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Litter Cleanup Efforts Need Volunteers

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 23, 2008

BRANDON - It's nearly springtime, and that means it's cleanup time for the area's roadways and waterways.

Two organizations planning annual cleanups for March and April are seeking volunteers willing to don boots, gloves and sunscreen and clean up the mess left by litterbugs and illegal dumpers along roadsides and in rivers, lakes and ponds throughout the region.

The Alafia River Basin Stewardship Council will sponsor its annual waterway cleanup March 29. Organizer Karen Wagner said she hopes to recruit 50 volunteers by March 25.

The Great American Cleanup, a national effort sponsored by Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, is scheduled for April 19. Nearly 2,000 volunteers are needed for the Tampa Bay region.

For the river cleanup, Wagner is looking for people willing to hop into a canoe and paddle the 20-mile length of the state-designated canoe trail and pick up garbage from the banks and below water level.

The event begins at 7 a.m. at the Alderman's Ford canoe launch off County Road 39 in Lithia. Each canoe team will haul its take to Lithia Springs Park by 1 p.m.

The Alafia River Basin Stewardship Council will provide buckets, pails, nets and garbage bags, as well as snacks and bottled water for the trip. Canoes, paddles and life jackets also will be provided. Once the cleanup is over, lunch will be served at the park.

Volunteers must be at least 18 years old. People age 16 and 17 can volunteer if accompanied by an adult. Volunteers must be in good health and able to paddle a canoe for four hours.

Wagner said she has recruited two Boy Scout troops to clean up the leg of the river west of Lithia Springs Park, and several Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies, including her husband, Daryl, will join the effort. She needs about 15 more people to clean the upper portion of the river. To volunteer, contact Wagner at (813) 684-7300, arbsc@msn.com or alafia challenge@msn.com. Volunteers must sign up in advance.

Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful also is gearing up for its big event. Volunteers will fan out at designated locations across the county, including several in Brandon, Seffner and Riverview.

"Every year, thousands of animals are entangled in or ingest debris, which often results in their death," said organization Executive Director Christine Commerce.

Trash tossed on the side of the road often travels through storm drains to canals and eventually to rivers and into Tampa Bay, Commerce said.

"The majority of trash in our waterways comes from land," she said.

The Great American Cleanup was started in 1999 by Keep America Beautiful to help change attitudes about litter. Although volunteers have found less litter during the past decade, many people don't understand how much damage litter and illegal dumping cause, she said.

Commerce said she plans to post cleanup locations on the agency's Web site by late March. Meanwhile, volunteers can sign up by calling the Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful office at (813) 960-5121 or visiting www.khcbonline.org and clicking on "contact us."

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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