SEGUIN – The annual Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Cleanup event is scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon April 6.
This will be the seventh such event coordinated by the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Partnership as part of implementation efforts for the area’s watershed protection plan.
“As a volunteer, you can help protect Geronimo and Alligator creeks by collecting trash from several target areas that drain to the creeks,” said Ward Ling, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service watershed coordinator, College Station.
Ling said participants can go online at http://geronimocreek.org/ and register by clicking on the registration form under the Clean Up announcement or contact Ling at 979-845-6980 or wling@tamu.edu.
Participants can meet at any of the following three locations:
— Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, 1865 U.S. Highway 90 East, Seguin.
— Navarro High School parking lot, 6450 N. Texas Highway 123, Seguin.
— The New Braunfels Regional Airport at the corner of Airport Road and Entrance Drive.
Volunteers should arrive by 9 a.m. for breakfast tacos, special event T-shirts, safety instructions and supplies.
“While there, volunteers will receive directions to local areas needing trash pickup,” Ling said. “Anyone can be a sponsor through their financial donation. These donations go directly to pay for breakfast refreshments and special event T-shirts. And sponsors get their name or logo on the back of the T-shirts.”
Participants should register by March 22 to get a free T-shirt.
“If you have your own gloves or pick up tools, bring them and dress appropriately for the weather,” Ling said.
Trash bags and a limited supply of gloves and pick-up tools will be available for volunteers. Volunteers can include teams organized by the sponsors or neighborhood groups, as well as individual citizens who are concerned about the welfare of the creeks.
“We had a cold front blow through the morning of last year’s event, but we still had over 115 volunteers show up to brave the cold,” Ling said. “Together, they removed 1,800 pounds of trash from locations around the area. We are hoping for better weather this year and for a good crowd to come out to work.”
Sponsors currently include Alamo Group, Becker’s Feed & Fertilizer, Crossroads Veterinary Hospital, Ehlers’ Tree Farm, Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, Niagara Bottling LLC, Spirit of Joy, Thrivent Financial, Waste Connections and the City of New Braunfels.
“There is still time to sign up to sponsor the event,” Ling said. “Just go to the Geronimo Creek website for information on how you can be a sponsor. The deadline to notify us you want to sponsor is March 22.”
The City of New Braunfels and Progressive Waste Solutions are donating large disposal containers to collect the trash and providing disposal free of charge.
“We are excited by the outpouring of support we have already received from the community for this year’s event and want people to know everyone is invited to join the effort,” Ling said.
The Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan was developed by local stakeholders after water quality monitoring data showed elevated concentrations of bacteria and nitrogen in the creeks. The plan outlines strategies to restore and protect water quality in the creeks.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant administered by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Contact: Ward Ling, 979-845-6980, wling@tamu.edu