SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Grab the kayak or canoe — or rent one at Five Rivers — if you’d like to participate in the 21st annual Alabama Coastal Cleanup.

This year the area is having the cleanup at Five Rivers, Alabama’s Delta Resource Center, but it’s doing it a bit differently: only on the water with kayaks and canoes.    

From 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 20 efforts will be made to clean up the Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

Kayaks and canoes can be rented from Five Rivers the morning of the cleanup.

“Everyone needs to be sure they drink lots of water, wear sunscreen, a hat and wear comfy shoes,” Shonda Borden, zone captain for the Five Rivers cleanup, said. “I’m hoping for a really good crowd.”

Volunteers receive a free T-shirt, drinks, decal and a drink hugger for their participation, according to alcoastalcleanup.com, the cleanup’s official Web site.

Since 1987 the program has removed 951,987 pounds of trash from the 2,847 miles of Alabama coastlines, according to the site. Volunteers from across the state visit the coast at this time each year to help keep Alabama beautiful.

This year the program is going for the one-millionth pound, Borden said.

“You’re taking out trash that not only makes things look ugly, but it kills marine mammals, birds and turtles,” Borden said. “It does a lot more than just make the area look good.”

Debris also clogs water intakes, damages fishing nets and fouls propellers, the site said.

“Every little bit that comes in is that much more that’s out of the water,” Borden said. “Last year someone even brought in a toilet they found.”

Participants shouldn’t worry about the heavy items by themselves — just remember the spot and let the zone captain know where and what it is and someone in a boat will get it, she said.

Children participating should be accompanied by a parent.

Five Rivers is the resource center in the area for all-things Mobile-Tensaw Delta.

The center provides education on the second-largest wetlands in Alabama, with more than 250,000 acres of scenic waterways.

Five Rivers is located on the causeway — across from Meaher State Park — at 30945 Five Rivers Blvd. It’s open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information contact Shonda Borden, zone captain, at 625-0814 or visit alcoastalcleanup.com.