Sarasota Bay Watch volunteers headed out on February 15 to clean the waterway between Turtle Beach Boat Ramp and the Northwest side of the Jim Neville Marine Preserve. Although we recently cleaned a few tons of debris from that area it still had a lot of manmade storm debris.
With 1 barge, 1 jon boat, 2 canoes, 1 jet ski, and 14 kayakers volunteers headed out in a low tide to clean the manmade debris from the mangroves that was washed out of homes and garages during the hurricanes. Our happy volunteers were of all ages and abilities, students, and many of our new friends from recent debris cleanups. It was a beautiful day, clear water, and a light wind in the morning. Volunteers combed the mangroves to remove items from deep within.
The booty consisted of numerous household cleaners and solvents like bleach, paint, brake fluid, and powerful cleaners– many already leaking, which creates a dangerous situation for man and animals. Water pumps, a huge amount of lumbar from walkways, steps and docks, pieces of cabinetry, turnstiles, beds, hangers, clothing, signage, mini fridges, coolers, a regular sized fridge, trash bins, and chairs to name just a few. A total of 2500 pounds of debris was collected and placed in the dump trailer provided by Sarasota County.
With barge assist, the kayakers were able to offload their heavy loads and head back into the mangroves again. As the day progressed so did the wind making it a rigorous paddle back. Our helpers enjoyed lunch and friendly conversation with new friends about the things they saw and collected. Tired, dirty, and smiling, participants were already asking about the next event that SBW would hold to do the same work again!
