Quakers and friends revisit “Litter Gitter” — October 2020 – St. Augustine Quaker Worship Group (Society of Friends)

What a great way to see each other in person! After months meeting by Zoom, on Friday, October 23^rd, several Friends/friends from the St. Augustine Friends Worship Group and The United Church (UCC-DOC) went out on the Litter Gitter to pick up trash in the Matanzas River. Local environmentalist Captain Adam Morley steered the boat while sharing his knowledge of environmental issues affecting our community. The main message: stop using plastic whenever possible, especially single-use plastic. There is no such thing as recycling of plastic.

Richelle, John, Tom, Betsy and Haqqiqa Lynn – with masks and hats hiding our actual features – along with some of the trash we picked up! Tom and John are holding the “Endless Summer” banner because that group supports the Matanzas Riverkeeper Litter Gitter program with grants.

The Litter Gitter is a program of Matanzas Riverkeeper that takes members of our community out on the river to remove trash from our waterways and to learn about the issues surrounding marine debris and litter.

The group was limited in size to allow for social distancing. On land, we wore masks. Once out on the boat and moving up the river, we were able to remove our masks. From left to right:
Haqqiqa Lynn, Betsy, Adam and John with the kayak paddle he found way back along the wrack line.

The namesake of the program is the Litter Gitter II: a bright yellow, 24-foot Carolina skiff, specially equipped for removing large volumes of debris. With Captain Adam Morley at the helm, the Litter Gitter program works to ensure that our local waterways stay clean and healthy while giving volunteers an opportunity to get their hands dirty and to do their part.