“Baynanza” event invites students to clean and protect Biscayne Bay Campus on Earth Day

Written by: Douglass Gavilan / Staff Writer

The county’s annual environmental cleanup returns to the Biscayne Bay Campus on Earth Day.

Baynanza, a month-long series of beach and marine cleanups for the Bay, will focus on the campus on April 22 from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers are invited to participate in the clean up and the educational activities hosted throughout the day.

“What’s unique to BBC is that we will be working on the protection of red mangroves,” said Nick Ogle, the event coordinator for Baynanza at BBC. “There is a big danger in that the roots of these plants can suffocate at times due to plastic bags that drift along.”

Attendees who sign the online form will also have the opportunity to receive a free shirt, according to Ogle. The design would be the winning artwork created by a child in the county.

Volunteers may be asked to take boats supplied by the county to the nearby islands off the coast of the bay in order to remove debris.

The bay is home to many different wildlife which includes manatees, dolphins and stone crab to say the least. At the BBC location, the red mangroves are the most important plant as it is the most affected by marine debris, according to Ogel.  

“One of the main purposes of Baynanza is protection of the red mangroves in the area,” said Ogel. “They work as a nursery area. When there’s a dense mangrove area, it allows for protections from storm surges and hurricanes. The root area also works for as a shelter for marine life. We also use the seedlings of the mangroves toward restoration projects.”

Some of the seedlings are moved to a shade house located on BBC, while others are planted by children K-12.

According to the National Wildlife Foundation, red mangroves are one of only four different mangrove plants located in the U.S. They are also considered to be the most known plant and most commonly found in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

They are easily identified by the above water root, which help transport air around. Garbage can interrupt air coming in. The plant’s main threats include frost, hurricanes and human waste.

“It’s a great thing to see people come together to help clean the environment,” said Jazmin Shepherd, a junior psychology major. “Some people just love to throw their trash out there and that’s just not cool.”

Baynanza is open and free for the public and for all ages. Registrations are currently available at http://www.miamidade.gov/environment/baynanza.asp. Potential volunteers should be advised to complete the volunteer form as soon as possible since locations have a maximum amount of people that could attend, according to Ogle. There are 21 different locations ranging from North to South Miami where people can attend.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons