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Letter to the editor

Cleaning up Clam Bayou

By Times Staff Writer
Published June 3, 2007

Disgusting. That about sums up the situation at Clam Bayou Nature Preserve. The place has trash entangled with the mangroves in an area the size of multiple city blocks, and city officials in St. Petersburg and Gulfport are squabbling about who has responsibility for the cleanup. This "preserve" needs to be restored to its natural state, and the cities should be working together to get it done.

Because garbage flows from the streets and gutters of St. Petersburg and Gulfport into the preserve, each points to the other as the culprit and responsible party. In truth, the trash appears to be coming mostly from St. Petersburg and the preserve lies mostly in that city, which means St. Petersburg should be taking on the bulk of the cleanup chores. But that doesn't absolve Gulfport entirely. Some of the trash comes from there, some of the park sits within its borders and the outflow washes into Boca Ciega Bay, the city's back yard. Gulfport has a significant stake in all this, too.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, or Swiftmud, has acknowledged that a big part of the problem stems from the outdated storm system in a nearby St. Petersburg neighborhood. It has committed to repairing the system, an effort that is scheduled to begin next year. But that will take many years to complete, and in the meantime more food cartons, plastic bottles and discarded furniture will end up in the mangroves.

What makes this especially difficult is that this is a very tricky cleanup job. The worst areas cannot be accessed by foot or large boat. Only a canoe or kayak can navigate the terrain. Even so, a number of local volunteers have been making strides, including the nonprofit Green Armada, an environmental cleanup group, and a crew of volunteers organized by Kurt Zuelsdorf who runs Kayak Nature Adventures. These caring local activists have pulled tons of trash from the preserve, including 15 shopping carts and counting.

But the heroic efforts of determined volunteers are clearly not enough. According to Gulfport City Manager Thomas Brobeil, the city is embarking on a capital project to mitigate the problem in the future. But he says the city doesn't have the manpower to properly maintain the preserve.

Michael Connors, the internal services administrator for St. Petersburg, says he understands that there is a need for more resources directed at a cleanup effort, but that such a commitment has yet to be made. Even so, working with the Green Armada, St. Petersburg has initiated the installation of booms to keep trash from flowing into the preserve, and there is a public education campaign on the drawing boards. Also, the city has some attractive long-term plans for improving Clam Bayou with bike paths and boardwalks to make it more publicly accessible.

Depending upon what the Legislature does about reducing property taxes, money soon could be a much bigger problem for these cities. But maintaining the area's protected environment should take priority. The few natural spaces that remain on this dense peninsula need to be tended, and if that takes a redirection of resources, then that is what needs to be done. There also needs to be an end to the squabbling. Reasonable cooperation is more likely to get the trash picked up.

[Last modified June 2, 2007, 20:35:59]