Bayou cleanup in Parks April 9

Saturday, April 9, there will be another organized roundup of all the foam cups, hamburger boxes, cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, plastic grocery sacks, potato chip bags and other litter that make their way like an inexorable lava flow from street gutters and parking lots and sidewalks into Bayou Teche.
Also the tires, tricycles, TV sets, plastic buckets, bags of household garbage and other trash dumped by selfish hands directly into the bayou.
And, with the partnership of Keep St. Martin Beautiful and Project Front Yard, there will be a roundup of litter and trash that hasn’t quite made it to the water yet, along with a general sprucing up of Cecile Rousseau Poché Memorial Park in Parks.
“Spring Clean 2016,” put on by The TECHE Project with the help of the aforementioned organizations, will start at 9 a.m. and recess around noon for some recreational time featuring live music by Corey Ledet and Jesse Beliveau.
“Our goal is to get the bayou and surrounding area looking its best for the many visitors who come from all over the country to explore Louisiana’s newest National Water Trail,” said TECHE Project Bayou Operations coordinator Dane Thibodeaux.
Volunteers are needed. The TECHE Project will have extra boats and life vests for those who don’t have a boat to pick up trash along the banks of the Teche, Louisiana’s only National Water Trail.
Those who don’t feel like getting on the water are welcome to help with the cleanup around the park. Project Front Yard of St. Martin will have gloves, brushes, and paint to help repair playground equipment, and give the park and all around face lift for the upcoming spring season.
“This is a beautiful area and well used park in our community,” said Front Yard coordinator Holli Guilbeau. “Individuals fish, camp, and play at this location, improving the visual aspect of this area will only make it that much more enjoyable“.
The first 25 volunteers to show up will receive a Spring Clean 2016 volunteer T-shirt. All cleanup volunteers will receive a complimentary jambalaya lunch provided by St. Martin Hospital and a choice of soft drinks, water or beer. Arnaudville’s Bayou Teche Brewery will be on hand to showcase some of their craft brews.
You don’t need to be a volunteer to come out and celebrate. Food and beverages will be available for purchase by non-volunteers and the music is free.
To report litter or invasive species on your area of the Bayou Teche or in St. Martin Parish please contact Dane Thibodeaux at techeproject@gmail.com or Holli Guilbeau at hguilbeau@stmartinparish.net.