Greenfield, MA. September 28, 2010 There’s still time to make a splash in the Connecticut River Watershed Council’s “Source to Sea Cleanup,” this Saturday, October 2nd, says Jacqueline Talbot, CRC’s Cleanup Coordinator, “It’s a giant undertaking, linking communities up and down the four-state basin,” Talbot says, adding that this year’s volunteer response has been terrific, “Last week we registered our 2,500th volunteer—someone in David Ott’s group from Rockingham, VT, joining for their third year. They’ll be cleaning Herrick’s Cove, near the mouth of the Williams River.”
Talbot has registered scores of returning groups to date, including the Cheshire County (NH) Conservation District, the Norwich (VT) Conservation Committee, Glastonbury High School in Connecticut, and employees from the Coca Cola Company in Northampton, MA. But newcomers are turning up along the way too, including “Splash it Don’t Trash It,” being spearheaded by a recently-engaged couple who will clean Green River sites along the MA-VT border.
“Anyone who wants get their hands dirty for a great cause—whether you have a group or are looking for one, contact us and we’ll get you registered,” says CRC’s Executive Director Chelsea Gwyther. The quickest way to accomplish this according to Gwyther is to register online at ctriver.org where information, registered groups, and resource materials are posted. “This is such a joyous workday honoring our rivers,” says Gwyther, “It really does connect people all the way from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and northern-most New Hampshire, to Connecticut Valley volunteers working in Massachusetts and the folks clearing debris near the River’s mouth at Connecticut’s Long Island Sound.”
Jacqueline Talbot says the weekend weather looks great for this year’s 14th Cleanup, underwritten by NRG Energy for their third straight year, “Last year we had rain and still over 2,000 people turned out to collect over 85 tons of trash,” she says, “It’s pretty much a rain or shine event, and we get amazingly-enthusiastic volunteers.” Along with title support from NRG Energy, The Lane Construction Corporation, the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC), Covanta Energy Corporation, and TransCanada are major contributors to the four-state effort. Groups, individuals and businesses are asked to sign up ASAP, at: ctriver.org, or contact Jacqueline Talbot at: cleanup@ctriver.org , or by phone at: (860) 704-0057.
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For press information contact: Jacqueline Talbot at: jtalbot@ctriver.org, or, Chelsea Gwyther, Executive Director, CRC, at: cgwyther@ctriver.org
In MA: Andrea Donlon, River Steward at: adonlon@ctriver.org, or 413-772-2020, ext. 205.
In VT and NH: David Deen, River Steward, at: ddeen@ctriver.org;
About CRC: Founded in 1952, CRC’s accomplishments include restoring access to spawning areas for migratory fish, protecting over 8,000 acres, and mobilizing volunteers to conduct water quality testing and remove over 100 tons of trash from local waterways through the annual Source to Sea Cleanup. Learn more at ctriver.org.
