One man is using a shovel and wheelbarrow in an attempt to save Clam Pass in Naples from closing up with sand. If the pass closes, it threatens wildlife and mangroves in the connecting bays.
Douglas Craig is shoveling sand into a red wheelbarrow along the edges of where Clam Pass meets the Gulf of Mexico in Naples.
He’ll fill the wheelbarrow up and then dump it far enough away so these piles of sand won’t make their way back into the pass.
That’s what it’s about for Craig. Keeping sand out of the pass.
He’s pledged to do this every day, and today is day 179 of what he calls "The Dig to Save Clam Pass."
“Load after load. I’ve done that probably thousands of times this year,” he said.
As Craig tries to keep Clam Pass open, a long-term solution is working its way through local, state and federal approval.
Citizen efforts to keep the pass open are nothing new. In late 2012, months before permitting agencies granted an emergency dig at the pass, volunteers began digging it out.
Around that time, Craig, a semi-retired record producer originally from Long Island, stumbled onto it.
“There were children, there were senior citizens, there were locals, there were people from foreign countries,” he said. “I dug with people from Sweden and Scotland and Canada. All around the world.”
Craig checked on the pass afterward and this spring, he felt it was once again close to closing. He remembers the pass’ condition when it did close last year, and volunteers managed to keep only some water moving.
“The bays went beyond turning brown, they ended up by the end of it kind of like rusty coffee… The entire area stunk because when the water level dropped in the bays there are oyster shells on all the mangrove roots, they rotted in the sun. It was terrible. You could smell this place for miles,” he said.
Today, Craig’s wiry frame is covered by grey jeans and a black t-shirt. A hat sits in a bucket nearby for when it gets too hot and he needs to cover his almost shoulder-length brown hair.
"It's been a crazy learning process and there's been a whole bunch of setbacks." - Douglas Craig
There are aches, pains and other injuries that can come with shoveling and moving sand for hours on end, he said.
“Both of my big toe nails right now, they’re currently lifted because I kicked the wheelbarrow or something and there’s stuff like that,” he said. “But, I can stay out here as long as I need to.”
Since he got involved with that dig in late 2012, Craig said he’s invested in keeping the pass open.
And he brings extra shovels and equipment in case anyone wants to help.
Craig wagers two to three hundred people have volunteered since he started.
It’s been a tug of war with nature ever since.
“It’s been a crazy learning process and there’s been a whole bunch of setbacks,” he said.
He’s tried different tactics including building a canal, which was eventually overcome by the Gulf of Mexico.
Now, he’s focusing on widening the pass.
He said he’s quadrupled the width and the water looks clearer, but he can’t say whether or not he’s responsible for that.
Those who have monitored the pass are not sure Craig’s campaign is really making a difference, either.
Mohamed Dabees is vice president of Humiston & Moore Engineers. The Naples firm has been involved with Clam Pass for more than 15 years including developing its management plan.
Dabees doesn't believe Craig’s dig is affecting Clam Pass.
“The volumes of sand that are being exchanged every tidal cycle are much larger than what a single person or a crew can hand dig,” he said.
A 10-year plan for the pass that includes dredging is pending approval by Collier County Commissioners.
Then state and federal agencies must approve permits. Dabees said that could take as long as a year.
If it looks like the pass is about to close, Dabees said they can file a permit allowing for limited work.
Dabees said Craig’s hand-clearing is likely not affecting Clam Pass, but his campaign is bringing some attention to the problem.
“It just highlights that the pass is in need of maintenance dredging and also it highlights some frustration over how the process is lengthy,” he said.
Despite any criticism, Douglas Craig said he feels responsible for keeping the bays and mangroves healthy.
“I get a lot of people who think what I’m doing is completely pointless, but I suspect their attitude would change if this pass was closed, all the trees were dying, the area stunk and their property values were dropping,” he said.
Craig said he will continue digging until the dredging begins.
