OHS Biology Club Joins 1st Brazos Paddle Cleanup Day

The OHS Biology Club spent their Saturday out on the Brazos River helping clean it up, and overall it went really well. The cleanup was part of the Brazos Cleanup Project’s first ever paddle cleanup day, where students got on the river in kayaks and canoes to pick up trash. The group paddled about 10 miles, stopping along the way to grab anything they saw. It wasn’t super easy work, but everyone worked together and made it a really successful day.

“It was a lot of work, but it was honestly really fun being out there with everyone and knowing we were helping the river,” Arlette Olvera said.

By the end of the trip, they had collected a surprising amount of trash. The group pulled out 7 tires, a 55-gallon barrel, and around 142 pounds of trash from the river. That’s a lot considering it was all picked up by hand while paddling. It really showed how much trash can build up over time and how much of a difference a group can make in just one day.

“There was way more trash than I expected, especially stuff like tires and big barrels,” Aubree Englishbee, said. “It kind of opened my eyes to how bad it can get.”

There were about 16 students from OHS who participated, making up close to half the entire cleanup group. Some of the students included Colby Johnson, Jaxxon Laurent, Ava Stewart, Will Caffey, Aubree Englishbee, Kailyn Altmiller, Briana Lombardo, Blaize DeVries, Jasmine Bryan, Maddox Johnsob, Katy Rosales, and Arlette Olvera. Many of these students are planning to travel to Costa Rica with the Biology Club in 2027, and this cleanup helped them earn their qualification points for that trip.

“We’re trying to earn points for the Costa Rica trip, but it’s also cool because we’re actually doing something that helps the environment,” Stewart said.

The reason behind the cleanup was to help protect the environment and keep the Brazos River clean for everyone in the community. Trash in rivers can harm wildlife and make the area look bad, so events like this are really important. Plus, it gave students a chance to get outside, work together, and do something meaningful.

A big thank you goes out to the Brazos Cleanup Project Board, the Gulf Trust, and HEB’s Our Texas, Our Future Trash Free Gulf Program, along with all the volunteers and support crew who helped make the event happen. Without their help, the cleanup wouldn’t have been possible.

“We couldn’t have done this without all the support and volunteers that showed up,” Stewart said.

By the end of the day, all the hard work paid off. The river looked way better than it has in years, and everyone who participated could feel proud of what they accomplished.

“It feels good knowing we made a difference, even if it was just one day.” Maddox Johnson said.