Saturday, July 23
9:00 AM — 1:00 PM

BEAT and Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) are heading back into the west branch of the Housatonic River, with our waders on and our canoes in tow, for another river cleanup! Since beginning annual cleanups, our efforts have made a noticeable difference, with the piles of trash getting smaller — and that wouldn’t be possible without the help of our volunteers! Join us from 9 AM to 1 PM on Saturday, July 23, and help support the health of our Housatonic River. From noon to 1 PM, we will be provided with a free, hot lunch! Make sure to RSVP to team@thebeatnews.org, so we can make sure there is enough food for everyone.

Last cleanup, we found three shopping carts, two traffic cones, a large plasma screen TV, a 1950s television tube, numerous tires, two bicycles, five scooters, three chairs, a pogo stick, and a 10-foot ladder. One group also saw a family of woodchucks. Join in the fun to see what we might find this time!

We will meet at Wahconah Park, 105 Wahconah Street, in Pittsfield. Cleanup teams will disperse to nearby locations, gathering miscellaneous trash from the river banks and bottom. Canoes will be used to transport anything we pick up.

Prepare to get wet and dirty! We recommend donning some old clothes, a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, and old sneakers or waterproof boots/waders — basically, clothing you don’t mind getting dirty or possibly staining. Also, please bring a full water bottle, as well as bug repellent and sunscreen if you need them.

Please reach out to team@thebeatnews.org for more information or to RSVP.

Each summer, BEAT is proud to partner with the Housatonic Valley Association (HVA) to remove trash from the West Branch of the Housatonic River. The West Branch is a beautiful stretch of the river running south from Pontoosuc Lake and Onota Lake to join with the East Branch on the south end of Pittsfield. Unlike the East Branch, the West Branch poses no health-threat from PCBs. BEAT and HVA staff and volunteers take to the river in waders, boots, and canoes to pull out trash and keep the river beautiful.