The drive is on for volunteers for the 25th Annual Musconetcong River Clean-up scheduled for Saturday, April 15.
From 9 a.m. to noon along the river banks people will be picking up trash and making the area a more scenic place to be.
“It's our annual river cleanup,'' said Karen Doerfer, of the Musconetcong River Watershed Association. “It takes place every year the week after fishing season opens. Basically it's all locations along the Musconetcong River. Anywhere from Lake Hopatcong, Lake Musconetcong all the way down to the Delaware River confluence.''
The event is sponsored by the association. About 300 individuals volunteer annually for the clean-up. Service organizations like the Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts as well as high school and college key clubs often take the opportunity to pitch in and help out.
Some nature-loving families who live close to the areas designated also take time out to clean their woods. Doerfer said it's amazing what some people find time to throw away.
“Last year, we picked up 250 bags of trash and 40 bags of recycling,'' Doerfer said. “We also find different things like tires, lawn chairs, scrap metal and other crazy stuff that you wouldn't believe is dumped in the river throughout the year. Cars, computers, printers – with cars we notify the local trash authority or local county where they can be found.''
Area companies donate their services to pick up the trash. A free barbecue will also be held at the river resource center in Asbury for what is considered their biggest volunteer event of the year.
To volunteer, individuals can call the association at (908) 537-7060 or e-mail Karen@musconetcong.org.
The association also works with the AmeriCorps ambassador for New Jersey, which has a location at the watershed offices. Americorps, a program of the Corporation for National Community Service, can be reached at ambassador@musconetcong.org.
Volunteers will receive free T-shirts, snacks, trash bags and gloves which are given out during registration. Volunteers should to dress in jeans or shorts, if the weather is warm, and sneakers. Sunscreen and insect repellent are good ideas to pack as well. Volunteers are able to pick a site that they are most comfortable with cleaning.
“You have a choice,'' Doerfer said. “We are very accommodating. A lot of our members prefer to clean up essentially in their own backyard. If you live in Washington (Township) we will find a place in Washington for you. If you live in Bloomsbury we will fined a place in Bloomsbury. We have some locations in Long Valley. It's at the edge of our watershed area.''