24th Annual Billy Sandifer Big Shell Beach Cleanup

The 24^th Billy Sandifer Big Shell Cleanup will be held Saturday morning February 23, 2019.

Billy formed the Friends of Padre non-profit group in 2008 to insure the continuance of the Big Shell Cleanup long after all those currently involved “had assumed room temperature, or until such time that Homo sapiens quit dumping trash into the sea.”

“Ha!” Billy would grunt. “Good luck with that!”

Billy never sought accolades or attention. The Big Shell Cleanup was never about him. When interviewed for a Legends of Rod and Reel segment in which he was featured, he said, “Someday, when it’s time, I’m just gonna walk up on one of those sand dunes, sit just like I am right now, hold this old hat down and disappear. Then you guys can all scratch your heads. Not about where I went, but was he ever actually there?”

Billy walked up on that dune the morning of March 30, 2018. But he didn’t disappear.

Billy was a mentor and great friend to many. I personally felt bad that I wasn’t as sad as I thought I should have been. God knows, I and all of his other “sons” as he called us, missed that old man terribly. The reason I was holding it together was that I could still feel his presence.

When we held a Friends of Padre director’s meeting to plan a celebration of his life, it was as if Billy had taken his usual place in that folding chair in Aaron Baxter’s shop in Flour Bluff – carefully watching and listening. He wanted no big fuss and certainly nothing from Judeo-Christian land. Mother Ocean was always Billy’s church.

On Sunday May 20, 2018 at Briscoe King Pavilion near Bob Hall Pier, Billy’s closest friends, relatives and admirers gathered to celebrate, not mourn, the Life and Times of Captain Billy Sandifer.

As we sat watching the Legends of Rod and Reel, as if on cue, one of our beach friends, Cork, tapped me on the shoulder and asked that I hurry to the big door that was open to the boardwalk that leads over the dunes to the beach.

Cork said, “Look, it’s Sandy coming to pay us a visit.”

A lone coyote was perched on a dune as though observing the event. David Sikes was able to capture one quick photo. Many in attendance knew of Billy’s spiritual relationship to the coyote through his many articles in Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine, so it was no surprise that the Captain would pay us a visit.

Billy made his presence known again in July as we gathered many of his items; his trademark shark tooth necklace and other memorabilia, to display in a custom-built shadowbox at the PINS Malaquite Visitor’s Center during the Ridley Rendezvous event. Nothing about his many angling achievements. It was all about the Big Shell Cleanup and Billy’s lesson to us that “One person can make a difference.”

Later in the fall, another Friends of Padre board member, Troy Adler, who sits on the Nueces County Coastal Parks Board with me, floated the idea of renaming the entrance to Padre Balli Park and Bob Hall Pier, from Access Road 6, to honor Billy Sandifer. The motion passed and very soon that roadway will be renamed Capt. Billy Sandifer Way.

Billy’s grandfather, Papa, as he called him, would drop Billy off at Bob Hall Pier every June and July when Billy was a young teen where he would spend weeks at a time. Billy always said that’s where he learned to fish.

Fast forward to early December. I was totally fine with Billy’s passing until the first big cold front of the season dropped the surf temperature below 59°. Surf fishing for winter trout was always Billy’s and my own truest passion. I suddenly realized there would no gruff voice on the phone telling me, “Tomorrow’s the day. Be at my house at 6:30. Bye.” That and the dark weather brought the cold reality that my friend, second Dad and mentor, may have truly disappeared.

As I was beginning to feel sorry for myself, finally mourning the man I had so loved and admired, something truly wonderful happened. You all may not realize it but the Friends of Padre spends months planning and preparing each cleanup so it can go as smoothly as possible. The first order of business is rounding up artwork for the event’s T-shirts and sponsors. Getting the shirts ordered well in advance is one of the biggest chores. First came the design. We didn’t want any sad tributes or memorial lines, but what would be fitting?

At our first meeting in December, our friend and artist, Jacob Augsberger, Augs as we call him, of Augsart and Design, brought in a few sketches of what he was thinking for the shirts.

You could have heard a pin drop. No timeline of Billy’s life, 1947 – 2018. No RIPs. Just a charcoal sketch of a coyote looking over the cleanup from the crest of a dune. The design was so subtle that some in the room didn’t notice immediately. The coyote’s shadow is Billy. Still up on that dune looking over his playground and Mother Ocean. Subtle but perfect!

Since the inception of Big Shell Cleanup, 8575 volunteers have removed 2,726,000 pounds of trash from the remote four-wheel-drive-only region of Padre Island National Seashore known as Big Shell Beach.

The all-time cleanup record was established last year just prior to Billy’s passing – 1175 volunteers removed 85 tons of trash, 17 tons of which were recyclable. How fitting?

The 2019 Billy Sander Big Shell Cleanup will be held on Saturday, February 23, 2019, at the Padre Island National Seashore. Volunteers will meet at the Malaquite Visitor’s Center no later than 8:00am. Park admission fee will be waived for cleanup volunteers. Volunteers can expect to be back at the Visitor’s Center Parking lot no later than 2:00pm.

Volunteers with four-wheel-drive vehicles are and have always been the backbone of this event. However, those without four-wheel-drive are welcome and will be transported down the beach as space becomes available in other vehicles. Volunteers with four-wheel-drive willing to accept riders should notify team leaders during registration. Trailers for hauling trash are much needed but must be in good condition due to the rough terrain.

Volunteers are advised to check weather forecasts and dress appropriately as the event has historically included some adverse weather conditions. Long trousers, long sleeved shirts, windbreaker jackets or slicker tops, suitable headwear and sturdy work shoes are recommended. Lumber holding rusty nails can and should be expected under piles of dead sargassum. Sandals and bare feet are not recommended.

Food will be available at the Malaquite Pavilion at the conclusion of the event with Corpus Christi Area Domino’s Pizza and the CCA Corpus Christi Chapter Wienerschnitzel Wagon. Drinking water and light snacks will be available in the work area but feel free to bring something to eat during the event if you feel it necessary. Volunteers will receive those wonderful Augsart commemorative coyote T-shirts while supplies last.

For the very first time, we are honored to offer up to 1200 volunteers Yeti Rambler Tumblers in various sizes. That’s over $30,000 in promotional items from our first-time sponsor. Yeti is one of the most respected outdoor lifestyle manufacturers in the world and greatly supports conservation efforts. Special recognition is due our friend, cleanup volunteer, and Yeti employee, Kurt Obersteller for bringing Yeti to the Big Shell Cleanup.

Space prohibits a complete sponsor list in this announcement article but Friends of Padre cherishes each and every one of you. I will endeavor to include a full sponsor listing in our Big Shell Cleanup wrap-up piece next month.

Please join us on February 23. As Brother Billy often said, “Life’s a hoot! Get you some of it!”