April 19th – April 25th is National Volunteer Week, when we celebrate all the volunteers who have helped us improve our local waterways throughout the years! Though COVID-19 concerns and precautions have put a pause on our usual group volunteer activities, we want to confirm that our programs will eventually resume and to acknowledge that progress to-date would not have been possible without the dedication of the our volunteers. In 2019, over 1,165 volunteers helped us clean up 22, 941 pounds of trash though programs such as: Clean Your Streams Day, CYS 365, Get the Lead Out, Fishing Line Recycling Bins, Glass City Marathon Green Team, and Storm Drain Marking. To check out examples of some of these events, take a look at these YouTube links; Storm Drain Marking, CYS 365 and Get the Lead Out.
Please stay tuned for the resumption of these activities as soon as conditions allow. And remember, if cabin fever has you out for a walk and you see piece of litter, feel free to clean it up and continue the work of keeping our waterways clear, clean, and safe! Just remember to take a trash bag and pair of gloves with you, and to practice responsible social distancing during your walk. You can boost your solo cleanup by doing a bit of citizen science while you’re at it! Simply download the Ocean Conservancy’s Clean Swell app on your phone and then use the app to record your walk distance, area, and types/amount of trash collected. This information is being used to help design solutions to the global problem of marine debris.