Today's cleanup was with a great group we had never worked with before. A few weeks ago, I was reading the Valley Breeze, a local newspaper, and there was an article profiling the efforts by Blackstone River Watershed Counsel to clean up the massive amounts of litter that had washed up after a recent storm.
I reached out to the organizer, and offered our volunteers. Today, we had around 3 volunteers for 2-3 hours, in what would prove to be a herculean effort to clean up two different areas. We split our group in two, and conquered what we could. The BRWC has access to some small boats, and much of the effort was to clean a massive trash dam that had formed down river. I myself was in waders, and up to my chest in floating debris. This project was lead by BRWC's John, Keith, and Steve. The latter two are out almost every weekend trying to clean this trash dam out.
Unfortunately, we encounter trash dams in many different locations. It's disheartening, and sometimes it feels like you're fighting a never-ending battle, but every small piece you pick up makes a difference.
We'll be back to tackle this challenge with BRWC, I have no doubt.
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