July 4, 2021—Apalachicola Riverkeeper volunteers met at the Mill Pond on Independence Day morning for a “power hour” clean up. Volunteers Dodie Alber, John Alber, David Morse, Leigh Wilder, Lynn Wilder, and Rick Zelznak fanned out around the Mill Pond, each filling bags and buckets with litter.
Lynn Wilder, board vice-president, said, “We’ve recently adopted the park through the city’s new rec program. So, we’ll be out here regularly as part of Apalachicola Riverkeeper’s (AR) work protecting an American treasure, the Apalachicola River and Bay.”
Leigh Wilder, Lynn’s sister visiting from New York, was among the group. She filled a bucket multiple times with cans, water bottles, foam containers and a partial car fender. Rick Zelznak found 4 different shoes and joked of his disappointment that none were a matching pair.
Riverkeeper Georgia Ackerman added, “It’s inspiring to be out here with this volunteer crew. Taking care of our land and water is patriotic. Metal cans, decomposing plastic and stuff like cigarette butts pollute soil and water. This harms fish, which we eat, and wildlife. It also threatens our water quality.”
Dodie Alber (an AR board member) and John Alber used their golf cart to haul debris from the west side of the pond to the pavilion area. Long-time volunteer David Morse, who leads outings and assists with the slough project, loaded and hauled off the garbage with his truck. 
Special thanks to Scipio Creek Marina (where the AR office is located) for providing buckets for the clean-up.
Apalachicola Riverkeeper organizes clean ups from Chattahoochee to Apalachicola. Interested in helping out with a future trash bashing clean up? Join our Volunteers Corps by contacting Outreach & Advocacy Director, Doug Alderson, [email protected]
