BEAUTIFYING THE BAYOU
Community members gathered to clean Turtle Bayou, filling about half a dumpster after covering about two miles with five boats.
Chambers County Sheriff's Office inmates help clean the bayou for the first Turtle Bayou Clean Up Day.
Owner of Snappy's Roadhouse and Crawfish Hideaway Jeff Lummus and Chambers County Commissioner Pct. 3 Tommy Hammond finish up a morning of cleaning the bayou for the first Turtle Bayou Clean Up Day.
ANAHUAC— Enjoyed by many, Turtle Bayou has a complex ecosystem, but storm surges and litter have caused it to lose a piece of its beauty, and a group of community members rolled up their sleeves to help clean things up.
The first Turtle Bayou Clean Up Day was held on Saturday, May 31, cleaning up about two miles of the bayou in just three to four hours.
"I just want to try to give back to the community a little bit and help bring nature back to where it's supposed to be," Chambers County Commissioner Pct. 3 Tommy Hammond said.
Volunteers brought about five boats, towing in litter ranging from Styrofoam cups and beer bottles to ice chests and even a freezer, filling up about half a large dumpster's worth.
Hammond and Jeff Lummus, owner of Snappy's Roadhouse and Crawfish Hideaway, worked together to organize the event.
Hammond said he and Lummus often go fishing on the bayou, and after seeing the trash build up on the bank, they began talking about having a community clean-up.
Lummus noted that after a hard rain, he'll see trash floating down the bayou then south winds will carry it back.
"We've done a lot of work to make this area look good down here, and when you look across and you see a water bottle or a Coke bottle or something like that, it just kind of ruins the whole view," Lummus said.
After a full morning of cleaning, Lummus provided volunteers with all-you-can-eat crawfish, saying it was a "good price to pay for what we've done today."
Hammond shared that he hopes people will clean up after themselves when out enjoying the bayou, preserving its beauty for future generations.
While Hammond and Lummus thought the turnout was great, Hammond shared that they already had plans to make the next one bigger and better by advertising more.
"Hopefully, maybe next year, we can get some more where we can cover all the shores of the lake and go further up into the bayou," Lummus said. "I'd like to see 20 or 30 boats out there covering everything as far as they can go."
Lummus thanked the sponsors for helping to make the day a reality. Sponsors provided water and trash bags, and the county provided the dumpster. The Chambers County Sheriff's Office even provided a few trustees to help with clean-up.
Sponsors included Capital Farm Credit, Texas Gatorfest, Todd Armentor Distributing, LLC, Double Bayou Civic Club, Chambers County, Crawfish Hideaway and Snappy's Roadhouse.