‘Amount of garbage collected is sad’: Waterway serving as home to various wildlife scrutinized for high levels of trash

Lakewood residents living next to the New Rose Creek are taking it upon themselves to ensure marine wildlife is unharmed.

New Rose Creek runs through the northern section of Lakewood and continues under San Jose Blvd before connecting with the St. Johns River.

The creek is known to be home to alligators, turtles, manatees, and other marine life.

Teresa Base is one of several neighbors living along the creek who has been monitoring a family of manatees during the past several days. She said that as she got closer to the water, she could not help but notice trash and other items that could pose a danger to wildlife.

“The amount of garbage that I’ve collected is sad. It’s detrimental to the environment and the river we are supposed to care for. It does damage to the manatees, sea turtles,