A Day at the 5th Annual San Antonio Bay Shorelines Cleanup

by Kirsten Sorensen, Cleanups and Research Programs Manager

On September 23, 2024, KTB joined the San Antonio Bay Partnership at their cleanup kickoff event for their 5th Annual Bay Shorelines Cleanup. 

The San Antonio Bay spans approximately 143 miles on the Texas Gulf Coast and is an essential estuarine environment where freshwater from the Guadalupe and San Antonio Rivers mix with saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico. The bay supports commercial fishing, is a popular destination for recreation, and serves as a vital wildlife habitat in the region.

Participants from 14 organizations organized into 7 boats to collect litter in designated areas of San Antonio Bay that could only be reached by boat. In total, 30 large 55-gallon bags of trash were collected on remote parts of the bay and brought back to Seadrift Marina for proper disposal.

Common items collected included drink containers (including 398 plastic bottles), fishing lines and lures, crab trap floats, and other assorted items that fall off boats and end up on our coastline including hats, shoes, and plastic bags.

The most unusual items found during the cleanup were an American flag, an action figure, a sawhorse, a hog trap, and one group found and removed the entire front end of an abandoned canoe. 

This event initiated what will be a week of cleanups, highlighting environmental issues, and encouraging discussions on conservation in the region.

This year’s annual cleanup will wrap up with a large public event on Saturday, September 28th. The event will feature a targeted shoreline cleanup, entertainment, educational talks from Jace Tunnell of the Harte Research Institute, dinner and refreshments, and a competition for the most plastic bottles collected and the most unusual item found

There is still time to sign up and get involved! Sign up for more information!