For this volunteer trip with Eco-Action, we ventured out on Lake Lawne. Lake Lawne is located near the corner of Pine Hills and highway 50, in Orlando. Lake Lawne is part of Gordon Barnett Park and is also located directly behind the Central Florida Fairgrounds.
This was my first time to the lake and I didn't even know that the Gordon Barnett Park existed. There is also a BMX trail when you enter the entrance, to the left of the fairgrounds, that I have noticed signs for before.
Gordon Barnett Park is a good size park and there were lots of families there having picnics and groups engaged in many
activities. I even so a group of Indians (from India) playing Cricket.
Today was a special day, because we were being filmed for a documentary. The camera men filmed us preparing the canoes and while we were out picking up garbage.
Before we entered the water, Beth (our leader), warned us that it was alligator nesting season, so to be cautious of them. Of all the trips I've done in the past, I don't think of alligators too much, but this time seemed different and we were all tentative when having to go into thick vegetation along the shore.
Starting out from the dock, I didn't see much garbage, except for an occasional piece of trash. The most challenging part of the trip was when we came across some fishing line, tangled up in some low lying branches. We always try to make getting the fishing line a priority, because animals share the risk of getting tangled in it.
It took about four of us to help pull the fishing line off a bunch of branches. I grabbed onto some branches, using my hand and an extension hook, while one other person helped to get the fishing line untangled from the branches. And 2 others held our canoes in place. After about what seemed like 5-10 minutes. we were able to successfully pull down 2 fishing lines that at first seemed out of reach. It was a great example of team work and was an exciting challenge.
Most trips don't involve a team effort like this one, since most garbage is in the water, floating or at a shallow depth, or along the shoreline in the dirt and vegetation.
About 2 hours into the trip, we were finding more and more trash, such as plastic bags, soda cans and plastic soda and water bottles. They were always where visitors to the park would congregate, such as at a fishing pier. One visitor who was along the shore line started asking me how much I get paid for what I'm doing, and I had to explain it's all volunteer. From what I could tell, I think he had a surprised look on his face.
We ran into the camera man again at a fishing pier. He was taking some action shots of us. We were also getting close to the fairgrounds, where we could here a Mexican concert going on.
At the shoreline near the fairgrounds is where we found lots of garbage. I was there with 2 other volunteers. I went off on my own to a secluded part of the shoreline, where I found most of the garbage trapped in a clear area blocked from the rest of the water by some water reed type plants. Here I came across plenty of plastic bags and bottles. There was also some birds hanging around with me. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, it was nearing time to head back. It took me about 15 minutes to get more garbage at this location than what I found the last 2 hours. If I had another 15-30 minutes, I could have probably cleaned up the place pretty good.
I think it took about 15-20 minutes to get back to the launching area. It was somewhat tiresome and I canoed backwards part of the way to work out different muscles.
Overall, this was a very exciting and challenging trip and I look forward to the next one out to Lake Lawne. Next time I need to remember to make a point to go to the fairgrounds area first to get the rest of that trash. And now I know of a new park, that's only about 6 miles from where I live, that I can hang out at. I can even ride my bike there next time.
This was my first time to the lake and I didn't even know that the Gordon Barnett Park existed. There is also a BMX trail when you enter the entrance, to the left of the fairgrounds, that I have noticed signs for before.
Gordon Barnett Park is a good size park and there were lots of families there having picnics and groups engaged in many
activities. I even so a group of Indians (from India) playing Cricket.
Today was a special day, because we were being filmed for a documentary. The camera men filmed us preparing the canoes and while we were out picking up garbage.
Before we entered the water, Beth (our leader), warned us that it was alligator nesting season, so to be cautious of them. Of all the trips I've done in the past, I don't think of alligators too much, but this time seemed different and we were all tentative when having to go into thick vegetation along the shore.
Starting out from the dock, I didn't see much garbage, except for an occasional piece of trash. The most challenging part of the trip was when we came across some fishing line, tangled up in some low lying branches. We always try to make getting the fishing line a priority, because animals share the risk of getting tangled in it.
It took about four of us to help pull the fishing line off a bunch of branches. I grabbed onto some branches, using my hand and an extension hook, while one other person helped to get the fishing line untangled from the branches. And 2 others held our canoes in place. After about what seemed like 5-10 minutes. we were able to successfully pull down 2 fishing lines that at first seemed out of reach. It was a great example of team work and was an exciting challenge.
Most trips don't involve a team effort like this one, since most garbage is in the water, floating or at a shallow depth, or along the shoreline in the dirt and vegetation.
About 2 hours into the trip, we were finding more and more trash, such as plastic bags, soda cans and plastic soda and water bottles. They were always where visitors to the park would congregate, such as at a fishing pier. One visitor who was along the shore line started asking me how much I get paid for what I'm doing, and I had to explain it's all volunteer. From what I could tell, I think he had a surprised look on his face.
We ran into the camera man again at a fishing pier. He was taking some action shots of us. We were also getting close to the fairgrounds, where we could here a Mexican concert going on.
At the shoreline near the fairgrounds is where we found lots of garbage. I was there with 2 other volunteers. I went off on my own to a secluded part of the shoreline, where I found most of the garbage trapped in a clear area blocked from the rest of the water by some water reed type plants. Here I came across plenty of plastic bags and bottles. There was also some birds hanging around with me. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, it was nearing time to head back. It took me about 15 minutes to get more garbage at this location than what I found the last 2 hours. If I had another 15-30 minutes, I could have probably cleaned up the place pretty good.
I think it took about 15-20 minutes to get back to the launching area. It was somewhat tiresome and I canoed backwards part of the way to work out different muscles.
Overall, this was a very exciting and challenging trip and I look forward to the next one out to Lake Lawne. Next time I need to remember to make a point to go to the fairgrounds area first to get the rest of that trash. And now I know of a new park, that's only about 6 miles from where I live, that I can hang out at. I can even ride my bike there next time.
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