North Fork of the New River cleanup with 3dcart, Saturday, March 9, 2019

Since 1993, WRT has proved that a human-paddled canoe is the very best vessel for waterway and coastal cleanups. Our canoes have been known to hold over 1,000 pounds while floating on a few inches of water. One major difference between canoes and kayaks is that the latter are “in” the water and thus have a deeper draft; and of course, compared to a typical 16-foot canoe, a kayak can only carry a few items of marine debris out of the habitat! Our volunteers are equipped with small nets, extendable boathooks, and a tool designed to catch snakes that does a terrific job of grabbing trash! Volunteers on this day were Elliot Verret, Alejandro Vasquez, Jahmel Brown, Lisa Crane, Christianna Cannon, River Horan and Donna M. Kazo, who also took the photos.

North Fork, New River Cleanup with 3dcart, Saturday, February 9, 2019

 So this was a typical February day in South Florida: brief chilly showers on the breeze as clouds quickly passed over us, but plenty of warm sunshine to dry out our group of dedicated volunteers. WRT again welcomed employees of 3dcart Shopping Cart Software in our canoes for our second waterway cleanup of 2019. Senior Copywriter Christianna Cannon grew up in WRT, and invited fellow copywriter Alejandro Vasquez and Elliot Verret (in the white canoe), sales rep Matias Lanza and his fiance Christina Diaz, and sales rep Lisa Crane; only Lisa had been out with us before! We were delighted that new volunteer River Horan was again able to help out. As usual, all photos were taken by the camera-shy Donna Kazo. We were rewarded with several manatee sightings, always a thrill! Lined up in the traditional photos of our wonderful volunteers with their trash, (L-R): Christina, Matias, Christianna, River, Lisa, Elliot, Alejandro.

The weather was perfect, although a bit breezy, for our first cleanup of 2019. WRT had invited employees of 3dcart Shopping Cart Software to once again volunteer; however, last minute cancellations meant only employee Christianna Cannon and former employee Kat McDermott joined WRT’s President/co-founder Donna Kazo (who took all photos) and new volunteer and powerful canoeist River Horan (of River’s Expeditions) for the event. We miss and salute stellar volunteer Fernando Mendigutia, who has retired from 3dcart and moved out of state, but his spirit was with us! His generous donation of three clever “Robo-Claws” (as he calls them; they are originally designed to catch snakes by the head!) makes plucking trash from the water and the shoreline SO much easier and effective. We were rewarded for our efforts with wildlife sightings: a great blue heron, egrets, many iguanas (some large males were fighting in the treetops!) and, best of all, a manatee, not a baby but a bit on the small size, and free of scars. Let it always be so! Too many manatees fall victim to deep cuts from boat propellers each year, sometimes fatally, and they bear the scars their entire lives. We were happy to see not too much marine debris in our beloved North Fork and we gathered all we saw; but are always aware that it takes only a single item of trash to kill an innocent creature of the sea. WRT’s first cleanup of this urban river was in January 2001! Since that time, thousands of volunteers have given of their time to keep this treasured waterway healthy, and we are mindful of their contribution each time we launch our canoes from Reverend Samuel Delevoe Park in central Fort Lauderdale. Lined up beneath the signs: River, Christianna and Kat.

North Fork New River cleanup with 3dcart, Saturday, March 10, 2018

This was our fourth cleanup especially for 3dcart Shopping Cart Software; however, last minute cancellations meant only two employees, Fernando Mendigutia and Christianna Cannon, were able to participate. Luckily for us, a young man exercising at the park asked if we needed any help, and that’s how Jahmel Brown became our newest volunteer! Fernando surprised us with a mover’s dolly, seen in the first photograph, that made moving the canoes to and from the storage building a breeze! He also donated two of the trash grabbers we call “Robo-Claws” (actually, they are sold for catching snakes by the head!) which made it so much easier to extract trash from floating mats of material and from behind the usual lacework of roots and vines on the riverbank. Two canoes + Four highly motivated volunteers = Safer waters for wildlife! Photos by Donna M. Kazo

North Fork of the New River cleanup with 3dcart, January 27, 2018

Despite breezy and rainy conditions, for the third time, Wildlife Research Team hosted 3dcart Shopping Cart Software employees who gave up their Saturday, like many good folks before them, to volunteer to remove trash from the North Fork of the New River, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Many people do not know that this important neighborhood river eventually reaches the ocean, so anything we remove from its waters will not find its way into the belly of an innocent sea creature. To a sea turtle, a plastic shopping bag looks like a tasty jellyfish. This cleanup was made much more efficient by Fernando’s “Robo-Claw,” which he purchased specifically for this purpose. Sold as a snake-catching device, it proved to be the best waterway cleanup tool WRT has seen since we started using boathooks over twenty years ago! Thanks, Fernando! WRT’s first cleanup of the North Fork was in January 2001! We are still serious about being Keepers of the River, sixteen years later. As always, we launch at Rev. Samuel Delevoe Park, close to downtown Fort Lauderdale. Volunteers (as shown in the end-of-cleanup photos) are: Westley Cedeno, Christianna Cannon, Lisa Crane, Kat McDermott, Sal Monteleone and Fernando Mendigutia. Photos by Donna M. Kazo and Christianna Cannon.

North Fork of the New River cleanup with 3dcart, November 18, 2017

For the second time, WRT was happy to provide employees of 3dcart with a challenging, but fun, volunteer experience: accomplishing a cleanup of the North Fork of the New River, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by canoe. This tributary of the New River extends from Sunrise Boulevard to downtown Fort Lauderdale, where it meets the main part of the New River, and the South Fork. Alongside Sunrise Boulevard, it’s merely a boring, straight canal. Its brackish waters are pulled by the tides and will wash the trash within them into the sea. Most marine debris originates on land; cleaning tidal rivers is an important action toward the reduction of waste in our troubled oceans. It may seem hopeless, but remember that a whale was killed by swallowing a DVD case, so we never know how many lives we are saving with each item extracted from the waters of the North Fork. Photos below also include some taken at the canoe launch at Rev. Samuel Delevoe Park as a cleanup by another group was finishing up. WRT volunteers are: Christianna Cannon, Kat McDermott, and Fernando Mendigutia. Photos by Donna M. Kazo.

North Fork of the New River cleanup with 3dcart, March 11, 2017

This was WRT’s first event specifically created for 3dcart Shopping Cart Software employees. Thanks to all for a great day! It’s always a good idea for co-workers to team up outside of the office and learn more about each other…and canoes are excellent for that! Photos by Donna M. Kazo of volunteers (in the “clean” photo in front of the signs, L-R) Nick Samaro, Cristina Talucci, Kat McDermott, Christianna Cannon, Wes Cedeno, Sal Monteleone, Alexis Sanchez.