PADRE ISLAND, Texas — Earlier this month, trash was piled up in the grass and along the shoreline at Packery Channel. On Friday, the people hauling it out weren’t a work crew. They were families.
They volunteer with Over the Bridge Future Fishers, a Coastal Bend nonprofit that uses fishing to connect island kids with the coast. This summer, the City of Corpus Christi proclaimed June “Over the Bridge Future Fishers Month.”
Ashley Creel has volunteered with the group for just under a year. She first got involved so her kids could learn to fish. Then the family started noticing what was left behind at the spots where they fished.
“It’s not just, you know, a couple pieces; it’s whole bags of trash people are leaving behind,” Creel said.
Creel says she’s out cleaning at least once a week, if not more. Her kids, she said, were the first to want to help.
Co-founder Samantha Lacy says the cleanups took off after the group’s tournament at the end of August. Along with fishing, kids could compete in stewardship categories for trophies.
“Kids picking up trash, you could log your trash just like you log a fish,” Lacy said.
Photos of full trash bags started coming in from fishing holes all over the island. Soon after, the group organized a large cleanup under the JFK Causeway bridge, and almost 150 people showed up.
The work isn’t just picking up trash. Lacy says volunteers hand out bags and talk with the people fishing in these areas.
“Oh, you didn’t catch any fish? Well, I know what you can catch. You can catch a bag of trash, right?” Lacy said.
Keeping these spots clean isn’t simple. The stretch along Highway 361 near Packery Channel includes both public and private land, and Lacy says figuring out who’s responsible for what has been a challenge. For Friday’s cleanup, the group finally connected with a private landowner.
“He’s the one that’s bringing in the dumpsters,” Lacy said.
That dumpster was only there for the day. Lacy says there are no permanent trash receptacles in these areas, so the families plan to keep coming back. They’re also working with the people responsible for the land to find a long-term solution.
For Lacy, the bigger goal is the kids.
“You’re gonna see them transform. How they feel about the area, they’re gonna build pride, and they’re gonna take care of it,” she said.
To volunteer, learn more, or report a trashed fishing spot, visit Over the Bridge Future Fishers at overthebridgefuturefishers.org.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
