Armand Bayou Annual Trash Bash
by Anne Olden and John Ohrt
From Anne Olden
At least a dozen HCC members turned out for the cleanup this year. It seemed to start a bit earlier than usual, as those of us arriving at 8:45 were the latecomers getting on the water. Thanks to Ann Derby for handling the HCC signup sheet. The weather was very cooperative, cool but not damp, and not too windy. Paddling into the wind can be a challenge any time, but especially with a canoe full of garbage. We didn't have to go far to find the usual cans, bottles, tennis balls and styrofoam cups.
My strangest find was a bowling ball. Half of the outer shell was missing, exposing a white core. It was still very heavy! We also picked up some very large (empty) snail shells, at least 2 1/2" across the opening. We didn't take any that were occupied. We steered clear of poison ivy and wished we'd brought a long pole or rake to get under overhanging branches.
There were many youth groups working the shoreline and other land areas. We went back to the put-in about 11:30, and after getting our boat loaded, barely got some of the remaining hot dogs at the Nature Center. The raffle had already concluded, and most of the groups were leaving. We enjoyed visiting with HCC members during lunch. As always, I think we all come away feeling we've done something worthwhile.
From John Ohrt
On Saturday, March 27th a good sized group from the Houston Canoe Club participated in the annual Trash Bash cleanup day. This event targets many waterways in Harris County and the HCC has traditionally focused on Armand Bayou. We hit the water around 9:00 armed with trash bags and gloves. For two hours we picked up bottles, cans, styrofoam, plastic and anything else we could reach and haul back. Some folks even got some very big barrels out of the bayou. We were then fed hot dogs at the Armand Bayou Nature Center. It was a beautiful warm day, completely different from last year which was a freezout. Thanks to Ann Derby for coordinating and to everyone who worked so hard at cleaning up one of our favorite waterways. The next time you paddle Armand Bayou remember the cleanups that keep it so enjoyable.