesirable invasive plant species have taken over our dune system. Invasive species have a tendency to overgrow native species and are less effective in stabilizing sand. Invasive dune vegetation should be eradicated from dune areas whenever possible, before these plants take control of your beachfront property!
We offer the following services:
• Relocation of windblown sand
• Reshaping and contouring of the dune area.
• Removal of invasive plant species.
• Planting of native salt tolerant dune vegetation.
All dune, vegetation and sand relocation projects must be approved and permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) before work can commence. We will act on your behalf with the FDEP to acquire the necessary permits.
Emergency Response Services
Beach Raker is one of Florida’s most dependable emergency response companies. Beach Raker is one of the most trusted companies when it comes to cleaning up after a hurricane or tropical storm or aggressively cleaning up after recurring, natural events like Red Tide.