3/7/17: Florida Chapter in Key West
Volunteering with FKNMS at Sammy's Creek Landing
Author: Katie Groves/Thursday, March 16, 2017/Categories: , Chapter Development, Florida
On Monday 3/7 of the brothers’ service trip to Key West, they met 2 NOAA affiliates at Sammy’s Creek Landing for their first official day of beach clean-up’s. The day started at 9:30 am and the brothers picked up trash along the mangrove trail which stretched 2 miles (4 miles to where they stopped and back). The main pieces of trash they collected were a variety of micro and macro plastics, Styrofoam, cans and bottles, jars, and other items such as couch pieces and car parts including an engine and tires. The weirdest find of the day was a washing machine part that the brothers were unable to move because of how big and heavy it was in addition to its lodging in the mangroves. The brothers collected about 1,000 lbs of trash the three hours they were at Sammy’s Creek Landing. After spending hours picking up trash, the brothers were able to spend an hour kayaking through the mangroves. While kayaking in the mangroves down Sammy’s Creek, the brothers spotted a migrant vessel and were able to put their migrant vessel documentation training to use. The migrant vessel was tied off to a mangrove and looked relatively recent based on the lack of rusting, the personal belongings inside, and a variety of other factors.