Coconut Grove youth groups help clean up our islands

Youth church groups from Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal, Macedonia Baptist, Shady Grove Baptist and Greater Faith Temple all came together to make a difference for our Bay

Island E, located just off of the Sailing Club, used to be nicknamed “Dead Dog Island,” like some castaway’s nightmare or a pirate’s dream.  Needless to say, it used to be the type of island you couldn’t walk barefoot on, and you had to make sure your sleeves were thick enough for branch webs and mosquito colonies.  Now, you can easily beach your boat just in front of the wooden picnic table.  The table is one of many on the Island, one of sweet lunch spots near a coconut palm tree with a view of the glorious bay.  You can manage a walk through the native foliage, without the pesky exotic intruders clawing at your legs.  Now, you can admire the foliage that loyally belongs to Biscayne Bay and learn about them from the signs posted along the sandy trails.  This on-going transformation is being made possible by Ransom Everglades School, The Coconut Grove Sailing Club and the many volunteer groups and organizations that visit Island E.

Carlos Medina drives the launch to Island E with Isaiah Braddy, Shaun Wright, Steven Braddy, Jordan Turner and others on board. Photo by Kit Temple

On July 10, 2010, a sunny Saturday morning, youth church groups from Greater St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal, Macedonia Baptist, Shady Grove Baptist and Greater Faith Temple all came together to make a difference for our Bay’s island E.  The 35 young volunteers along with their adult chaperones, Launa Faria, Kehmisha Reid, Jason Wood, Anthony Porcher and Joe Washington, met with Nick Mansbach, Sailing Director and Waterfront Coordinator at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club along with Carlos Medina who is the Waterfront Director at the Ransom Everglades School.   A short history was given of Miami’s spoil islands.  Then, all concerned combined their equipment, means, time and hearts to give Island E a little attention and love.

The expedition began on a flotilla of four boats for a waterside tour of the spoil islands noting Islands B and C for their finished look.  A manatee sighting excited the group and as the flotilla approached Island E, some of the children glanced at the glassy harbor with apprehension, some with excitement.  Indeed, this would be an adventure for them all.  They disembarked from the makeshift fleet like brand new colonizers, sure they were here to fulfill a task, but unsure of how or where the task would be completed.

Volunteers work hard cleaning up island E. Photo by Kit Temple

Volunteers enjoy a well deserved swim after cleaning up the island. Photo by Kit Temple

Upon arrival Capt. Carlos Medina of Ransom Everglades School designated jobs for all.  We divided the group into smaller work crews, assigned each an adult chaperone, and gave each crew a specific task.  Each child had a pair of sturdy gloves, a shovel and a thick layer of OFF bug spray.  Some walked along the path clearing dead weeds from the trail and then tossing them on to the mangrove roots to make delicious compost.  One group dedicated itself to removing old palm fronds.  Another trimmed the low, overhead branches.  A hardy group cleared the large fire pit area of unwanted weed growth.   Others walked along the shore of the island with garbage bags collecting any bit of plastic.

“How did all this get here?” they asked me.  I swiped my forehead and answered, “The tide and. . .humans.”  Slowly, their sweaty, frustrated faces became faces of concern and awareness.  After a hot march along the beach, I stopped.  “Let’s take a break and swim!”

With six garbage bags full of plastic that had been washed ashore, we marched back to our picnic table.  Coconut Grove Sailing Club’s Dock Supervisor Duane Smallwood was kind enough to bring fresh water to the Island.  After a long morning of sincere and hard island care work, the children enjoyed the benefits that a clean and beautiful island park can provide.  Island E, though only a few yards from the Sailing Club, felt like a million miles away.  That is what an island park in the sun should feel like!

More photos on the Coconut Grove Sailing Club website.