Volunteers take to the Imperial River to clean up

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. – Up and down the banks of the Imperial River, volunteers float with the current, picking up anything that doesn’t belong.

“I’m out here all the time and it’s kind of ridiculous, some of what you see out there,” said Erin Banning.

From chairs to bottles, plastic to cups, these items can impact more than the wildlife that lives in and along the water.

“Our economy is based on the environment down here, on this ecosystem. It’s our infrastructure so to speak,” said John Payneo, the CEO of CGT Kayaks.

Payneo planned the event; a small project that can make a big difference.

“I’ve picked up about 50 pounds of trash,” said Steve McIntosh, deputy mayor of Bonita Springs.

McIntosh says the river brings in big business, and keeping it clean keeps people coming to the area.

“Ten years from now, this will be a center for ecotourism,” said McIntosh. “We have three rivers that run right through the middle of Bonita Springs, and we’re now starting to take advantage of those.”

Among all the reasons to clean up, there is one in particular that stood out to all the volunteers. They want to keep the river clean so in the years to come, others can enjoy the Imperial River the way they do every day.

Banning adds, “There will be trash in the river next week too. Picking it up is part of it, but it would be even better if folks picked it up when they put it there.”