Manasota Track Club picks up trash on Gulf of Mexico Drive

Car parts, beer bottles and a live fish. These are only a few of the items that the Manasota Track Club recounted picking up on June 8 along its adopted span of Gulf of Mexico Drive. 

No matter what it is, the club members collect trash each quarter along the stretch of road between Ken Thompson Park and the Chart House. 

Starting Saturday morning with a run, the club met in City Island Park at 9 a.m. cracking jokes to turn what seemed to be a tedious task into a sociable event that impacts the environment. 

“When you live in paradise, you want to keep it nice,” said club member Jason Richards. “It honestly becomes a bit addictive, like a game with these new grabbers we got. It is amazing to see the before and after and how amazing it looks when we finish.”

Board member Rob Loeffler presented the “Adopt-A-Road” project to the Manasota Track Club board after running that stretch of road onto Longboat most days during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He said that the “Adopt-A-Road” sign irked him when he would see all the trash along the bridge. After proposing it to the club, they saw it as good exposure for the club and a way to give back to the community. The club adopted the section in 2021. 

The June 8 trash pickup involved new vests and grabbers that the club paid for themselves. The grabbers helped pick up hard-to-reach items and were a fun way for the members to work together. The group of 30 members filled seven industrial-sized trash bags. 

“The social aspect of this is the absolute best part,” said Loeffler. “Everybody gets together and spends time with each other — like after this a couple of us are going paddleboarding. Also, we get to be visible in the community. When we put on the vest and walk down the road, people honk, they slow down and call out and they thank us.”