The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, providing leadership to the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Partnership, is hosting the 2021 Fall Cleanup Event on Oct. 30, from 9:30 a.m. to noon.
Volunteers will meet at the Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center at 1865, U.S. Highway 90 E., Seguin, to enjoy breakfast tacos, hear safety instructions and receive cleanup supplies before proceeding to the creek cleanup locations. Volunteers may bring their own supplies if they prefer.
Interested volunteers are asked to register online at tx.ag/FallCreekCleanup21. In-person registration can be done the day of the event.
This event is part of the implementation of the watershed protection plan. The Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan was developed by local stakeholders in response to the elevated levels of E.coli bacteria and concern for nitrate-nitrogen concentrations found in Geronimo Creek. The plan outlines strategies and voluntary best management practices to restore and protect local water quality. Everyone is encouraged to join the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Partnership.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act 319(h) Nonpoint Source Grant administered by the Texas Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A long-running community effort to clean up the creeks
This will be the 10th watershed cleanup event facilitated by the partnership.
“To date, we have implemented nine cleanup events and engaged nearly 1,200 volunteers removing over 21,000 pounds of trash and debris from the watershed,” said Evgenia Spears, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension watershed coordinator. “This event will be the second fall cleanup organized by the partnership. Everyone is invited to participate by gathering trash from creeks and the areas that drain into them.”
This is a volunteer opportunity for community members in the watershed, Spears said. Volunteers can include corporate teams, neighborhood and church groups, school students and individual residents who are concerned about the welfare of the creeks.
“We believe that an effort such as the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Cleanup provides a valuable opportunity to build a sense of community by connecting people across socio-demographic backgrounds and further extends our message of environmental stewardship to everyone who lives in this beautiful watershed,” Spears said.
This year’s event is sponsored by Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, Keep Texas Beautiful, Waste Connections of Texas, Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, Ehlers Tree Farm, Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District, Alamo Group, Geronimo General Store, Daniel Pest Control and Professional Services, City of New Braunfels and Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church.
“The number of sponsors for this effort is growing every year and we are beyond grateful for the generous support that we receive from this community,” Spears said. “The success of our work would certainly not have been possible without our sponsors and partners.”
For more information, contact Spears at Geronimo.Alligator@ag.tamu.edu or 979-845-2862; visit http://geronimocreek.org/; or follow the group on Facebook @GeronimoAlligator.
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