River Cleanup '08

Volunteers Ignacio Alvarez and Joe White excavate a tire from the Neponset riverbank.	Neponset River Cleanup Plimpton St., Walpole July 19, 2008

On Saturday morning, July 19^th, the Neponset River Watershed Association led a river cleanup at Plimpton St. in Walpole. Despite the heat and humidity, car tires were shoveled out of the ground, rusted bikes were retrieved from places accessible only with hip-waders and strong rope, and bags upon bags of collected trash were collected. Among some of the more interesting finds were a rusted shopping cart, an eroded car muffler, a bent bed frame with bedsprings, several car tires, two bicycles, and a pile of wire. Overall, it was a very successful day for NepRWA, the volunteers, and the environment. NepRWA would like to thank the Dunkin Donuts on Main St. in Walpole for donating water, coffee and snacks for the volunteers, and the Walpole Department of Public Works for donating trash bags and gloves, in addition to picking up the piles of trash. We hope you enjoy these pictures. A young Limke-Scott family member dislodges trash from the riverbank.
Volunteers work on the Plimpton St. shoulder.
Mary Tran pauses in the midst of gathering litter.
A train rushes by -
Yvette Morrill sets aside junked wire.
A Limke-Scott family member rolls a dumped tire toward the ever-expanding junk heap.
Litter along the riverbank, waiting to be removed!
Volunteers from Weston Solutions cleanup the road shoulder.
A car tire beckons from the riverbank.
Volunteers Ignacio Alvarez and Joe White set about extricating the tire.
Ignacio lugs the tire to the rubbish heap.
Judy White pauses on her way to deliver more junk to the junk heap.
A vandalized bike hangs on the riverbank.
NepRWA Intern and river cleanup organizer Emily Tran starts the process of bike removal.
Having just pulled the bike up the bridge via a tow-line, Joe White waits to see if more trash needs hauling from the river.
Litter mars a popular fishing site.
A neighbor transports a junked grocery cart.
Young volunteers check-out the cart.
Conversation and snacks evolve around the excavated cart....
More litter beckons from along the shoulder of Plimpton St.
NepRWA Board Member Rory McGregor and Beth McGregor sort the litter into recyclables vs. non-recyclables.
Meanwhile, the junk pile continues to grow, and volunteer Judy White heads off to find more.
Rory pauses for nourishment.
Young Limke-Scott volunteers take a break.
Taking a moment to wash hands.
Rob Scott and Dr. Janet Limke scan the riverbank for dangling fishing line.
Dean Brammer lugs car parts from the river.
Dumped tires and car parts were a common find. Do you also see the leaf-covered bed-springs?!
Taking a moment by the junk pile.
NepRWA Intern Emily Tran and Outreach Director Carly Rocklen get caught up in the trash....
Junk ready for pickup by the Walpole DPW!
Weston Solutions volunteers pause for a photo.
Standing tall and proud by the final pile of removed junk.
River cleanup volunteers, post-event!
Weston Solutions volunteers head home after a hard day's work.
The beautiful Neponset River at the Plimpton St. crossing.
Please help us keep the river clean!
Thank you to all for your help! We are also very grateful to the Walpole Department of Public Works, Dunkin Donuts, and Weston Solutions for your support. Lastly, NepRWA extends a heartfelt thank you to Volunteer Intern Emily Tran for organizing this event. For more information about this river cleanup, please contact NepRWA Intern Emily Tran at tran@neponset.org or 781-575-0354, or after August 2008, contact Outreach Director Carly Rocklen at 781-575-0354 x303 or rocklen@neponset.org. Updated July 2008.