CAMERON COUNTY — Rey Mascorro, 19, strides into the shallow water in his waders Saturday morning along State Highway 48. From the clear blue waters, Mascorro pulls out tangled fishing lines and other trash and recyclables floating or buried under silt into a plastic bag in the popular fishing spot across the highway from Jaime J. Zapata Memorial Boat Ramp.
Nearby the lights from the vehicles of Cameron County Precinct 1 constables flash as they help direct traffic around the volunteers crossing the busy highway.
Mascorro is one of more than 100 volunteers working alongside the highway and nearby fishing spots to remove litter starting at 8:30 a.m., organized by the RGV Fishing Area and Waterway Cleanups. This nonprofit works throughout the Rio Grande Valley to keep popular fishing spots and beaches free from litter and in good health using volunteer cleanup events.
Combing through the water, longtime volunteer Mascorro came prepared; his waders enable him to get to areas other volunteers might not be able to reach. The freshman studying marine biology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, and a fisherman, enjoys helping when he can.
“I know most people come here and mainly stay on dry land. I like that too, but there’s a lot of untapped areas here in the mud and the water with a lot of trash,” he said.
The amount of trash in a fishing area determines where the next cleanup will be as the nonprofit seeks to meet the urgent needs first.
“This whole area has people going around in it, so it has a lot of trash. So we try to see where the most trash is and clean that area,” founder Richard Hitchcox said
To give back to their volunteers, Hitchcox always tries to add raffles for items, gift cards and fishing trips with help from sponsors, along with supplies, snacks and even chicken plates when available.
Hitchcox says that response has been high from sponsors and volunteers for this cleanup, partially thanks to social media. By his estimate, they’ve received donated raffle items and support from at least 60 organizations and individuals.
While Hitchcox is always grateful for any donations to his organization, one in particular, he says, touched him deeply.
Veronica “Vero” Williams, a 21-year-old University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student with autism, donated a $100 gift card to Home Depot from her savings for the organization to raffle off for a lucky volunteer to take home at the event.
“That’s a kid digging deep, and that gets to you,” Hitchcox said.
Alongside the highway, first-time volunteers David Lopez, 47, and Berta Barrera,47, drove from Los Fresnos to lend a hand. Among the mangroves and dunes, the couple says they have removed a lot of paper, plastic and glass bottles.
“It feels good because he fishes a lot — I just started fishing with him — and we see the trash. So even when we fish, we try to pick up things. It feels great that there’s a lot of people out here cleaning up the area,” Barrera said.
While the amount of trash can feel overwhelming, Lopez says he feels optimistic at how many people came out to help.
“I know there’s more trash than people, but we are putting a dent into it,” Lopez said.
To see more, view Brownsville Herald photojournalist Denise Cathey’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Waterway cleanup held at Jaime J. Zapata Memorial Boat Ramp
