Mangroves are perfect for a lot of things. Coastal protection. A natural fish nursery. But their finger-like roots also are great for capturing Biscayne Bay trash.
The Key Biscayne Community Foundation’s Citizen Science Program and like-minded groups pulled 504 pounds of trash out of the mangroves at Peacock Park in Coconut Grove on Saturday. It was quite a hall for about a dozen volunteers.
“The mangroves in particular, they’re really important for a lot of the fish and animals that live in coral reefs,” said Rumya Sundaram, coordinator for the Citizen Scientist Program.
“So, having heavily polluted mangroves can cause a lot of issues within the life cycle of various fish. A lot of them are also really important, you know, sport fish. And you know recreational fish, for people that like to go fishing.”
Other groups participating include FillABag, Miami EcoAdventures, and Free Plastic – the latter turns found plastic on the beach into furniture.
Peacock Park mangroves especially need love, Sundaram said.
“Every time we go there, we just pull in massive amounts of trash,” she said. “We’ve pulled in derelict boats like little skiffs or dinghies, like the inflatable kind that they get a puncture or something, and people just abandon them out there.”
Somebody even found a rubber snake – which allowed for some hijinks among the volunteers.
Two other groups also came forward. One PADL provided rented kayaks or paddle boards that are essential to the cleanup. “We come at the mangroves from the water,” Sundaram said.
The five cleanups a year are funded through a $5,000 grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District.
Sundaram has also served as the Independent’s environmental editor at times.
This story was originally published in the Key Biscayne Independent, a WLRN News partner.
