Flying Into Conservation: Osprey Initiative

T. Jensen Lacey

As a young boy growing up on the coast, Fairhope resident Don Bates’ favorite spot was the family fish camp in Manchac, Louisiana, built by his grandfather in the 1940s, where he ran his Uncle Charlie’s fishing lines usually tied to an old cypress tree that, more often than not, was also home to an osprey nest. Back when he was young, Bates says, “sighting an osprey was about as common as sighting a unicorn,” due to the threat of extinction posed by DDT usage. 

Luckily, though, DDT and its dangers to wildlife were recognized early on, and the bird population, especially pelicans, eagles, and ospreys, made a quick comeback. Now all are common sightings along the Gulf Coast. Thus began Bates’s understanding that the right initiatives, implemented correctly, could produce the desired results.

In 2017, the initial concept for the Litter Gitter, an aluminum floating structure that uses booms to direct the flow of water and litter into a trap, started with a volunteer cleanup with the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program in the Three Mile Creek watershed in Mobile. Bates explained, “The concept is to intercept stormwater-conveyed litter closer to the source, thus preventing impairment to water bodies downstream.” Osprey Initiative (often simply referred to as Osprey), in  a nod to the tenacious nature of wildlife and its ability to overcome environmental threats, was formed. 

Don started the business out of his home in Fairhope (where the headquarters remain) and opened a second office in Mobile. Two more products, the Litter Interceptor, and the Litter Boom, soon followed. Locations employing the Litter Gitter (or companion devices) now number 60+ in 18 states, from Alabama and Arkansas to Texas, Florida, Arizona, and the Carolinas. They have 12 full-time employees and have expanded their reach to Mexico and Canada, where they have projects underway.

Locally, Osprey has worked throughout Mobile and Baldwin Counties. The city of Mobile is their largest client, with a dozen Litter Gitters and tactical riparian litter removal in the Dog River and Three Mile Creek watershed. Other local clients include the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, Daphne Utilities, the cities of Fairhope and Foley, and Dog River Clearwater Revival, among others. 

”Osprey Initiative has led recycling efforts for the Alabama Coastal Cleanup for the last 9 years,” Don said, “and we coordinate recycling at other events like the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo and the Fairhope Music Festival, and we’re doing recycling in Fairhope, like with the Fairhope High School Key Club where we clean up after football games and the Live at Five venue. 

Looking back, south Alabama was the perfect place to start this business.” He paused and explained, “Here, the connection to nature is everywhere, and there are so many people working to protect and enhance our natural places. So much of our litter is carried by heavy rains, so we put our Litter Gitters to work. We’ve been working with the city of Mobile and Dog River especially, and now they’re saying that they’ve never seen it as litter-free as they see it today, so we know what we’re doing is having a positive impact on wildlife and water quality.”

Bates says what he does is a natural outcome of growing up around wildlife, especially marine wildlife. His passion is rooted in his upbringing and family values; this passion is shared by his wife, Greta. Their children–Jack, 23, Madison, 20, Meredith and Amelia, 16-year-old twins–are following in Bates’s footsteps, accompanying him to clean-up events when they are able (Jack, his son, works for Osprey). 

“You can’t help but have a passion about a place on the water that means something to you,” he said. “Six generations of my family have been on Manchac Swamp (in Louisiana), and I have swamp water in my veins. Our business teaches us we need to work with Mother Nature.”

Osprey makes a concerted effort to give back to the communities in which they work. “With our Give Five Program,” Bates said, “our employees become ambassadors and educators to communities as to what we do.” The program also gives 5% of its gross revenue to local projects such as clean-ups. Osprey offers items such as coffee mugs, t-shirts, and jewelry for sale through its website, Osprey World, with a portion of revenues also funding cleanup efforts.

We appreciate and applaud the impact Done Bates and his Osprey Initiative are having to protect and preserve the Scenic 98 Coastal area. We need more Don Bates and his team in the world!