On July 26th and July 27th, Save The River® Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper® (STR) staff, board members, and volunteers participated in the annual River Days shoreline cleanups in various locations from Cape Vincent to Chippewa Bay. This cleanup was part of STR’s Trash Free River program. Over 80 volunteers worked together across the Thousand Islands region to remove trash from land and water, collecting an estimated 525 lbs. of trash from the River.
While Friday’s cleanups focused on volunteers cleaning the shorelines in their own backyards and neighborhoods, Saturday saw the gathering of individuals of all ages in the towns and villages along the St. Lawrence. Metal rods, several tires, construction debris, and containers of used motor oil were found in and around the water in addition to the many plastic water bottles, food containers and polystyrene that contribute to microplastics pollution.
All of the trash was properly and safely disposed of by New York State Parks, the Town of Clayton, the Town of Cape Vincent, and the Town of Hammond and Save The River is grateful to for their support of our Trash Free River program.
In addition, all participants in Saturday’s cleanups were eligible for our drawing of 2 tickets to the Bacon Brothers concert at the Clayton Opera House. Thank you to John and Pat Peach for their donation of the tickets and we hope the lucky winners, Jeff and Lisa Stranieri, had a wonderful time.
The Trash Free River program aims to promote volunteer-based and community focused shoreline cleanups along both sides of the Upper St. Lawrence River. Our cleanup efforts are possible thanks to support from the Leonard C. & Mildred F. Ferguson Foundation and our wonderful members.