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Other River Cleanups: 2015, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2002 |
July 17th Cleanup
This very large tire didn’t belong in the river.
What was in the West Branch of the Housatonic River before July 17? A partial list includes: an old refrigerator and microwave, several shopping carts, 7 bicycles, 5 scooters, 2 bowling balls, a volleyball, a frisbee, an umbrella, a boom-box, a pair of hand-cuffs, many glass bottles, and over 30 tires including some dating back to the early 1900’s.
During the initial clean up of this stretch of river held on June 19, over 20 volunteers pulled piles of trash from the river upstream from Fred Garner Park. Volunteers returned to this area and cleaned up additional areas in a second successful river clean up held this past Saturday, July 17. A group of almost forty people descended upon the river and hauled tires, bottles, shopping carts and more. All was disposed of properly by Variety Trucking.
A group of 16 campers and a counselor from Lakeside Christian Camp pryed loose shopping carts and dragged bicycles out of the river by Columbus Avenue in Pittsfield. Members of First Church of Christ in Pittsfield and United Methodist Church in Lenox and more volunteers from Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) and Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) worked on parts of the river behind Fairfield Street down past Fred Garner Park nearly to the second Pomeroy Avenue bridge.
The day started with coffee and munchkins donated by Dunkin’ Donuts on East Street, Pittsfield. Volunteers gathered afterwards at Fred Garner Park to enjoy well-deserved pizza donated by Papa Joe’s Ristorante’ & Pizzeria. Additional thanks go to the City of Pittsfield’s Department of Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources for arranging with Variety Trucking to dispose of the collected trash.
The cleanup was organized by Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT), Housatonic Valley Association (HVA), and First Church. Another clean up is scheduled for Saturday, August 14. Meeting time and place, Fred Garner Park at 8:30am. If you are interested in attending contact Alison Dixon at 413-394-9796 or adixon@hvatoday.org or Jane Winn at 413-230-7321 or jane@thebeatnews.org.
June 19th Cleanup
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Pulled from the river
We met at Fred Garner Park on Pomeroy Ave in Pittsfield at 9:00 am.
Some cleaned from land around Fred Garner Park, the bridge at South Street, and from the end of Fairfield Street. Neighbors on Fairfield and Taylor joined in. Thank you to First Church for dropping off flyers at homes in the neighborhood, and thank you to those neighbors for all your help! You were fantastic. Some of us took canoes and canoed back down the river to Fred Garner Park, cleaning as we went. We stopped for a fantastic lunch – thank you Dana Noble! – a little later than we planned.
We ended up with three piles of trash – one at the end of Fairfield, one right on South Street at the bridge, and one at Fred Garner Park. Many people commented to BEAT about the one on South Street saying that is was great to have it so public to make a show of what people do to our river.
Organized by First Congregational Church, Housatonic Valley Association, Westside Neighborhood Resources Center, and Berkshire Environmental Action Team.
Thank you to the following organizations:
- Bagels Too (coffee)
- Berkshire Community College (boats and canoes)
- Berkshire County Arc (use of parking lot)
- Berkshire Environmetnal Action Team (planning, organizing, and overseeing)
- City of Pittsfield – Park, Open Space, and Natural Resource Program (trash removal)
- City of Pittsfield – Conservation Agent
- City of Pittsfield – Department of Community Development (trash bags)
- Housatonic Valley Association (planning, organizing, PFDs, paddles, and overseeing)
- Vincent J Hebert Arboretum
- Westside Community Resource Center (arranging getting the canoes, planning, organizing, and overseeing)
- Dana Noble provided lunch. Thank you, Dana!
June 17th Cleanup
– Jane and Jeff Schneider of BEAT helped out at the Reid Middle School river cleanup. (see photos)
May 22nd Cleanup
– Jeff Schneider and a group from First Congregational Church did a cleanup just downstream of Belair Pond on Wahconah Street in Pittsfield. Thank You.
THANK YOU EVERYBODY!