Amphibious Trail Crew; West Neck Creek Clean-Up; Saturday, April 19; 9:30 am - 1:00 pm

Amphibious Trail Crew; West Neck Creek Clean-Up; Saturday, April 19; 9:30 am - 1:00 pm

Where: 2220 Indian River Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23456 (GPS 35.721N / 76.034W)

Contact: John Oakes, 757-748-8560, john.oakes@1970.usna.com

Online Sign-Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45A5AE29A1F5C61-55615597-west

Description: With the advent of warmer air/water temperatures, we'll start the Amphibious Trail Crew 2025 season by cleaning up 3 miles of West Neck Creek. We have permission from the land-owner to put-in at West Neck Creek/Indian River Road bridge. Please arrive at the put-in by 9:30 so that we can off-load boats from cars and be ready for a 10 am put-in.

We'll work north to the Dozier Bridge kayak launch (approx. 3 miles). Our objective is to clean up the creek and ensure that is is passable for canoes & kayaks. This will involve picking up trash on the creek banks, clearing floating "trash-rafts" that have trapped by overhanging branches and snags, removing blow-downs and submerged/partially submerged snags from the water, and cutting back alligator grass that blocks the creek.

Trash bags will be provided but participants must bring their own canoes/kayaks, PFDs (required for all working on the water), trash grabbers, rakes, saws, loppers, lines, etc. needed to get the job done. Removing some items from the creek requires a team effort by a waterman and a bank-man. The waterman stays in his boat to bring floating debris to the creek banks or attaches a line to larger items and brings the line to the creek bank. The bank-man, who has gotten out of his boat and climbed ashore, takes things from the waterman and pulls them ashore to a safe location where they won't float back into the creek at the next high tide. At a minimum, those will be bank-men role should wear high waterproof boots that won't come off in the mucky creek-bed, Waders work well if you own a pair. All trash collected will be brought back to the put-in and hauled off for disposal.

After the clean-up, we will retire to the New Realm brewery for the usual TATC post-event fellowship, and libations event. This first ATC West Neck Creek clean-up of 2025 will work on the southern third of the creek. Additional West Neck Creek clean-ups will be scheduled in June (Dozier north to Dam Neck) and August (north & south from the Scarborough Square put-in). In May and July the ATC will support Lynnhaven River Now waterway clean-ups.