On Saturday March 23, the River, Lakes, Bays 'N Bayous Trash Bash®, which is the largest, single-day waterway cleanup in Texas, celebrated its 30th year of cleaning up the Galveston Bay watershed. Of the 14 different cleanup sites, we selected the one at Armand Bayou, where the Houston Canoe Club has often participated in the past. In contrast to previous years, the Trash Bash headquarters were moved from the south end of Bay Area Park up to the area between the Canoe Launch, Duck Pond, and Bay Area Blvd. This offered some advantages for paddlers, not the least of which being the addition of a portable toilet and hand washing station right next to the Canoe Launch. Early estimates are that there were about 450 participants at Armand Bayou.
We arrived at 8:00. This is a half-hour earlier than the designated time for registration for land-based participants, but the Galveston Bay Foundation had set up a table early as a service to paddlers, so that we could have more time on the water. We elected to paddle upstream, underneath the Bay Area Blvd. bridge, picking up trash along the way.
One Piece at a Time, by Tom Douglas
The light northerly breeze was pleasant, but the fact that it had been blowing for over a day meant that the tide was unusually low, A small rake came in very handy, since many items were several feet up on the bank.
Unusually Low Tide Due to the North Winds
We eventually worked our way up to the confluence with Big Island Slough. We’ve paddled up that bayou to Red Bluff Road on several occasions in the past, but today’s low tide had left that bayou only a mud flat.
Big Island Slough, by Tom Douglas
On our way back down to the park, we passed by near to a log that we thought looked just like a large alligator head. Only when I spotted a glint of light right where the eye would be did I realize that it was a large alligator head. The beast didn’t move at all as we passed by, which was fine with us. There were also wading birds along the shore, such as great egrets and a tricolored heron.
Great Egrets, by Tom Douglas
Tricolored Heron (and Bucket), by Tom Douglas
We were really attracted by that discarded bucket up in the shallows next to the heron, but reaching it would have required a difficult wade through soft mud. Arriving back at the Canoe Launch around 11:00, we proudly added our trash to what had been brought in by others. Ours consisted mostly of small items, with the exception of one ten foot long plank.
Back at the Canoe Launch, by Haille Leija, Galveston Bay Foundation
Catch of the Day, by Haille Leija, Galveston Bay Foundation
Members of the Galveston Bay Foundation staff who were posted at the Canoe Launch gave us a much-appreciated hand getting our boat and gear loaded up. Special thanks also to Courtney Smith at the Galveston Bay Foundation, who helped us with access to data and photos of the event.
Then, it was up to the nearby Trash Bash headquarters area for a complimentary lunch and drawings for prizes. All in all, it had been a great day to be out on the water and to meet others who had set aside their morning to care for the bay and its tributaries.