Claremont to participate in CRC ‘Source to Sea’ cleanup

CLAREMONT — Have you walked along a river or stream bank recently and found discarded cans and plastic bottles, fast food containers or other trash spoiling a beautiful natural place? If so, the Connecticut River Conservancy (CRC) wants to know. The conservation group asks all watershed residents to report trash sites in need of cleaning up by logging onto their website at www.ctriver.org/cleanup. There, you can also sign up for the annual Source to Sea River Cleanup on Friday, Sept. 28 and Saturday, Sept. 29 to join thousands of other volunteers across New England combating trash in their neighborhoods.

A local group, Claremont Conservation Commission (CCC), will be cleaning along the Sugar River and portions of the Connecticut River and additional volunteers are welcome.

“Source to Sea Cleanup volunteers have worked hard to combat litter and illegally dumped trash,” said Alicea Charamut, CRC River Steward, according to a press release from CCC. “In the past 20 years, volunteers have removed over 997 tons of trash from the Connecticut River and its tributaries, preventing it from reaching our oceans and becoming a global trash problem.”

Anyone who has a trash tip should contact CRC at [email protected] or by calling (413) 772-2020, ext. 211. Registration is also open for the 2018 Source to Sea Cleanup. All are welcome.

Individuals can work solo, start a group, or join a group by visiting www.ctriver.org/cleanup or can get involved in the local effort by contacting Gary Dickerman at [email protected] or (603) 477-5139.

“Many areas are cleaner thanks to the efforts of volunteers. Removing trash helps keep precious water resources clean and our natural spaces safe for families and wildlife. It’s a big area and we rely on people to let us know about the problem spots. We may not be able to get to all of them this year, but we’ll work with local residents and agencies to clean up as many as possible,” said Charamut.

Volunteers are encouraged to share photos and stories of their trash cleanup on CRC’s Facebook and Instagram pages. Photos can be tagged with @CTRiverH2Oshed or #CTRiver.

The CRC, formerly Connecticut River Watershed Council, has been a nonprofit advocate for the 11,000 square-mile watershed of the Connecticut River since 1952.