Ahh, spring. Time to dewinterize, burn our socks, and prepare for another season of angling, kayaking, and boating on the Bay. Along with cleaning your boat and water toys, how about cleaning up your little corner of the Bay? Many organizations sponsor springtime watershed cleanups, often associated with Earth Day, April 22. Here are a few of the many opportunities.
One of the biggest annual cleanups is
Virginia’s Clean the Bay Day, which takes place on Saturday, June 4. Clean the Bay Day extends to all of Virginia, from Hampton Roads, to Northern Virginia, west to the Blue Ridge, and east to the Shore. Volunteers work by land, boats, and even paddle boards. Register after March 15 at
cbf.org
It’s amazing what many hands can do in a short period of time. Last year approximately 6000 volunteers removed 105,000 pounds of debris along more than 450 miles of streams and shoreline, all in just three hours. Along with the expected plastic bottles and bags, food wrappers, and cigarette butts, volunteers also removed a stolen burned-out car, a rusty safe, a 50-foot gill net, and a bride-and-groom wedding cake topper.
Some of the volunteers for Clean the Bay Day are recruited and organized by Keep Norfolk Beautiful, a branch of Norfolk’s Public Works Department. Although half of the city’s cleanup sites are land-based (to remove trash before it gets blown or washed into rivers and creeks), Norfolk wants to expand its efforts in the city’s numerous waterways. To pull this off, they need more volunteers with boats. And we know PropTalk readers have boats! To participate, contact Lisa Jennings at
[email protected] or (757) 441-1347.
Project Clean Stream is another large cleanup with events in many locations including Norfolk, Easton, and Baltimore. Jesse Hillman of Blue Water Baltimore says, “We’re encouraging registrations for Project Clean Stream in April. Baltimore City and County residents who register a cleanup site by March 4 will get free supplies and training from
Blue Water Baltimore.” Find more Project Clean Stream sites at
cleanstream.allianceforthebay.org
In Annapolis, Back Creek Conservancy’s Project Clean Stream event is planned for April 2. Although this event is still in the final planning stages, if it’s a “Go”, you can bet Team PropTalk will be out in force, since our offices and Protector are located on Back Creek. If you’d like to join us, register under “Events” at
backcreekconservancy.org. Also in Annapolis, April 23 is the city’s 25th edition of
Greenscape. Join the SPCA, Annapolis Maritime Museum, the Back Creek Conservancy, and others, and help clean up Annapolis.
To the north, the regional
River Sweep covers both sides of the Susquehanna River and Upper Bay in Harford and Cecil Counties. Over the last 15 years, they’ve removed more than 80 tons of trash and debris. This year’s sweep will be held on Saturday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to noon. More information, and registration beginning March 21, can be found at
upperbaytrails.com