Barton Springs clean-up

Last week I posted an appeal for our community to come together and help out with the Barton Springs cleanup after the "Hermine" storm.

I took part in the 4pm shift, I was delighted to meet a few new people from the tri/cycling/swimming community but even more delighted to see hear about the community coming together throughout the day, supported by groups like Austin T3, Trizones and TexasIron. There were just 2-people not from the tri community on the 4pm shift. I heard the same was true for almost all of the other shifts. Later in the day at the Austin Triathlon Volunteer party, I saw two people not from the 4pm shift in Friends of Barton Springs t-shirts!

According to news reports, during the day "Volunteers cleaned more than a foot of silt and debris".

Barton Springs re-opened Saturday for swimming, but there is still much work to be done. We've scheduled a J&A Swim workout at the Springs this Friday at 7 a.m. so come enjoy the work already done.

There is still a significant deposit of leaves, mud and muck down in the most difficult area to clean. Down in the north west corner where the plant growth is most abundant, and where the Austin Blind Salamander has been known to appear. So that area needs very gentle sweeping with brooms to try to remove the silt without damaging the plants or any salamander present. If it's not effectively cleared once all the leafs start decaying it will effect the quality of the water in that area.

So, lets get out and help the Friends of Barton Springs again on the next public help day, October 7th. They are once again asking for volunteers to do 2-hour shifts, 10,12,2,4pm. Please find time to help out. I'll be at the 4pm shift again.

You do get a Friends of Barton Spring t-shirt and membership if you work a 2-hour shift, but more importantly you get to put something back into the community! Spread the word, when you volunteer, tell them where you heard about it and which group you represent. Please don't assume someone else will do it, training sessions are no excuse...

To volunteer, contact
Robin Cravey, president
Friends of Barton Springs Pool
www.friendsofbartonspringspool.org
president@friendsofbartonspringspool.org

You can probably sport a few people you know in this gallery of pictures from the statesman.com - Also the Friends of Barton Springs has a collection of videos and media reports from last weeks efforts.

Thanks. ++Mark.

Barton Springs clean-up