July 18, 2013
Greenfield, MA– Registration for the Connecticut River Watershed Council’s (CRC) 17th annual Source to Sea Cleanup is now underway. The annual Source to Sea Cleanup is a two-day event coordinated by CRC in all four states of the 410+ mile Connecticut River Watershed (NH, VT, MA, CT), home to more than 2.5 million people.
This year’s Source to Sea Cleanup is scheduled for Friday & Saturday, October 4 & 5, 2013. CRC is asking all interested watershed residents to register for the cleanup and to report trash sites in need of cleaning up on its new website, ctriver.org.
Each fall, thousands of volunteers of all ages and abilities head out to places of their choice to clean the Connecticut River and its tributaries on foot or by boat. Volunteers clean along rivers, streams and stream banks, parks, boat launches, trails and more. Individuals can register to start a cleanup group, register to work solo or join an existing group by visiting ctriver.org. Businesses are also encouraged to get involved by starting a volunteer cleanup group, making a donation of supplies such as gloves and trash bags, or by becoming a sponsor.
In 2012, more than 2,000 volunteers pulled over 99 tons of trash from river banks and waterways in NH, VT, MA and CT. Volunteers use human power and sometimes heavy equipment to pull out everything from recyclables, fishing equipment and food waste to tires, televisions, refrigerators and junk cars. To date volunteers have prevented more than 806 tons of trash from flowing downstream.
“Lead sponsors Brookfield Power, Lane Construction, NRG Middletown and TransCanada’s generous financial support enables us to organize the thousands of volunteers who participate in the Cleanup, and to take on complex projects that require the use of heavy equipment and professional divers,” says CRC Executive Director Andrew Fisk.
“Source to Sea Cleanup volunteers have worked hard to combat litter and illegally dumped trash,” says Jacqueline Talbot, CRC River Steward and organizer of the Cleanup. “It’s a big watershed and we rely on people to let us know about the problem spots. We may not be able to get to all of them this year, but we will work with local residents and agencies to clean up as many as possible.”
CRC wants everyone to remember that littering is illegal and ruins natural spaces for people and wildlife. “We all have a responsibility to help protect the planet we share,” says Talbot.
For information about the Source to Sea Cleanup, to register online, or to report sites in need of cleaning, visit ctriver.org and click on ‘Source to Sea Cleanup.’ Anyone with questions or a trash tip may contact CRC’s Cleanup Coordinator Jacqueline Talbot at cleanup@ctriver.org or by calling 860-704-0057.
The Connecticut River Watershed Council has been an advocate for the 11,000 square-mile watershed of the Connecticut River since 1952. CRC is a non-profit organization supported by individual members, public and private foundations, corporate sponsors and government grants.
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