Building on the success of our previous cleanup initiatives, Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College, Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will partner with local businesses Keep West Virginia Wild and Wonderful and the Trough General Store for another effective river clean-up day on Saturday, June 15th, 2019.
The previous river cleanup was a great success, engaging over 7 volunteers who removed over 300 lbs. of trash, cleaned over 3 miles of river shore, and shoveled a boat ramp from high water season. We hope to keep this growing initiative going, with our next clean-up focused on the Trough section of the South Branch of the Potomac River.
“The South Branch Valley is one of the treasures in the Eastern United States,” stated Doug Boswell, owner of Keep West Virginia Wild and Wonderful, “seeing trash in and on the banks of the South Branch River is heartbreaking. We need to develop an attitude and culture that will preserve this beautiful river.” Just one day of the community coming together and making sure things get picked up could make a huge difference!
For this Clean the Branch project, we will be traveling the 28 miles between Fisher Bridge South access to the Harmisons Landing access point.
Eastern and our fellow community partners now challenge the entire Potomac Highlands region to join with us and start your own effort to clean your local rivers. “The rivers in the Potomac Highlands of WV are a regional and national asset that require good stewardship from all of us. We cannot afford to damage or destroy our greatest natural resources,” stated Dr. Charles “Chuck” Terrell, President of Eastern WVCTC.
Clean-up on the South Branch will begin at 9:00 a.m. on June 15th at the Hawse Plaza in Moorefield, WV. Space within the shuttle is limited, so be sure to call or message ahead of time if you are interested in volunteering. Join us to keep our rivers clean, safe and beautiful – additional volunteers are welcome.
For more information about the Clean the Branch initiatives, or other community engagement projects, contact Cristyn Bauer at cristyn.bauer@easterwv.edu or (304)-434-8000 EXT: 9233.
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