On Saturday August 9th, the Friends of the Winooski River and its partners encourage community members to come out and help clean up the Winooski River. This event caps off Keurig Green Mountain’s annual week-long employee cleanup of the Winooski River. Last year, two and a half tons of trash and 370 tires were removed.
This is the tenth year for the Keurig employee clean up. “We are thrilled that Keurig has chosen to devote so much effort to cleaning up the Winooski River and that the company has decided to expand its efforts to support a community volunteer event,” stated Ann Smith, Executive Director of the Friends of the Winooski River. Keurig employees have supported Friends efforts in other ways, including helping with tree planting and rain garden maintenance.
There are about 15 different sites where volunteers can help out. This includes several sites in or near Montpelier and Barre on the Winooski River and its tributaries, the North Branch, the Stevens Branch and the Dog River. Other clean-up locations are centered in Waterbury and Northfield. Some specific locations are at Vermont Granite Museum, North Branch Nature Center, the Winooski River in Montpelier (from behind Allen Lumber), the Dog River in Northfield and areas on the Waterbury Reservoir. Volunteers can find a complete list of sites and register to participate via the American Rivers website: www.americanrivers.org/gmcr-nrc/vermont-community-river-cleanup. All volunteers will be provided lunch and a chance to win raffle prizes.
The Friends of the Winooski River work to protect and enhance the Winooski watershed through cleanups, plantings, water quality monitoring, and educational programs. The Friends also are engaged in riparian restoration, water quality monitoring, stormwater mitigation and education and in-stream habitat improvements. For example, over the past eight years, the Friends have planted 14,000 trees and shrubs on 35 acres throughout the Winooski watershed. They have worked on sites including along the main stem in Cabot, Marshfield and Plainfield; the Stevens Branch in Barre; the North Branch in Worchester; the Dog River in Northfield and Berlin; Ridley Brook in Duxbury; Alder Brook in Essex; and Allen Brook in Williston.
Friends of the Winooski River is a non-profit dedicated to the restoration and protection of the Winooski River and its tributaries. They work throughout the 1,080 square mile watershed to protect habitat, stabilize stream banks and improve water quality. They are also committed to providing people with access and opportunities to enjoy the river. To learn more about their work, visit www.winooskiriver.org
