Red tide concerns at Lake Merritt ramp up cleaning efforts
OAKLAND - The need to keep Lake Merritt clean will only increase as the first report of a possible agal bloom or red tide sighting came in over the weekend, according to Baykeeper.
Volunteers for the Lake Merritt Institute play a critical role in helping get pollution out of that body of water.
"It's one of the jewels of Oakland, and I enjoy it," said Laura Goderez, a volunteer for the Institute. "I don't enjoy seeing the trash in it, and so if I can do something to help mitigate that, means I can enjoy it even more so I do it for selfish reasons."
Volunteers like Goderez work each Tuesday morning to cover as much territory as they can around the lake by grabbing trash on the ground and in the water. Over the years, they have seen it all and don't hesitate to pick up the smallest piece of garbage.
"Lots of trash of all sorts, lots of plastic cardboard, paper cups, clothing, sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, office furniture, containers of all sorts, a mattress once, a wheelchair, I mean you name it, we find it," Goderez told KPIX.
The Lake Merritt Institute is a nonprofit sponsored by the City of Oakland to run programs improving the lake by adding oxygen and removing pollution. As the oldest wildlife refuge in North America, the lake remains an important home to animals around the water. It is also a place so many neighbors and residents from all around the Bay Area visit every day. This important role the lake plays in the community is part of the motivation for volunteers to keep coming back week after week.
"Volunteers are the lifeblood of Lake Merritt Institute. We need them to help us clean up around the lake," said James Robinson, executive director of the Institute.
Last summer the algal bloom or red tide, which lives in salt water, invaded the lake. The red tide uses up all the oxygen and suffocates the fish. While the rain earlier the year reduced salt in the water, a summer heat wave could bring the salinity back up.
"We're still cautious and that's a very good place to be in because it always keeps you prepared and proactive," he told KPIX.
The Institue is looking for donations so it can add more staff and equipment to improve its work. Volunteers can also join the effort every Tuesday or Saturday, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Lake Merritt Boating Center at 568 Bellevue Ave. in Oakland.
"We left it cleaner than it was when we got here, so that's something and we're going to it again, all over next Tuesday," Goderez said. She doesn't plan on stopping her volunteer work anytime soon. "Not yet because it's too much just being out here enjoying the lake."
