Community Corner

PHOTOS: Robot Reveals What's Beneath Jamaica Pond

The Rozalia Project, whose mission is to clean up marine debris, brought an underwater robot to Jamaica Pond on Wednesday. You'll be surprised at what they found.

is our neighborhood's crown jewel. A haven. An urban oasis.

And, it turns out, a real dump.

That was the inescapable conclusion from the photos an underwater robot brought back from the bottom of the pond on Wednesday. Thirty feet beneath the surface, it's pretty disgusting.

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There are lots of wrappers, bags and other trash. Tires. A dingy. Bikes. Bilge pumps. A huge plastic streetlight. And that's just in the area off the docks.

But there's good news. The people who brought their Remotely Operated Robot to the Pond on Wednesday, the Rozalia Project, say cleaning up our oceans, lakes and ponds starts simply. Just pick up the trash from the land, where 80 percent of marine debris comes from.

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"All that stuff on the land now will go into the water or find its way into a storm drain," said Rebecca Inver Moffa, science and education coordinator for the project.

Kids from Courageous Sailing, 13 of them, did their part keeping more junk from getting into the Pond by picking up 800 pieces of trash on Wednesday, according to Rozalia Project's founder and director Rachael Miller. So far this year, the project has removed 175,000 pieces of trash from New England waters.

Miller's team fascinated residents who visited the dock to see the live feed of images from the robot trolling the bottom of the Pond. They also got to get a load of the trash haul.

The Rozalia Project goes to waterways all over New England. On Thursday they're scheduled to be at Community Boating on the Charles River. Earlier Wednesday, they explored the water off Navy Pier in Charlestown.

They find different items in different places, of course. Off Navy Pier they found lots and lots of beer cans and Solo cups.

One thing they didn't find in Jamaica Pond was Jessie, the Jamaica Pond Monster. They vow to keep looking.

Want to clean up Jamaica Pond? It's easy. Take a bag with you on your walks and catch items before they get in the water. You can also contact the Friends of Jamaica Pond about other ways to help.


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