Watershed Group Issues 'SOS' for Cleanup Volunteers

Love our waterways, and want to help clean them up after Tropical Storm Irene?

The Connecticut River Watershed Council wants you!

For the past 14 years, the CRWC has organized volunteers to help remove trash clogging waterways in four states. In that time span, volunteers have hauled away 650 tons of refuse during the group’s annual Source to Sea Cleanup on Oct. 1.

This year, though, the 15th annual cleanup day approaches with an added sense of urgency. In fact, cleanup coordinators are putting out an official SOS for volunteers to help deal with the debris from Tropical Storm Irene.

“We need people to step up right now,” said Jacqueline Talbot, CRWC’s cleanup coordinator, in a news release. “Unprecedented floods tore out bridges and roads and destroyed homes, and many shorelines and floodplains are still strewn with debris.  Communities have been working hard to pull themselves back together, but much remains to be done.”

And that, Talbot said, raises the stakes of the annual event.

“We want to mobilize as many volunteers and groups as possible to make our rivers safe for people and wildlife again,” she said in the release.  “It’s not just about litter this year. The longterm health of our rivers is at stake.”

To register or locate an existing cleanup group in your area, you can contact Talbot at cleanup@ctriver.org or 860-704-0057.

And given the late day, Talbot urged volunteers to register by Monday, Sept. 19, so the CRWC can supply them with bags, gloves, paper masks and other supplied. Also, Talbot is seeking additional suppliers of heavy-duty bags and gloves to help volunteers handle larger pieces of refuse this year.

“Above all, we want people to be safe,” Talbot said.  “In some places, unstable piles of trees and debris are all tangled up together. If group leaders have questions about safety, they should consult their local fire department or highway department and only tackle areas that are not dangerous.”

If you’re not available to donate your time, Talbot said all cash donations will go directly to the cleanup effort. Visit www.ctriver.org and donate to CRWC to help it cover the costs of this year’s massive storm cleanup.

Founded in 1952 and based in Greenfield, MA, the CRWC advocates for clean water and fisheries protection in the 11,000 square miles of Connecticut River watershed in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The Cleanup is supported by major sponsorships from NRG Energy’s Middletown Station, TransCanada, Lane Construction, the Metropolitan District Commission and Covanta.