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, June 11th and Saturday, June 12th, Save The River/Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper® staff, board members and volunteers participated in a shoreline cleanup on Wellesley Island, NY as part of Save The River’s Trash Free River program.

A total of 10 teams covered a vast majority of Wellesley Island’s 28 miles of shoreline. On Friday morning Save The River staff and 38 volunteers worked in 5 teams to clean up the shoreline near Mary’s Island State Park, Westminster Park, Waterson Point State Park, Lake of the Isles, and the International Rift. Friday’s teams were able to pull 12 contractor bags of garbage, various old metal scraps a parking spot curb and a large blue plastic barrel.

On Saturday morning Save The River staff and 77 volunteers worked in 5 teams to clean up the shoreline near the Wellesley Island State Park Marina, The Minna Anthony Common Nature Center in Eel Bay, Thousand Islands Park, Densmore Bay and Tennis Island. Saturday’s teams were able to pull 16 contractor bags of garbage, old construction debris including wood and metal scraps, multiple plastic barrels and 8 tires.

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 Styrofoam and plastic particles that they were able to collect and remove from the River. Every little but helps to make a difference for the entire River ecosystem and community. All of the trash was safely disposed of by the New York State Park, the Town of Alexandria and the Town of Orleans.

The next Save The River Trash Free River Cleanup is planned for Chippewa Bay on Thursday, August 12th.

The Trash Free River program aims to promote volunteer-based and community oriented 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”. To learn more about Save The River’s Trash Free River program and sign up for future cleanup events please visit www.savetheriver.org.