Texas Streams Coalition
The Texas Streams Coalition was a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit comprised of river lovers and users across the Lone Star State. We focused on public river access issues, as well as wildlife and habitat conservation. Founded in April 2019, I was elected to the Outreach Committee chair at our first election meeting. I helped build the coalition’s website and social media presence. I also volunteered extensively at events including river cleanups; bio blitzes with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; and updating and expanding the Texas River Bum’s series of pocket guides (of which the copyright was donated to the Coalition by the author).
Credit:
Alana Lyons: Logo Design
Scott Kerrigan: Writer, Outreach Chair
Creative Direction: Aaron Reed, Secretary
Field Report: LoCo Trash Bash 2019
Scott Kerrigan (archived from tx-streams.org)
Volunteers Set New Water Body Record
Eight tons. 16,000 pounds. That’s how much trash more than a hundred volunteers removed from the Lower Colorado River this past Saturday June, 22nd at the 2nd annual LoCo Trash Bash, organized by All Water Guides. That’s roughly 150 lbs. per volunteer. And it eclipses last year’s inaugural haul of 5.6 tons of trash pulled from the section of river flowing east of Austin.
TSC Habitat Conservation chair Hunter Barcroft with a trash fish in his teeth and a spotted gar in hand.
Many of those volunteers represented the Texas Streams Coalition. A half dozen of us launched from the Texas River School (TRS) site just before 8 AM, joined by volunteers from the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), and the Texas River School. Loaner kayaks and canoes were generously provided by TSC members who couldn’t make it, the River School, and Diablo Paddlesports. The crew I joined swept a float of just over five river miles to the 973 bridge. There were also other TSC volunteers that cleaned up the banks at bridges and access sites throughout the watercourse, from the 183 overpass to Little Webberville Park.
Before our float crew reached the first low water dam - less than a half mile into our trip - we already found ourselves weighed down with tires, shopping carts and bags of trash. Luckily, a volunteer in a jon boat unburdened our flotilla and we paddled on. This scenario played out several times throughout the day, and marked a spirit of camaraderie that all Central Texas river keepers ought to be proud of.
Trash removal may have been one objective of the day, but the picture quickly became much bigger. As we got our feet wet and hands dirty with the aforementioned organizations, we built relationships. That objective carried on well past the cleanup to the after party, and will continue far into the future. TSC is a coalition for this very reason: we thrive on combined action.
One of the finest relationship building moments was when our groups worked together to lift two monster tractor tires out of the riverbed. Weighing hundreds of pounds on their own, imagine that weight being compounded with the sediment that kept them stuck to the bottom. One of them took six of us and several tries to lift it out of the river.
We lashed one of the tires to two TRS canoes, and the other to two Diablo Amigo kayaks. One of the persistent comments after freeing the Colorado from this rubber detritus was, “Who needs CrossFit?” If all fitness could make our natural environment healthier, I’d jump on the wellness bandwagon faster than my dog into the back of my truck.
We reached the take out around 3 PM and volunteers there helped us load our refuse into the dumpsters under the bridge.
Digging out one of the two infamous tractor tires.
Diablo Paddlesports owner Thomas Flemons and Hunter Barcroft paddle in their tractor tire in tandem.
We made it to the takeout in one piece, with our huge hauls intact.
After cleaning ourselves up, we headed to the YETI Flagship store to treat our sore bodies and nicked hands to some cold beverages, the first round of which was free to volunteers. Prizes were given out for categories including “cutest trash,” “weirdest trash,” and most tires…guess who won that one?
After we all had time to recover from the day’s festivities, I spoke with Lenée Dedeaux, owner of All Water Guides and coordinator of the event. When asked why the Trash Bash was so important, she said, "To bring awareness to our awesome resource - that’s the number one reason. It’s not so much to pick up trash, that’s the byproduct. The real reason is to highlight what’s going on to our natural resource that’s right below Austin. The Lower Colorado doesn’t get much attention…and sometimes it’s sad to see the state of that beautiful river.”
When asked about the future of the Lower Colorado, she said, “Hopefully, it becomes more of a recreational river. With increased public access and LCRA projects downstream that will decrease the Lower Colorado’s need to be a thoroughfare to push water to the coast, it will become safer for people. So, the safer it is and the more access we have, the more people can utilize this currently underutilized river and take care of it. The river can handle it. And recreationalists put more eyes on the river, which means they can report things like illegal dumping. Because without that, bad things happen. I’ve seen entire house remodel’s trash dumped on the side of the road, and my hope is that we’re doing the work that helps create the change we want to see.”
No doubt, the Coalition and our new friends will be back next year to continue what we’ve started. There’s plenty left to do.