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Other River Cleanups: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2002 |
2008 Berkshire County River Cleanups
- May 3 – West & South West Branches of the Housatonic River in Pittsfield
- August 16 – Confluence and lower West Branch of the Housatonic River
- August 20 – West Branch between the King Street Dump & Wahconah Park
- September 20 – Pecks Brook / Onota Brook near Pine Cone Hill on Pecks Road
- In Addition! illegal dumping at Springside Park cleaned up
May 3 – Cleanup of the West Branch of the Housatonic River between the King Street Dump and Wahconah Park (Photos of cleanup)
On May 3rd everyone met at Wahconah Park for the first cleanup of the season. From there we split up into several groups to clean the area around Wahconah Park, the bridge on Wahconah Street by the cemetary, and Belair Pond – a widening of the brook from Pontoosuc Lake as it runs along Wahconah Street. After those locations people moved on to the area near the Mill Street dam, and the really dedicated stayed to the end to cleanup at Clapp Park as well.
This cleanup was organized by the City of Pittsfield and included members of The Trustees of Reservations, Housatonic Valley Association, Housatonic River Initiative, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, and dedicated community volunteers.
August 20th – Cleanup of the West Branch between the King Street Dump and Wahconah Park (Photos of cleanup) Everything from a Bowling Ball to the Kitchen Sink!This section of the river had not had a cleanup in a long time. It is a lovely marshy area except for the trash – and the fact that the western border is the old King Street Dump. The dump is still being studied to decide exactly what to do – how to cap it or possible clean out part of it. Despite that, the area is lovely. On the day of the cleanup people saw a bald eagle and a doe and fawn. The day before there was an osprey.We launched canoes and a flat-bottomed boat, which was on loan to us from Berkshire Community College. The flat-bottomed boat was great for hauling huge, heavy trash up and down the river to our take-out spot.We found all sorts of trash – a bowling ball, lots of plastic crates, two orange highway barrels and two orange highway cones, plastic garbage cans, a tent, a sleeping bag, tires, lots of cans and bottles and other trash, and even a kitchen sink… well a sink anyway.The cleanup crew was from the City of Pittsfield, Housatonic Valley Association, Housatonic River Museum, BEAT and one very involve neighborhood volunteer.
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August 16th – Starting at the confluence of East and West Branches by Fred Garner Park (Photos of cleanup)
22 Tires, 2 Barrels, and a TV
First Church really cleans up
On Saturday, August 16th members of First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, joined folks from Berkshire Environmental Action Team, The Trustees of Reservations, the Housatonic River Museum, and other volunteers for a river cleanup at Fred Garner Park. In just under three hours the crew pulled out 22 tires – including one enormous and heavy truck tire – two metal barrels and a plastic garbage barrel, a television set, and several bags of trash.
The group met at Fred Garner Park on Pomeroy Ave. in Pittsfield, and started cleaning at the confluence; where the east and west branches of the Housatonic River meet. From there they worked their way up the west branch of the river as far as they could clean in two hours. They then had to haul everything they collected back out to the parking lot, where the City of Pittsfield will haul everything away for proper disposal. The City Conservation Agent made sure the gate to the park was unlocked and provided large, tough garbage bags for the cleanup.
At the end of the cleanup, workers were greeted with lunch provided by members of First Church.
The cleanup was organized by First Church of Christ, Berkshire Environmental Action Team, The Trustees of Reservations, Housatonic River Museum, Housatonic Valley Association, and the City of Pittsfield.
September 20th – Cleanup of Pecks Brook (Onota Brook) (Photos of cleanup)
Thank you Pine Cone Hill for the Great Food and Facilities!
At least thirty-three people showed up at Pine Cone Hill on Pecks Road on a gorgeous September day to clean Pecks Brook (also known as Onota Brook). The Housatonic River Museum provided breakfast goodies to go along with coffee provided by Pine Cone Hill. The crew spread out up and down stream pulling trash from the babbling brook.
We had help from Pine Cone Hill, Taconic High School, First Church of Christ, Berkshire Community College, Housatonic River Museum, Housatonic Valley Association, Mass Audubon, and BEAT.
None of us could believe how much trash we found in this area. We made a few piles, then used a trailer to gather everything in one spot so the City of Pittsfield could haul it all away on Monday. Thank you to the City for hauling away the trash from all four cleanups this year!
After all the hard work, Pine Cone Hill generously provided a hot meal with hamburgers, hot dogs, and veggie burgers. And for the first time ever – we had access to bathrooms! Unless you have been to a cleanup, you can’t imagine how wonderful it is to be able to really wash your hands before lunch!
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Illegal Dumping
in Springside Park
October 2008 –
Volunteers alerted BEAT to illegal contractor dumping and other dumping northeast of Reid Middle School in Springside Park. BEAT turned the pictures of the dumping and the exact location in to the City’s Health Department.
Within days, the dump site was cleaned up by the Parks Maintenance crew, but it doesn’t look like they will catch whoever did the crime this time.We have asked about blocking vehicle access and we will contact the police about the problem as well.
If you have work done, please ask your contractor how they dispose of the waste. Let them know that it would be great to reuse or recycle as much as possible, and that anything that must be disposed of, must be disposed of properly and legally.
Dumping at Springside Park
Dumping at Springside Park