It all started with a Facebook post:

“There’s some nice wildlife in the Silver Creek marsh. In the past week I’ve noticed more than the usual trash … There are a couple of chairs, a scooter and some other big objects that were either blown or thrown in the back, behind the Silver Creek Manor. Does anyone have hip waders and/or a kayak and a pick up truck that would be willing to help me try to clean it out? I’ll be honest, it will be a mucky and buggy job, and probably will get trashed again, but I’m willing to try.”

The poster was Kathleen Bartels, an amateur wildlife photographer (and an architect by trade.) The Coventry native has been living in Bristol for about three years, and one of her favorite things to do in her spare time is to take pictures in the Silver Creek marsh adjacent to the Guiteras School property. “I’ve adopted it as one of my patches,” she said. “That’s what photographers call locations they return to over and over again to observe the same wildlife.”

“It’s a very productive area, with Black-crowned Night Herons, Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, and others. It was upsetting to go out there one day and see that all of these large objects that are not only ugly, they can impede the flow of the tide.”

Happily, Kathleen’s Facebook post got an almost-instant reply from Matt Peterson, a local man with a pickup truck, a dump sticker, and the willingness to spend his Saturday morning serving his community.

As it tuned out, a kayak wasn’t necessary. “Matt just charged into the muck,” Kathy said. It took about an hour to free the items, especially a beach chair that was a bit far out and well-embedded. “I was glad I had brought a rope. It was useful when Matt almost got stuck out there.”

The grocery cart worked well enough to let them wheel everything to the truck, and Kathy was able to post a follow-up on Facebook just days after her initial inquiry:

“The Silver Creek Muckrakers caught all four of our target species today — wicker chair, grocery cart, scooter, beach chair — plus some other loose trash. Thanks Matt Peterson — you made my day!”