The Shenandoah River and its tributaries have historically been regarded as among the most beautiful stretches of water in America. Shenandoah Riverkeeper Mark Frondorf and Alan Lehman, Program Manager, work relentlessly to protect the river from nutrient pollution and other harmful results from poor and outdated agricultural practices.
Unfortunately, the popularity of the waterways comes with a price and that is an increase in trash pollution from thoughtless users. And, some residents even use the shores and waters as dumping grounds for old tires and unwanted household items.
Mark and his dedicated cadre of volunteers, including river guides committed to protecting these waters, have for years undertaken shoreline clean ups. These have typically been in response to tips called in or, even more frequently, from trash hot spots identified by Alan in his frequent paddle patrols.
This year, the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, Mark, along with his stalwart volunteers, Frank and Lisa Filipy, put out the call to a broader coalition of organizations, both public and private, as well as his growing list of Shenandoah Riverkeeper members, to start the Trash Free Shenandoah campaign. Inaugurated in March and centered around Earth Day on April 22nd, scores of volunteers attacked 62 sites throughout the watershed. Yep — 62! Sixteen organizational partners and over 100 volunteers participated in the week-long series of clean ups. The photo tells it all.
Mark intends to keep this up — if you like clean rivers, contact him at mark(at)shenandoahriverkeeper.org for dates, locations, and times.
Reprinted from Potomac Riverkeeper Network’s RiverWatch newsletter, Spring/Summer 2022 Vol. 19, Issue 1
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