If you've ever paddled a local river and even just once gave a sigh of disgust at the garbage along the way, the Saturday is your chance to do more than just sigh. It's your chance to roll up your sleeves, put on some rubber gloves and make a difference. It's the 7th Annual Neuse River Clean-Up, sponsored by the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation.
Rowing with a pile of stuff from last year's clean-up.
This year, the clean-up will be along 50 miles of the Neuse, from just below Falls Dam in Raleigh downstream to the Smithfield Town Commons in Johnston County. Clean-up stations will be located at six points: 1. Falls Dam (next to Paddle Creek); 2.Buffaloe Road Canoe Launch; 3. Poole Road Canoe Launch; 4. Milburnie Dam Canoe Launch; 5. NC 42, Clayton Elementary School; 6. Smithfield Town Commons. Check the Neuse Riverkeeper Web site for directions. The clean-up starts at 8 a.m. from the aforementioned sites and runs until 2 p.m.
We'll be back in a day or so with more details. Until then, here's a look at what the 2008 clean-up netted:
Pounds of garbage: 9,260
Number of garbage bags filled: 378
Number of tires found: 44
Number of volunteers: 269
Stuff that was found: car bumper, recliner, fire extinguisher, five quarts of used motor oil, baby car seat, 100 golf balls, skull, scaffolding, bed spring, cell phone, corrugated drain pipe, toy wagon, break drums, fan, plastic sled.
And last year's door prize: a beer bottle with $600 inside.
