MASHPEE, Mass. — A group of women on Cape Cod, all of a certain age, are cleaning up ponds by diving for trash.
The group is called “OLAUG,” which stands for Old Ladies Against Underwater Garbage.
OLAUG is the creation of Susan Baur, an 86-year-old resident of Falmouth.
The initial inspiration for the group was to improve the habitats for turtles.
“There was one thing I could do and that was I could pick up the trash, especially spent fireworks that are leaking perchlorates, car batteries, stuff that really shouldn’t be there.”
Fast forward and the group has gone from a few women to several dozen.
“I spent 4-5 hours a day on this because we’ve got 20 dives, we’ve got 30 women, and all have to be in the right place. The right gear has to be there,” said Baur.
Marianne Valle is a retired nurse who works as a scout, checking out ponds on the Cape to see if they’re appropriate spots for a clean-up.
“I’ve been swimming on the Cape since I was 12 or 13 years old, and to see the ponds and the condition of some of them, it’s sad, but knowing we’re making a difference is huge, it’s huge,” said Valle.
Two divers are paired with a kayaker to cover a specific region of the pond.
Within minutes, the kayak is filled with all kinds of trash including building supplies and beer cans.
Sometimes, a few surprises pop up.
“A 200-300 pound dock. We got the back of a Corvette from this pond. We got an 80-pound toilet,” recalled Baur.
It’s hard physical labor for a person of any age.
Every diver must pass a fitness test.
“Every year, we have a readiness swim where you need to be able to swim a half mile in under 30 minutes,” said Baur.
Ultimately, she says her greatest satisfaction comes from watching the women flourish.
We’re not just aging actively. We’re growing. We’re learning. We’re expanding. Life is getting better and better, and we have true adventures.”
Susan Dropo of Sandwich said she just loves being with the other women.
“It’s just the best thing in the world, it really is. It’s what we all didn’t know we needed, and every time we get together it’s a blast.”
Mike Cannata is the vice-president of the Johns Pond North Cove Association and, as the owner of Wild Fire Pizza, a local businessman.
He donates his pontoon boat for the clean-up.
He considers it payback.
“I’ve been on this lake for 55 years and my teenage years were fun and wild, like most of us. This is my redemption, this is my time to take stuff out of the lake that I probably threw in, so yeah, so it’s good.”
At the end of the day, everything is piled up on the beach and prepared for proper disposal.
The true miracle here isn’t that a group of older women can pull off such an arduous task.
It’s that they can make it such a truly joyous occasion.
As word spreads about their work, OLAUG has been contacted by people in 11 states and three countries about how to set up a similar organization.
They’ve put together a manual on how to get started.
The women don’t work for free, however.
They insist in getting paid in cookies at the end of their shift.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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