The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, which leads the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Partnership, will host the ninth annual Spring Cleanup event on April 30 from 9 a.m.-noon.
Volunteers will meet at either of the two locations: the Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center at 1865 U.S. Highway 90 E., Seguin, or Oak Creek Elementary School, 3060 Goodwin Lane, New Braunfels.
The event will start with an orientation meeting where volunteers will receive safety instructions, free T-shirts and cleanup supplies. Breakfast tacos will be served before proceeding to the creek cleanup locations. Volunteers may bring their own supplies if they prefer.
Interested volunteers are asked to register online at https://tx.ag/GACreekWPApril22. There will also be on-site registration.
A long-running community effort to clean up the creeks
“To date, we have implemented eight spring and two fall cleanup events and engaged over 1,200 volunteers removing more than 22,000 pounds of trash and debris from the watershed,” said Evgenia Spears, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension watershed coordinator, Bryan-College Station. “This event will be the ninth spring cleanup event organized by the partnership. Everyone is invited to participate and come out to gather trash from creeks and the areas that drain into them.”
This is a volunteer opportunity for community members in the watershed, she said. Volunteers can include corporate teams, neighborhood and church groups, 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 Event provides a valuable opportunity to build a sense of community by connecting people across socio-demographic backgrounds and further extending our message of environmental stewardship to everyone who lives in this beautiful watershed,” Spears said.
Watershed protection plan
This event is part of the implementation of the Geronimo and Alligator Creeks Watershed Protection Plan. The 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.
Funding for this effort is provided through a federal Clean Water Act nonpoint source grant administered by the Texas Soil and Water Conservation Board from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Sponsor support
The 2022 spring cleanup event is sponsored by Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, City of New Braunfels, Waste Connections of Texas, Irma Lewis Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, Ehlers Tree Farm, Guadalupe County Groundwater Conservation District, Alamo Group, Vitesco Technologies, Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church, Mas Fireworks, R&R Enterprises, KWED, Coleman Camping Company, Niagara Bottling, Starbucks and Keep Texas Beautiful.
“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 or visit http://geronimocreek.org/ and follow the group on Facebook @GeronimoAlligator.
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