BATON ROUGE, LA - A group of environmental conservationists is taking it upon themselves to clean up trash from the lakes surrounding the State Capitol building. 

The group consists of about 10 to 15 volunteers, many who attend Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University and are a part of the Intensive Care Earth club. 

“A big part of what we try to instill in our students is the idea of service so this is their chance to give back to the community,” said Elaine Crowe, a student affairs employee at FranU.

The trash has gotten so out of control in the area that wildlife is beginning to suffer. Stunning photos taken by the volunteers show birds with trash on their beaks. 

“There’s ducks, birds and other animals all suffering, dying and starving to death out here and that's unacceptable,” said Brian Boudreaux, a volunteer who picks up trash every day. 

Today, trash bag number 424 was collected. According to Marie Constantin, who spearheads the movement, about 35 bags of litter flows into untreated storm drains. 

“It’s clear that our whole city needs to come together and fix this. This is something that can be fixed. This is so easy to fix,” said Crowe. 

Their mission is to work with officials to get litter-catching equipment installed in the lakes. Constantin says it was supposed to happen months ago, but with a pandemic and an overactive hurricane season, progress has been delayed. 

Still, the group remains dedicated to restore the natural beauty of the community.