By Robin Brundage
More than 25 high school students from Somerset Island Prep (SIP) helped remove 16,467 pounds of garbage from the mangroves near the Key Haven Boat ramp, next to Beach Weekend Marina on Stock Island.
Ocean Aid 360 and Reef Relief organized the mangrove cleanup. The two nonprofits are focused on healing and protecting the coral reef and other local marine ecosystems, while educating others about their importance.
The current state of and threats to the marine environment motivates students like Somerset senior Emely Sotelo, who said her generation believes that such efforts are crucial for local communities.
Teacher Maddie Opalsky, who organized the event, advocates for community service among her students, who were joined in the cleanup by volunteers from Naval Air Station Key West.
“It is integral for people to come together to better our community,” Opalsky said. “These students are learning that service is impactful. They’re working with others from the community and engaging with people who aren’t in the same social circles by uniting to accomplish a common goal.”
She added that the goal was to clean as much of the mangroves surrounding the boat ramp as possible, “no matter the amount of trash, or the effort it took.”
“One student, Kanaan Pailloux-Paturno, saw a 6-foot mini refrigerator dumped way back in the thick of the mangroves,” Opalsky said. “He had to dig it out of the mucky sediment, but he never quit and managed to wiggle it free. And I was so proud to watch two other students work with him to create a path to bring it out of the mangroves.
“As a teacher, nothing is better than getting to witness my students become involved and engaged through service to impact the world around them,” she said.
Volunteers participating in Ocean Aid 360’s various cleanup events throughout the Keys have collected an estimated 400,000 pounds of trash, most of which was flimsy plastic and empty water bottles, said Danielle Dawley, vice president and co-founder of Ocean Aid.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Dawley at danielle@oceanaid360.org or visit oceanaid360.org.
Robin Brundage is a student and aspiring journalist at Somerset Island Prep, a charter high school in Key West.
