Junk Cars, Furniture, Parking Meters, & Loads of Trash Removed from Rivers:
Local Rivers & Streams Are Cleaner Thanks to Source to Sea Volunteers
Greenfield, MA October 3, 2012 – On Saturday September 29, over two thousand registered volunteers grabbed trash bags and work gloves to pitch in on the Source to Sea Cleanup, organized by the Connecticut River Watershed Council (CRC). The 410+ mile long Connecticut River and nearby tributaries are cleaner today thanks to the hard work of dedicated residents and cleanup volunteers. Over 75 cleanup groups registered throughout Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
“Unfortunately, dealing with trash is an ongoing problem,” says Jacqueline Talbot, Cleanup Coordinator. “But thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of cleanup volunteers, we made a big difference for the rivers and streams in our communities. In many areas we are seeing reduced trash volumes thanks to the stewardship of cleanup volunteers,” said Talbot. “We eventually want to put ourselves out of work, but until then, we will continue to bring people and resources to the preservation of these natural spaces.”
Exact amounts of trash hauled out of the CT River and tributaries will be tallied soon, but some success stories include junk cars removed from the river near Wethersfield, CT and Deerfield Academy students pulled a parking meter from the river near Deerfield, MA. Lane Construction Company helped remove large debris, including a large tractor tire, from the Green River in Greenfield, MA.
NRG Middletown Power was one of two lead sponsors of the overall cleanup this year. In addition, sixteen NRG Middletown Power employees volunteered for the Source to Sea Cleanup and removed trash from 1.5 miles of the Connecticut River shoreline in Middletown, CT. “We had a fun afternoon of camaraderie while out on the River and this kind of environmental stewardship is important for the Connecticut River on which we depend in many ways,” says Plant Manager Jeff Araujo of NRG Energy’s Middletown Station.
The Watershed Council is happy to welcome this year new cleanup groups and local business employee cleanup groups including the US Fish & Wildlife Service of Westbrook as well as a team of Whole Foods Market stores in Connecticut, The Trustees of Reservations in Holyoke MA, and the CT River Paddlers’ Trail Partners in NH & VT. Big thanks goes out to our returning cleanup groups and our sponsors including NRG Energy’s Middletown CT Station, TransCanada, Lane Construction Company of MA, Tighe & Bond (Westfield MA & Middletown CT), Coca Cola, Inc of Northampton MA, and United Water.
For the past 15 years, the Watershed Council has organized thousands of adult and child volunteers who have removed more than 707 tons of refuse from along waterways in four states during the biggest single-day river cleanup in New England. CRC fields a variety of trash site suggestions, coordinates the work of individual groups and supplies them with bags and gloves. Based in Greenfield, MA, CRC has been a nonprofit advocate for the 11,000 square-mile watershed of the Connecticut River since 1952 and is proud to celebrate 60 years of hard work for the river this year.
NRG Middletown Power and TransCanada are the 2012 Cleanup’s lead sponsors. Other major support is provided by Lane Construction, the Metropolitan District Commission, CDM Smith and Covanta.
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Photo Caption: Deerfield Academy students pull a parking meter from the CT River near the French King Bridge in Deerfield, MA.
Photo Caption: United Water partners with the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club to clean along the CT River in Springfield, MA.
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CONTACT:
Jacqueline Talbot, Cleanup Coordinator and CT River Steward, jtalbot@ctriver.org 860-704-0057
Angela Mrozinski, CRC Outreach & Events Director, amrozinski@ctriver.org 413-772-2020 ext 204
