Save The River! Thousand Islands - Clayton NY on the St. Lawrence River

Save The River! is a non-profit, member-based environmental organization whose mission is to preserve and protect the ecological integrity of the Upper St. Lawrence River through advocacy, education and research.

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On Friday, July 29th and Saturday, July 30th, Save The River/Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper® staff, board members and volunteers participated in shoreline cleanups at various locations from Cape Vincent to Oak Point as part of Save The River’s Trash Free River program. A total of 221 volunteers worked in 19 teams to tackle trash pollution from land and water, collecting and removing an estimated 2000lbs of trash from the river.

On Friday morning Save The River staff and 90 volunteers worked in 9 teams to clean up the

shoreline near Wilson Bay, Windward Cliffs, Clayton, Thousand Island Park, Waterson State Park, Lake of the Isles, the International Rift, Chippewa Bay and Oak Point. Friday’s teams found 6 tires, various old metal scraps, construction debris and an old clawfoot bathtub.

On Saturday morning Save The River staff and 131 volunteers worked in 10 teams to clean up the shoreline near Wolfe Island, Clayton, Canoe Point State Park, Eel Bay, Swan Bay, Brown Bay, Wellesley Island State Park Marina, Alexandria Bay, Schermerhorn Harbor and Grenadier Island. Saturday’s teams found 4 tires, many pieces of plastic and everyone was surprised at the number of cigarette butts that they collected.

Volunteers were eager to get outside and help pickup trash from the shoreline or in small boats or kayaks. Many were shocked at the amount of small polystyrene and plastic particles that they were able to collect and remove from the River. Every little bit helps to make a difference for the entire River ecosystem and community. All the trash was safely disposed of by the New York State Parks, the Town of Alexandria, the Town of Cape Vincent, the Town of Clayton, Town of Hammond, and the Town of Orleans.

The next Save The River Trash Free River Cleanup is planned for The Minna Anthony Common Nature Center and Eel Bay on Saturday, September 17th which is International Coastal Cleanup Day.

The Trash Free River program aims to promote volunteer-based and community focused shoreline cleanups along both sides of the Upper St. Lawrence River as part of an ongoing effort to make the St. Lawrence River “swimmable, fishable, and drinkable now and for generations to come”. Click here to learn more about Save The River’s Trash Free River program and sign up for future cleanup events.