The air smelled of moist, black soil as volunteers cleared undergrowth and trash between live oaks and old Florida red cedar trees Saturday at the entrance to the Florida Institute for Salt Water Heritage Preserve.
The F.I.S.H. Preserve, a maze of walking paths and tidal creeks off 116th Street West, was one of the coastal and river sites in Manatee County being cleaned up during the 2008 Florida Coastal Cleanup.
While volunteers near the entrance to the preserve carried baskets of trash and vines to a large roll-off dumpster, a bulldozer picked up large branches and tires. Another group worked from boats, mostly picking up marine debris.
"There are about 95 acres of uplands, mangroves and bay bottom in the preserve. This land was used as a dumping ground. We have even found boat hulls along the roads in here," said Allen Garner, president of F.I.S.H., who was leading the team.
The F.I.S.H. Preserve is connected to the Florida Maritime Museum and the 1890 Burton Store by a wooden bridge built by Eagle Scouts from Troop 27 as a service project.
About a dozen people focused on clearing an area near the bridge around a 1950s house that will be the new home of the Florida Maritime Museum's boat building shop.
John Moore was among the regular volunteers who have worked on previous projects.
"I like the way everyone is putting in an honest effort to help out," he said as he paused to put a couple of bandages on blisters from clearing trees the day before.
Janet Diseroad, a Cortez resident who regularly volunteers, came to help mainly because she said she likes to kayak along the shore.
Last year in Manatee County, 993 volunteers removed 18,818 pounds of trash from 104 miles of roads and shores.
"We go as far north as Terra Ceia Bay, and as far south as the Crosley Estate," said Ingrid McClellan, executive director of Keep Manatee Beautiful, a nonprofit group that is helping with the cleanup.
According to Denise Kleiner of the Old Braden River Historical Society, her team found much less than they did a year ago. She had 45 volunteers in boats, including a big group from Tropicana Products Inc., which donated the beverages for the countywide event.
"This time we picked up more small, plastic worm containers than anything else. We think because they are so light, they blow off fishing boats," she said.
The second category of trash found was plastic water bottles, followed by drink cans.
The Manatee County cleanup is part of the 23rd Annual International Coastal Cleanup in 76 nations. Data is collected and analyzed by the Ocean Conservancy, providing insights into where trash comes from and how it ends up in waterways.
In Florida last year, 24,494 volunteers removed 442,599 pounds of trash and debris from 1,891 miles of shoreline.
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