Refuge ‘Friends’ organize Holly Beach cleanup

HARLINGEN — Volunteer beachcombers are being sought for cleanup duties Saturday at Holly Beach near Roloff Park in Laguna Vista.

The Friends of Laguna Atascosa are organizing the beachcleaning which will run from 9 a.m. until noon. Volunteers should arrive at Roloff Park at 9 a.m. and then travel to the cleanup site. “Our friends group is working on a site that we hope will be transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service in the next couple of years at the latest,” said Boyd Blihovde, refuge manager at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

“It’s not refuge yet, but once it is refuge it will be transferred to us in a much cleaner state. They’re cleaning up tires and all types of debris that has washed up along the Laguna Madre shoreline.”

Blihovde said the refuge’s Friends group has taken the lead on cleaning up the property and applied for and received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

“It’s been a great thing to have them helping out because we at the Fish and Wildlife Service really can’t work on the property yet until it gets transferred to us,” he added. “We’re trying to help out but it’s really been led by the Friends of Laguna Atascosa and they’ve done a great job.”

Organizers of the cleanup say volunteers should be prepared for muddy conditions, wear sturdy but old shoes or boots, and bring a hat, sunscreen and water bottle.

If a volunteer has a truck or high-clearance vehicle that is at home on a dirt road, organizers say drive to Roloff Park and these vehicles will be used to car pool others to the beach site.