Today I arrived early for an Eco-Action Canoe River Clean Up at Econlockhatchee Road and Harrell Road. This is part of the Little Econlockhathee River. I came to take pictures and work the shore line on foot. Right away I noticed another irrisponsible Pit Bull dog owner sitting with his dog off a lease. I quietly walked back to by car and strapped on my fighting knife. The owner put the dog on a lease when he saw me coming back.
I worked for two hours before the group arrived (I had to leave early to teach a class). I Picked up bunch of beer cans and blown in plastic bags.
I picked up 88 Air Potatoes and one big Cesar Weed plant.
I noticed an exotic and invasive type of snail called the Island Apple Snail (Pomacea insularum) shell all along the river bank, then I saw the tell tale pink egg cases along a wall. The native snails have small white egg cases while the exotic ones have large pink egg sacks. I couldn't get to the eggs because they were out of reach and I didn't have a canoe with me. But Eco-Action will get them. From all the empty snail shells, I see that something, maybe Limpkins, are eating the invasive species. I have no problem with that as long as the exotics (like Talapia fish and Armoured Catfish) are not a danger to the birds that eat them.
I feel at peace sometimes, just unwinding Air Potato vines from some native tree. Or slowly collecting recyclables off the shore bank. There is something meditative about putting an environment back on the right track.
Thanks for putting this up here!
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