Simpson Bay:--- World Wetlands Day 2012 under the theme of Wetlands and Tourism was observed on Saturday with about 20 volunteers cleaning up Snoopy Island in the Simpson Bay lagoon.The cleanup event was organized by Sint Maarten PRIDE Foundation, EPIC Blue Flag program and International Global Yachting Isle de Sol Marina. ACE hardware store donated tools for the wetland cleanup which made it easier for volunteers to grab trash stuck in the thick mangrove trees.
Volunteers included Minister of Health and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever who got down and dirty by helping fellow volunteers, students from the Learning Unlimited school, representative from Animal Welfare Foundation Pamela Sims as well as PRIDE and EPIC volunteers. Isle de Sol Management was also on hand removing trash and hauling out the filled trash bags and large pieces of an old oil boom, large swaths of plastic bags bundled together as well as land based trash that washes down into the lagoon like plastic bottles and single use styrofoam take away food containers.
Sint Maarten PRIDE foundation thanks each and every volunteer and especially the parents who took the time to bring the students to this event. Volunteers did a fantastic job and have contributed to a clean lagoon not only for the tourism product but also for a clean habitat for birds and fish around our wetland.
