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Letter to the editor

Kayakers will skim garbage off water

Volunteers will seek trash that runoff has swept into Bear Creek.

By NICK JOHNSON
Published July 25, 2007

SOUTH PASADENA - Tuesday morning, just before the storm clouds began to rumble above the Gulf of Mexico, Kurt Zuelsdorf stood on a seawall near where Bear Creek empties into Boca Ceiga Bay and watched a small group of manatees splashing in the water.

"This is why I wanted to do Bear Creek, because it's a no wake zone, they're completely safe and this is one of their favorite spots," Zuelsdorf said.

He was talking about a cleanup he has planned for the waterway through his kayak tour business this Saturday morning.

Zuelsdorf has been running his tour business for about a year and also has been organizing volunteer cleanups, originally focusing on Clam Bayou in Gulfport.

The cleanups started with his offer for a free kayak rental in exchange for picking up a bag of garbage, funded by a grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. They have since turned into planned outings funded by Zuelsdorf's sponsors.

The cleanups in Clam Bayou were to offset garbage deposited into the bayou by stormwater drains that empty into it.

Although the trash flow into Bear Creek is not quite as severe, garbage from the streets dots the water where manatees frolic and ospreys and other birds nest.

The trash flows down the creek, which snakes through residential neighborhoods in South Pasadena, Gulfport and St. Petersburg, and eventually makes its way into the bay.

"It's nowhere near the capacity of Clam Bayou, but it's still a discharge from the streets," Zuelsdorf said. "If there's one piece of garbage, it's too much; our waterways should have zero debris in them."

The cleanup will be funded by a sponsorship from the Hess Corp. that Zuelsdorf recently acquired through his tour company, Kayak Nature Adventures, and powered by his volunteer group.

Zuelsdorf has enough kayaks for about 15 people, but he expects several volunteers to bring their own kayaks or canoes and encourages others to do the same.

The cleanup volunteers will launch from a small public beach near the shopping center at 2525 Pasadena Ave. S on the way to St. Pete Beach and work their way over to Bear Creek, picking up trash caught in mangroves along the way.

"Just about anywhere you find mangroves growing you can find garbage, for people who want to do it on their own," said Zuelsdorf, who has become somewhat of a professional garbage tracker.

He said the most important step in keeping garbage out of waterways is to keep it out of the yards and streets that border them.

"Before it rains, do a quick sweep of your yard or around your garbage can. If not, it ends up out here," Zuelsdorf said.

He plans to lead volunteers as far into the creek as the kayaks will allow, bagging and removing garbage they encounter along the way.

Nick Johnson can be reached at nickjohnson@sptimes.com or 893-8361.

IF YOU GO:

Bear Creek cleanup

Anyone interested in participating in Saturday's Bear Creek cleanup can visit www.kayaknature.com to sign up or get information.

[Last modified July 25, 2007, 08:42:47]