Dyke Marsh Clean Up

I have been lacking on the environmental posts...a lot.  So I figured it'd be appropriate to start off with a recent event that I attended with Surfrider DC.  We traveled down to the Dyke Marsh by Belle Haven Marina in DC for a clean up.  We weren't expecting as many people to come out that did, it was awesome. The marsh, which is about 100 yards across the harbor is an important site for DC's ecological foundation.  Many birds, fish and animals live and breed here.  We incorporated water sports to get to the marsh; some brought their SUP's and paddled across, some kayaked (what I did) and others chose to take the power boat that also acted as the trash bag collector.  When I arrived on the bank of the marsh, I was disgusted and mortified as to what I saw.  There was trash everywhere.  The 3 feet of bank that separated the water and the tall grass was covered in everything from styrofoam to plastic to cans.  I am not exaggerating when I say that there was one part where I could not see the ground below the trash.

The day was hugely successful.  In all, the ~40 people who showed up, ranging from young kids to adults, removed hundreds of pounds of trash from the marsh including industrial sized (40inch) tires, propane tanks, syringes, plastic, styrofoam, bottles, beer cans and the list goes on.  While we have only made a dent into the clean up, it was still a major step towards cleaning that area up.  It is obvious that some of the trash was dumped on purpose because it could simply not float there, so it is sad to see that people are purposefully hurting the environment.  

These clean ups are great and I seriously suggest that everyone to get out and volunteer in a clean up.  If there is not a local Surfrider chapter, there are other non-profit volunteer groups that conduct environmental clean ups.  

If you are in the DC area, contact me through here or on the Worn Trails Facebook page (which you can find at the top left of the page and click "like") and I can give you all of the information on upcoming events and cleanups!

Here are a few pics from the day: