Lockport environmental group focusing on year-round cleanup efforts

Apr. 20—Paul Krest is no stranger to the outdoors.

As a self-described lifelong outdoor and stand-up paddle-boarding enthusiast, the Lockport resident has always been drawn to bodies of water. Over the years, however, he's become more conscious about taking care of the places he frequents most.

"When I was younger, (my family and I) probably polluted a lake as much as anybody," he joked. "I bet you can still see a Genesee beer can in the water from when we horsed around. But I realized as we got older that we were making a mess," he said.

A few years ago, Krest and his sons, Alex and Ian, started organizing local cleanups regularly when they formed the group All Waters Environmental Club in 2019.

"We started doing the cleanup as an excuse to be out on the water longer," Paul said.

Since starting their efforts in 2019, Paul estimates that through 335 cleanups they have picked up enough litter to fill almost 700 garbage cans or 14,000 pounds of waste.

Last year, their group clocked in at about 100 cleanup events and already has 20 on tap this year.

Similar to his father, Alex's taking to the outdoors started at an early age. He attributed zookeeper and environmentalist-turned-TV personality, Steve Irwin, as the inspiration that initially piqued his interest in the environment.

That led him to participate in outdoor cleanup efforts while studying environmental sciences at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.

"Part of me knew I wanted to do stuff out in the environment," Alex said. "It gave me the opportunity to explore and make it a better place at the same time."

Over the past five years, they have continued to organize year-round clean-up efforts on land and on the water all across the region including Olcott Beach, Bond Lake in Ransomville and Akron Falls Park.

"It could be 20 degrees and we'll be on the lake doing clean up still," Paul said.

Paul believes that their hands-on approach to tackling environmental issues resonates more with those who come out to volunteer.

"(You can) talk about pollution all you want, but if you get kids on the paddle board and they see cigarette butt floating in the water... it's a hands-on (experience) that can get them going," he said.

During their cleanup events, they also manually remove invasive plant species that can be harmful to native species and use those as an educational tool.

"We have fliers that we pass out... my son makes coloring sheets for the kids, so if we pass something out at clean up, it says what the native and invasive species are," Paul said.

Ultimately, the father-son duo hopes their efforts raise awareness to be environmentally friendly all year round.

"The biggest thing when I'm out there all the time trying to make a difference is telling people how easy it is to do this. You don't have to clean the whole park that's impossible, but even doing a 100-yard stretch or taking 10 minutes to clean a small area can make a difference," Paul said.

"Even if you had plan to pick up litter or invasive species, there's also different cool things you can see while doing it," Alex added.

The group's next cleanup will take place on Earth Day, Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the Glenwood Lake Boat Launch in Medina. More information can be found on the group's Facebook Page, https://www.facebook.com/groups/AllWatersEnvironmentalClub.