Monthly Cleanup Honors Teen Environmentalist Pascal Weisberger Legacy

Volunteers gathered at Harry Harris Park in Tavernier on December 11 for the monthly Pascal’s Way shoreline cleanup, continuing a program inspired by the late Pascal Weisberger. The event ran from 9 a.m. to noon and drew residents and visitors who came prepared with gloves reusable water bottles hats and sunscreen. Organizers provided trash bags extra gloves and refreshments.

Pascal, who died in May 2020 at age 14, was remembered not only for his tragic death but for the years he devoted to environmental education and community service. He was a bright student an animal lover a proud member of Boy Scout Troop 912 and a persistent advocate for cleaner shores. His father Ari Poholek described how the effort began after a school cleanup day and grew into a regular program. "He and I attended an international coastal cleanup day at Harry Harris Park in September 2012, after which Pascal asked the school principal if he and I could begin organizing school cleanups on a monthly basis," Poholek said. "We started the next month and continued for at least nine to 10 months per year, from then until Pascal graduated from fifth grade in June 2017."

Pascal’s interest in reducing plastic pollution extended into his school work. Many of his science fair projects focused on finding alternatives to plastic that would better protect marine organisms. After his death his research work was completed by fellow scouts Aidan Austin Zack Woltanski and Jordan Lubis with assistance from teachers Bobbi Burson and Martha Loizeaux, preserving the educational thread of his conservation efforts.

For Monroe County residents the cleanup represents both environmental management and civic engagement. Regular debris removal helps protect local wildlife improves the visual appeal of public beaches and reduces the risk of costly damage to coastal infrastructure. The monthly gathering also functions as a space for community healing and a practical training ground for young people who learn stewardship and volunteer leadership through hands on work.

The Pascal’s Way cleanup continues to be a monthly fixture at Harry Harris Park, sustaining a legacy of local stewardship and demonstrating how individual initiative can become lasting community action.