Eco Hero's Clever Idea to Clean Up the Bayou
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 01. 3.08
Kudos to Kurt Zuelsdorf for a clever contribution to the ecosystem of the beloved birdlife on the Clam Bayou in Gulfport Florida. Zuelsdorf's idea: no rent is due on kayaks if the boater brings back a bag of trash. Field&Stream named Zuelsdorf a "Hero of Conservation", and local news coverage has helped bring out the volunteers and financial support so that Zuelsdorf's work can keep on going. Zuelsdorf has organized events to pick up the pace of the cleanup. Current cleanup stats:
- Pounds of trash: 32,000
- Shopping carts: 31
- Kayaks available: 1000 for 2008
Check out Zuelsdorf's work in his You-tube video embedded here and visit his website Kayak Nature. We give Zuelsdorf a nod for the eco-hero awards in this century.
Via: thanks to tipster Carol
Genius is right!
May his business thrive and prosper. Plus his customers keep the place looking it's best for the next folks.
Trash is only one of the many ways that ecosystems can be damaged and degraded, and many species may be able to use the trash. Nature isn't so concerned about the unsightly. But every bit helps.
With luck, many others will steal this idea and transplant it to other businesses and activities.
I'm glad they're getting that garbage out of a sensitive ecosystem but what makes me sad is that its all just going to be transfered to some dump somewhere.
Wonderful to see this idea in use elsewhere in the country.
Just south of the East River's Hell Gate, on the Queens waterfront, the Long Island City Community Boathouse provides free kayaking and canoeing to all comers.
Our tiny beach, at the foot of housing projects (and down the road from the largest public housing project in North America, the Queensbridge Houses) is cleaner than anyone's lifetime, residents say. Why? Because while people are waiting their turn to paddle, they are invited to clean the beach area. People feel a sense of connection to the waterway and shoreline, and act accordingly.
When we first started offering free paddling, we informed the city government that we would be undertaking beach cleaning ourselves. The beach was covered with sheet glass, air conditioners, furniture, tires, needles, vials, and other nasty items that residents couldn't get the city to clean in the past. The authorities were frightened that we would hurt ourselves (people ranging from youth to the elderly), and so did a "pre-cleaning" by removing the largest items!
Annually, and inconcert with other community groups, we also haul bicycles and shopping carts that get dumped in considerably quantity off the retaining wall. I'm happy to report that this form of dumping is declining as more people extend their sense of community from the streets and gomes to the estuary a few feet away.
Hooray for growing the circle of relationships!
Erik Baard
www.licboathouse.org
www.naturecalendar.com
----auth. note---
Kudos to the efforts of your group as well. Nothing more invigorating than people making a difference.
Fantastic work Kurt - absolute genius.
my question how polluted with trash was this place I mean 32,000 pounds of trash maybe the state,county should have been cleaning this place up years ago so he didn't need to do it himself, however great job and hope he does very well for himself