San Benito High School students dig out a rusted BMW from the
San Benito River; county officials to arrange to remove the car
Members of the San Benito High School Outdoor Club completed a
challenge they set for themselves more than two years ago. When
some of the club members were sophomores, they discovered a rusting
car in the San Benito River during one of their quarterly riverbed
cleanups. The kids tried to dig the car out by hand, but weren’t
successful.
San Benito High School students dig out a rusted BMW from the San Benito River; county officials to arrange to remove the car
Members of the San Benito High School Outdoor Club completed a challenge they set for themselves more than two years ago. When some of the club members were sophomores, they discovered a rusting car in the San Benito River during one of their quarterly riverbed cleanups. The kids tried to dig the car out by hand, but weren’t successful.
As seniors, the students decided to devote a riverbed cleanup Nov. 21 to finishing the job.
“Two years ago the kids discovered [the car] when we were out cleaning up trash,” said Jim Ostdick, an earth science teacher and the Outdoor Club advisor. “They made an attempt that time without any tools, to scratch it out with rocks and sticks. Now they are seniors and they really wanted to finish the job.”
Ostdick and 13 student volunteers gathered in the riverbed Saturday morning at 9 a.m.
“Everyone had a shovel,” he said. “We had tools to dig the sand away, to get inside and scrape the sand from the inside. There were some bushes growing in it. It took us about three hours, but we uncovered the car.”
Ostdick talked with Mandy Rose, the director of San Benito County’s Integrated Waste Management, before the latest cleanup project to coordinate removal of the car if the kids were able to dislodge the car. Dennis Rose, who manages the Hollister wastewater treatment plant, allowed the students to access the riverbed from the plant property so they only had to walk about a quarter-mile to the site.
The wrecked BMW was found about a half-mile south of the Veterans Memorial Bridge, near Hwy. 156. Though a date has not been set yet, Mandy Rose said she would arrange for a crew to pull the hulk of metal up to the roadside. Robert Rodriguez of RJR Recycling in Hollister agreed to donate his time and a tow truck to pick up the car.
Ostdick has been coordinating the riverbed cleanup with students for five years. For the 25 active club members, the cleanups meet one of the missions of the group.
The main goals of the club are to promote good citizenship, protect the environment and enjoy fun outdoor activities.
“The main thing we do is the San Benito riverbed project, which is funded by the Baler Education Foundation,” Ostdick said.
Through the years, the students have removed 11 tons of trash from the riverbed. Some of the large items they have found include mattresses, refrigerators and abandoned furniture. They often find bags of trash, or even mounds of dirty diapers. There are also signs of off-road vehicles moving through the riverbed.
“These activities are not legal and true to our club goals, we are trying to ask citizens in our community to protect our natural resources,” Ostdick said.
Though the river has not been full in recent years, Ostdick said the students learn that in rainy years the San Benito River connects to the Pajaro River, which goes all the way to the Monterey Bay.
“When they see water in the river, you can hop across it,” he said. “But they get the idea…we are connected to the whole world through the Bay and we need to be responsible for putting our trash in the landfill and keeping the water supply as clean as we can.”
One of the ways the Outdoor Club is looking to educate the next generation on the environment is by connecting with the local Hollister Moms’ Club to take some younger children along on a riverbed cleanup. They also hosted an Earth Day party at San Benito High School last year where they planted a tree for the senior class and coordinated other activities to promote environmentally-friendly practices.
“I really think their kids will get the message,” Ostdick said, of the next generation.
In addition to learning about the environment and doing work to keep it clean, Ostdick said the best thing about the club is the friendships the kids have formed.
“It is really fun to watch them solve problems together,” he said. “If something is difficult to move, how are we going to proceed on digging this vehicle [out]? They come up with great ideas and work together to solve the problems.”
