Construction debris dumped in ditch along Bonita Springs wildlife trail

A dump truck load of construction debris, including Styrofoam, dirt, and plastic, was illegally dumped on the CREW Flint Pen Strand Trails in Bonita Springs, off Bonita Beach Road Southeast, leaving volunteers to clean up the mess. Robin Serne, trail operations coordinator for CREW Trust, said seeing the debris is not a good sign for them. "We had somebody dump what looks like a dump truck load of construction debris out here on the trails. This is something that we do see from time to time," Serne said. She explained that she had cleaned out the same ditch just a few months ago, making the recurrence of illegal dumping a frustrating issue. "I think it's just such an easy opportunity for people, especially here, because we do have trails and roads and parking lots and kind of lots of hidden places like this," Serne said. The ditches where the debris was dumped serve an important purpose, helping prevent flooding in surrounding communities. "We need these flowways and ditches, like we can hear water down there right now moving. We need that to be able to do what it needs to do as we're moving into storm season and hurricane season to protect the surrounding communities," Serne said. Serne hopes the community will recognize the dangers of illegal dumping, especially in recreational areas. "We really want people to be able to enjoy it, so that they care about it, so that, you know, there's a sense of place here and that'll hopefully prevent things like this from happening in this community," she said. CREW Trust has sent a report on the incident to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which will begin investigating who is responsible for the dumping.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.