C mpass Rose FEBRUARY 2021
25TH ANNUAL PENINSULA CLEANUP THE FIRST CLEANUP... 25 YEARS LATER
The 25th Annual Nassau Bay Peninsula Cleanup will be held Saturday, February 20th. This cleanup is vital to keeping our waters and the peninsula a clean and safe place for people and wildlife. Each year, volunteers pick up tons of waste, including everything from plastic bottles and paper, to washing machines, and abandoned boats. Please volunteer with us on February 20th for our 25th annual cleanup! No need to sign up in advance, just show up at the Nassau Bay peninsula entrance gate to clean the peninsula or at the League City boat ramp to clean up Clear Creek. Nassau Bay Peninsula – Meet at 8:30am at the peninsula gate. Trash bags and bottled water will be provided, but please bring your own gloves and wear appropriate clothing and shoes for possible wet and muddy conditions. If later works better, you can join volunteers as your schedule allows, grab a trash bag at the entrance, and strike out on your own. Clear Creek – Gather at the boat ramp at Highway 270 (Egret Bay Blvd) on the League City side at 8:00am. If you go to the Egret Bay ramp starting point, it is important to tell officials on-site that you want to go to the Nassau Bay peninsula as not all boats will work that area. Cleanup usually lasts until 11:30am on the Peninsula and around noon from the boat ramp, or until you get tired. If you can only work for an hour, we would be very grateful. It is a great way to see our beautiful peninsula on a closeup basis. We also welcome a few volunteers with an ATV, golf carts and/or trucks to help transfer volunteers (no trash) back and forth. For those volunteers, this is the only time citizens are allowed to drive on the peninsula. For more information contact Mark Denman, an active volunteer each year, by phone at 713.202.6488 or e-mail at mdenman72@outlook.com.
In 1991, Mark and Diana Denman bought their first Nassau Bay home (after renting in Balboa & Bal Harbour) on Harbour Drive, just down the street from the legendary (among local high school kids) peninsula. It was gated and no access was allowed. On a couple occasions, Mark was able to walk around the fence to see what was back there. One thing he noticed, besides the peninsula's beauty, was lots of trash, especially beer cans, that looked like they had been there for years. With interest perked on its potential, Mark attended his first council meeting in 1993 to seek future access to the wildlife area, but unfortunately found no interest from Council. About a year later, with a newly elected City Council, Mark approached the City again and found great support from the City Manager John Kennedy, along with forward thinking members of Council, Don Johnson, Don Matter, and Phil Johnson, among others. Mark notes, "it was the beginning of a great reinvigoration of Nassau Bay." Around the same time City Attorney Dick Gregg, Jr. was working on attaining ownership of the peninsula, as it had been owned by various bankrupt developers and finally by the defunct Savings and Loan institution. The Resolution Trust Company (RTC), a government agency that took over assets from the Savings and Loan failure, took ownership and was looking for a buyer. City Attorney Gregg personally knew the local RTC trustee and was successful in Nassau Bay being “given” the 76-acre peninsula in return for a promise to pay all outstanding tax liens (which eventually were mostly forgiven). Around 1995, the City gained full ownership of the peninsula. In 1996 (long before Mark was an elected official), City Council gave Mark their blessing to organize the first clean-up. Continued support by Council eventually lead to opening up the peninsula to visitors. A crushed granite walking path was later added, along with benches and a shoreline sidewalk from David Braun Park. The Annual Clean Up is now coordinated with the Clear Creek Environmental Foundation, who dedicates several boats and dozens of volunteers to the peninsula. Thank you Roscoe Lee and the Parks & Recreation Committee for their increased support of the clean up. From the combined efforts, Mark is proud that the interior portion of the peninsula is thoroughly clear of all trash. Clean-ups are now focused on shoreline debris delivered by Clear Creek and Clear Lake, which is a never-ending task. Remarking on the clean-up, Mark "looks forward to continuing this tradition as long as [he is] able and [the City] continues to get great support by future Councils and volunteers".
