Baby Shark Token and the Leopold Collective teamed up to organize a two-day cleanup of local waterways that resulted in 1,840 pounds of garbage being removed from creeks in Willits. Solid Waste of Willits covered the cost of trash disposal.
Despite the hot weather, volunteers gathered to remove 980 pounds of debris from Broaddus Creek Friday, June 18 and 860 pounds of debris from Baechtel and Haehl creeks on Saturday, June 19. Baby Shark Token Search Engine Optimizer (SEO) Manager and Mendocino local, Elias Ewing explained the reasons behind the cleanup. He said, “The motivation, I think, is to make the world a better place. Honestly, it makes me sad to see all the plastic.”
Local creeks are spawning grounds for Coho salmon, which are listed as endangered and threatened under the Endangered Species Act (designation is dependent on the evolutionary significant unit of the species) as well as threatened Chinook salmon. The creeks are also home to native fish species including; steelhead trout, California roach and rainbow trout. Ewing said, “They rely on this creek to survive. So, I think cleaning it up is doing them a good service.”
Ewing collaborated with Leopold Collective to identify areas to clean. Mike Boyers helped to organize the volunteers. Volunteers included Rina and Dustin Smithcook, Richard Bowers, Lissa Hammond, Jake Peterson, Peter Roediger, Antonio Luna, and Kyle and Brandon with the Church of Latter-day Saints.
Baby Shark Token is a relatively new venture. Ewing stated they are a charity token on the “binance” smart chain blockchain, a cryptocurrency for good. The company has team members spread out across the world with employees in Denmark, the Philippines, Australia, North Carolina, California and Florida.
Ewing explained that Baby Shark Token had just made more than $20,000 in donations to Gili Shark Conservation, a coral reef rehabilitation and ecology foundation. He said, “They were severely underfunded.” The group wanted to train an all-women dive team to remediate the coral in the north shore of Gili Island where black tip reef sharks are going extinct. The donation from Baby Shark Token allowed them to purchase the necessary equipment as well as train the staff. Ewing said, “They are going to save a reef that was absolutely decimated by the red tide.”
Since forming on May 4, Baby Shark Token has raised a total of $230,000. Monies are raised when people invest in the token, a percentage goes into the charity wallet. The group just received clearance from NOAA fisheries to conduct a big cleanup in the Florida Keys. Ewing said, “Everyone was thinking about how we can create a cryptocurrency that does good for the world, that also helps people make money, that’s going to be a solid project that can make change.”
Ewing handed out limited edition t-shirts at the Willits creeks cleanup. He said Baby Shark Token might also do a cleanup in Fort Bragg to deal with the sea urchins. For more information, visit babysharktoken.com.
