BEAT Announces 2011 River Cleanup Schedule
BEAT is pleased to announce this year’s river-cleanup schedule. We are currently planning 5 cleanups in and along the Housatonic River in partnership with the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA).
A Day At The River
In the past, every one of these events has been hard work, but a lot of fun. There are opportunities for all levels of participation – from making sandwiches and picking up pizza, to picking up trash along the riverbanks, to getting right in and pulling our tires and shopping carts. Everyone is welcome.
Saturday, May 14 in Pittsfield, we started at Wahconah Park. The Westside Initiative set up base camp at the Linden Street canoe launch and others from Wahconah Park including a BCC student and member of First Church joined them. Neighbors canoed down the west branch gathering trash as they went. A BCC student and Girl Scout Troop 40459 cleaned all around Wahconah Park. Other volunteers cleaned up the path between the river and Pittsfield Cemetery, and still more volunteers cleanup the river above the Wahconah Street bridge next to the cemetery. Thank you to the City of Pittsfield for having the four large piles of trash removed!
Saturday, June 18 – Lenox
Meeting place: Wildlife Management Area Parking lot – New Lenox Road, Lenox (8:30 am.) Bring your own boat – we will be paddling north and south of Decker Landing, picking up floating trash that has collected behind strainers. Lunch will be provided after the cleanup. Please contact Alison if you can help out.
Saturday, July 23 – Pittsfield
Meeting place: Wahconah Park, Wahconah Street, Pittsfield (8:30am) – bring a canoe if you have one. We will clean in the river near Wahconah Park and work our way up and down stream as far as we have time for. This is an area that needs lots of work! But it is also a hidden gem, filled with wildlife. Please contact Jane if you can help.
Saturday, August 20 – Pittsfield
Meeting place: Wahconah Park, Wahconah Street, Pittsfield (8:30am) – bring a canoe if you have one. Depending on how far we get in July, we will either clean in the river near Wahconah Park or paddle downstream to where we left off the month before. This is an area that needs lots of work! We have several possible trash drop-off locations – Linden St, Columbus St, West St, or Mill St. And we can take canoes out at Linden or Mill St. lease contact Jane if you can help.
Saturday, September 24 – Great Barrington –
8:30am – 12:30pm – Clean up is downstream of the Housatonic River Walk access at Bridge Street. Additional Partners include Greenagers, Great Barrington Trails and Greenways, and Berkshire Co-op.
Meeting place: Former Searles School, Bridge Street. Great Barrington. HVA is leading this cleanup. Please contact Alison if you can help out.
Work gloves and bags will be provided at all cleanups. Wear waders, boots, or old sneakers, and old clothes! We do get wet and dirty. Long pants and long sleeves will avoid insect bites and scratches from walking through brush. Sun screen and a hat for sunny days. And please bring a refillable bottle for water.
Please let us know if you can help out:
Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Jane Winn, jane@thebeatnews.org, 413-230-7321
Housatonic Valley Association, Alison Dixon, adixon@hvatoday.org, 413-394-9796
