Rivers Alive Clean Up

Earlier this fall, the Satilla Riverkeeper organized its annual clean up at different boat ramps along the Satilla River. I was the site leader for the Jamestown Landing clean up. My family and I spent several hours picking up different items including a chair, tire, lottery tickets, aluminum cans, and handyman tools like wrenches and nails.

I am particularly fond of this site, because I have been cleaning it up for years. Even after such a long time and many clean ups, the landing remains the same – beautiful but littered with trash. The trash, which most notably consists of a lot of household and takeout items, is preventable and something we can control.

When you go out to eat and take a container with you or if you have trash of any kind, please find a trash can. This boat ramp is home to cypress swamp and river ecosystems that are important for lots of fish and wildlife. And you! If you love fishing or eating fish from the river, if you love boating or swimming in the river, if you enjoy bird watching or spending time in nature, if you want clean water – then you depend on a healthy river and healthy land around it. When you hurt the environment, you hurt yourself, too!

My goal for you within the next couple of months is to just take the time to stop and think. I challenge you to be cognizant of how your day-to-day action’s affect the environment. Ask yourself questions like “Do I really need a straw?” or “Where is the trash can?” or “Can I bring a reusable container today?”

It is true that the trash problem can’t be solved by our actions alone. As long as plastic is produced, there will always be the need for disposal; however, the reason plastic is produced starts with us. If we change our actions and habits, we can make a difference.