Spring Clean-up 2012

Our Spring Clean Up is Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 9am -12pm. Stay tuned for more info.

 

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Online and Over the Phone Registration is now closed

 

You can still Participate in the Fall Cleanup! Our Largest Site still needs volunteers.  Just Show up at the American Legion Post at 533 Amherst Street in Buffalo at 8:45 to help cleanup Scajaquada Creek.  There is no need to preregister, we will register you on site.

Cleanup participants, don’t forget to join us for the Clean Water Celebration Picnic immediately following the cleanup at the American Legion Post 533 Amherst Street.  RIVERKEEPER will provide lunch for all cleanup volunteers.

See you there!

 

 

 

Clean-up Information

*ALL participants in our Clean Ups must signed a waiver to participate! Waivers will be provided the day of the event at your cleanup site, but anyone under 18 must have a waiver signed by a parent. For an advance copy, click on Clean Up Waiver Form.

Please take a look at Riverkeeper’s Cleanup Sites on Google Maps to get an idea of where you want to volunteer!  In addition, if you know of a new site that we do not have listed on the map, please contact us at kbentkowski@bnriverkeeper.org and tell us!  The Site may just end up as part  of our next Clean Up!

Also please check out our Facebook page for stories by volunteers and our Flicker account to see photos of this clean up as well as from other events  that Buffalo Niagara RIVERKEEPER has done.

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Thank you to all Site Captains & Volunteer Crew Members including:

 

Buffalo Environmental Law Society at UB, Buffalo Hiking Group, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Buffalo Public School #18, Buffalo State College, Buffalo United Front, Canisus College, City of Buffalo, Como Elementary School, Delta Phi Mu, Ecology and Environment, Erie County Department of Environmental and Planning, Falk School, Friends of Broderick Park, Girl Scouts – Webelos Pack 47, Girl Scouts of West Seneca Service Unit, Grant Amherst Business Association, GrowWNY.org & CFGB, Hands on Greater Buffalo, Honeywell, HSBC, Lackawanna Municipal Housing Authority, League of Women’s Voters, M&T Bank, McKinely High School Students, National Fuel, New Hope United Methodist, Niagara University, Old First Ward Community Center, Quality Quest, Re-energize Buffalo, RIVERKEEPER River Academy & ECC Students, RIVERKEEPER Riverwatch Captains, Sabres Green Team, Scajaquada Canoe Club, South Park High School Green Team, St. Stephen’s School, Tifft Nature Preserve, University at Buffalo, Valley Community Association, VINTAGE – Chapel at Crosspoint, West Seneca Environmental Committee, WNY Americorps, WNY Parrothead Club

 

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For the past 22 years, Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper has organized biannual (spring and fall) cleanups* along various local waterways to remove litter and other accumulated debris. Scajaquada Creek has always been one of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper’s largest cleanup sites. Continued attention to litter removal is ongoing at the anti back-flow device (trash rack) and along the banks of Scajaquada Creek from the trash rack in Delaware Park to the mouth.  Local citizens monitor the trash rack at Delaware Park and hold the City of Buffalo Department of Public Works accountable when need be.  Despite the blustery and cold weather, over 600 volunteers joined Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper for the Spring 2011 Shoreline Cleanup at 40 sites around the Buffalo Niagara region. A fantastic effort for the Spring!

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Past Clean-ups

A big ‘thank you’ goes out to everyone who participated in the Fall Shoreline Sweeps of September 18th, 25th and 26th!

These cleanup events would not be possible without the dedication and support from our community. The full Clean Up itself was a success, removing litter, while involving both old and new volunteers alike, (even with the spread out individual events). From everyone’s hard work and donated time a lasting impact to the community was obtained.

Some of the oddest things pulled out of our waterways this Fall were; a gym locker, a car gas tank, an old snow plow, a stove and a dishwasher, nitrous cartridges, a couch, and a full set of clothing!

With the hard work from all the site captains, volunteers, staff and sponsors, we continue to  show our love for our waterways and rally to demonstrate that we will not stand silently and let them fall forgotten. Thanks to all of our volunteers and supporters we continue to revitalizing our waterways and stand one step closer to having permanently healthy waterways!

A special thank you to Mark Kubiniec, Pres. of the Grant Amherst Business Association, for recruiting volunteers and for continuously being such a big help at the Scajaquada Creek site!

Data collected:

500+ volunteers

245 bags of trash collected

5242 lbs of trash collected

Most Picked Up: cigarette butts,plastic bags, bottles and lids &  food wrappers

Linear Feet Cleaned Up: 79910+ ft

Take a look below at the data collected here in Western New York from the fall, and compare it to the information gathered statewide:

 

WNY Fall Shoreline Sweep Data	NYS Collective Shoreline Sweep Data
Volunteers: almost 700 Trash collected: nearly 20,000 lbs.1023+ Plastic Bags  1654+ Food Wrappers 2668+ Cigarette Butts 40+ Tires Many more non-biodegradable items were collected and removed from 22 cleanup sites in WNY. They contributed to the grand total in New York State, which helped comprise the data in the next column over…	Volunteers: 10,000Trash collected: 134,530 lbs. 61,260 Cigarettes/ Cigarette Filters 38,183 Caps, Lids 29,987 Food Wrappers/Containers 25,309 Plastic bags 21,596 Plastic Beverage Bottles 17,999 Straws/Stirrers 17,508 Cups, Plates, Forks, Knives, etc 15,010 Glass Beverage Bottles 13,884 Beverage Cans 9,021 Paper Bags 6,389 Clothing, Shoes 5,740 Balloons

Thank You to all of our Spring and Fall Shoreline Sweep Sponsors!

Our Clean Ups are a part of  The American Littoral Society‘s New York State Beach Sweep, The Ocean Conservancy‘s International Coastal Cleanups, and Keep American Beautiful‘s, Great American Cleanup.  Our Clean Ups are made possible by the help of the following sponsors:

 

Grant Amherst Business Association

 

Buffalo & Erie County Military & Naval Park, Buffalo Fire Dept. & the EM Cotter, Chris Burke, AXA Advisors, Fox Tire, Grand Lady Cruises, Harert Secrest & Emery, Home Depot, HSBC, Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, Labatt USA, New York Power Authority, Niagara Frontier American Legion Post 1041, Pearl St. Grill & Brewery, Sahlen’s, Tops, Try-It Distributing, WalMart, Wegman’s, and the Western New York Americorps