Clam Bayou Gets TLC

Clam Bayou Nature Preserve was the site of a Great American Cleanup event on Saturday, March 12. More than 120 volunteers showed up to gather and dispose of litter at the park. The event was sponsored by Keep Pinellas Beautiful (an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful), the city of Gulfport, the Ocean Conservancy and the Gulfport Neighbors.

Volunteers were given T-shirts and treated to free hot dogs, beverages, fruit and sunscreen. Gulfport residents Tom and Martha D’Angelo helped organize the event for the fourth consecutive year. “They deserve a lot of credit,” said Gulfport Vice Mayor and Ward 4 Councilmember Michael Fridovich, who helped pick up trash that morning. “They are out here every year and don’t get enough credit.”

St. Petersburg resident Dana Gwaltney pitched in, as did her children, and while tidying up one of the nature preserve’s pavilions they discovered a geocache that had been tucked away behind a post. Based on the information inside it, Gwaltney determined that it had been hidden there since 2012. She wrote a note containing the date, her name and her kids’ names, and a description of the event and put it in the geocache container. Then she returned it to its original location.

The next Great American Cleanup of Clam Bayou Nature Preserve will take place in November.