Virgin River Cleanup upcoming, county-wide volunteer effort

Crates and food remains left beside Virgin River adjacent to Bloomington suburb of St. George, Utah, Summer 2013 | Photo by Joyce Kuzmanic, St. George News

WASHINGTON COUNTY – The first ever Virgin River Cleanup will take place on Saturday from 8-11 a.m. The Virgin River Cleanup is a volunteer event focused on removing trash and restoring the health of waterways throughout Washington County. Everyone in the community is invited to help clean up the river and adjacent trails to conserve habitat for wildlife, ensure a safe and clean place to recreate and explore, and to raise awareness of river conservation.

This clean sweep of the Virgin River will include picking up garbage and removing invasive plants, but the cleanup is about much more than picking up trash. It’s a day for the communities of Washington County to demonstrate their desire for clean water and healthy rivers. It’s a time for families, neighbors, community, and friends to come together to accomplish something vital and worthy on behalf of the great Virgin rivers.

Screen Shot 2013-09-16 at 9.29.02 AMThere will be multiple locations for volunteers to choose from for check-in to join in the cleanup, starting at the Sullivan Soccer Park in Washington and ending in Bloomington at the Man of War Bridge – See map inset; also see City of St. George webpage with more details.

Water and snacks will be available for volunteers at each check-in station, and cleanup bags will be provided by the city of St. George, Washington City, and American Rivers. National River Cleanup was launched in 1991, offering support to individuals, organizations and anyone interested in conducting a cleanup on their local river.

Since its start, according to the American Rivers website, more than 1,137,500 volunteers have participated in thousands of cleanups across the country covering more than 244,500 miles of waterways.  These cleanups have removed more than 16.5 million pounds of litter and debris from America’s rivers and streams.

Free guidelines and techniques to minimize cumulative impact on the powerful and inspiring waterways that flow across the country can be found on the Leave No Trace website. By following some very simple recommendations, direct impacts to the river environment can be virtually eliminated and the signs of human presence on a river canyon can greatly be reduced.

The Virgin River Cleanup is a grassroots effort which has been cooperatively organized and put on by community volunteers, the Virgin River Program, the City of St. George, and Washington City.

Resources

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.

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1 Comment

  • Sgnative September 16, 2013 at 8:47 am

    This is awesome! Thank you St George News for bringing attention to this great community opportunity!

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