Sarasota Bay Guardians clean up Quick Point Preserve

Volunteers joined the group on Nov. 18 to look for invasive plants.

  • By Katie Johns
  • | 2:48 p.m. November 18, 2017
  • Longboat Key
  • Neighbors
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People buy periwinkle at stores like The Home Depot for their gardens, but eventually that plant grows in places that it shouldn’t.  

For example, periwinkle was one of various invasive plants found during a Sarasota Bay Estuary Program cleanup at Quick Point Nature Preserve on Nov. 18.

About 50 volunteers, including a youth group from Temple Emanu-El, cleaned up the nature preserve on Saturday morning in hopes of clearing it of invasive plants.

The volunteers clipped, trimmed and bagged various invasive plants including Brazilian pepper and balsam apple, in addition to periwinkle.

Following their search for invasive plants, the volunteers dip-netted Sarasota Bay critters and enjoyed lunch.  


 

Yolanda, Melody and Max Ramos
Yolanda, Melody and Max Ramos
Max Ramos reaches to clear branches on Quick Point Preserve.
Max Ramos reaches to clear branches on Quick Point Preserve.
Benjamin Baram checks branches for invasive plants.
Benjamin Baram checks branches for invasive plants.
Abby Alcock, Miriam Baram and Katie Alcock
Abby Alcock, Miriam Baram and Katie Alcock
Judy Johnson clips away invasive plants.
Judy Johnson clips away invasive plants.
Bob O’Brien puts tree clippings with invasive plants in trash bags.
Bob O’Brien puts tree clippings with invasive plants in trash bags.
Tayla Rosenthal pulls a branch with invasive plants on it off a tree.
Tayla Rosenthal pulls a branch with invasive plants on it off a tree.
Jordan Elliott, Tayla Rosenthal and Bekah Spiegelman
Jordan Elliott, Tayla Rosenthal and Bekah Spiegelman
Bob O’Brien clips tree branches with invasive plants growing on them.
Bob O’Brien clips tree branches with invasive plants growing on them.
Jo Meighan carries a trash bags full of branches during a Quick Point Preserve cleanup.
Jo Meighan carries a trash bags full of branches during a Quick Point Preserve cleanup.
Amy Reid removes invasive plants from Quick Point Preserve branches.
Amy Reid removes invasive plants from Quick Point Preserve branches.
Claudia Vila carries invasive plants to a trash bag.
Claudia Vila carries invasive plants to a trash bag.
Max Ramos carries a trash bag during a cleanup on Quick Point Preserve.
Max Ramos carries a trash bag during a cleanup on Quick Point Preserve.
A youth group from Temple Emanu-El joined cleanup efforts on Quick Point Preserve.
A youth group from Temple Emanu-El joined cleanup efforts on Quick Point Preserve.

 

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