By Debra Messick

CAMBRIDGE -

On Wednesday, March 26, a cadre of volunteers scrambled down the burr laden bank of a Cambridge Creek tributary behind Super Soda and the County Pool parking lot.

These good Samaritans, including seven Cambridge South Dorchester High School Seniors, were taking a hands-on approach to keeping litter at bay and away from Cambridge Creek and the Choptank River.

Among them, representing ShoreRivers, was Choptank Riverkeeper Matt Pluta, who has made it his mission to help protect and sustain the main waterway in Cambridge.

In just 90 minutes the group retrieved a hefty haul of over a dozen trash bags filled with Styrofoam pieces, single use plastic fast food containers, and about 300 beverage containers, including a large cache of Fireball cinnamon whiskey liquor plastic mini bottles.

The cleanup crew also found a cell phone, spackling bucket, large yellow tarp, giant tire, bike, a pair of jeans, and a wallet plus the one- and five-dollar bills possibly once inside it.

Nonprofit Trash Free Maryland, which works to educate the public and supports a variety of litter battling initiatives, regularly conducts similar cleanups throughout the state.

Executive Director Kelly Doordan was on hand helping facilitate the Cambridge clean up, held to celebrate the installation of a floating in-stream Trash Trap, or Boom, on Cambridge Creek, which took place across Cedar Street.

The device was developed by the Alabama-based Osprey Initiative, which does similar work in 30 states, Canada, Mexico, and St. Lucia.

The River Network out of Boulder, Colorado (river.org), provided funding for Osprey to install this low-tech, low-cost version of the device. River Network worked with Trash Free Maryland, ShoreRivers, and the City to identify Cambridge Creek as a prime area site to benefit from the installation.

To raise awareness of the event, the City Manager’s office provided a press release on March 11, citing studies showing that “approximately 80 % of the trash found in waterways is generated by land-based activities, the hazards of which include the bioaccumulation of microplastics in fish and birds, adverse health implications for both humans and wildlife, and compromised aesthetic, recreational, and commercial value of waterways.”

“Powered by Cambridge Creek’s steady, slow-moving current, the trash trap will float in the water with its booms guiding trash to a collection area. Once the collection area is filled with trash the litter will be removed weekly, sorted, and dumped. City of Cambridge staff will maintain the trap, along with Osprey, which will inspect the trap quarterly for two years, post-installation,” the release stated.

According to Osprey Project Manager Jack Bates, who had traveled from the consulting organization’s Alabama headquarters, this was its first such operation in Maryland.

Though it had taken months of study to pinpoint where the device would be installed, it only took Bates and Connecticut-based Osprey Project Manager, Yael Girard about 15 minutes to lay both sections of the approximately 25-foot-long booms across the water and securely anchor them around a tree trunk on one bank and metal rods on the other.

Though relatively lightweight, the booms are sturdy and “can handle a lot of wind,” Bates said. In case of an especially strong storm, there’s a breakaway feature built into the device to keep it from being damaged, he said.

Weighing about 60 pounds, the booms were constructed with black vinyl plastic covering the hard foam inside. Additional buoyant orange extenders were added on either side to ensure complete litter trapping coverage.

Cambridge Mayor Lajan Cephas, who had arrived ready to assist with the litter clean up, spoke prior to the official ribbon cutting ceremony on the bank overlooking the newly installed Trash Trap, expressing appreciation for the partnerships that had led to the device installation, and the sense of community on display.

Drew Koslow, Cambridge Environmental Program manager, agreed, stating that “This initiative is a testament to the power of partnerships and our shared commitment to creating a cleaner and more sustainable future for Cambridge, which is looking forward to seeing the tangible improvement in Cambridge Creek.”