The ClearWater Conservancy celebrated Earth Day weekend on April 24 alongside 390 community volunteers at its 25th Annual Watershed Cleanup Day.

Volunteers gathered at 57 sites throughout Centre County to clean up trash and litter so that it could be properly cleared from streamsides and open spaces and disposed of properly.

This year, volunteers collected 11,000 pounds of trash from Centre County.  

“The participation by volunteers during this year’s pandemic-threatened Watershed Cleanup Day was nothing short of phenomenal” said Centre County Recycling Coordinator, Joanne Shafer.  “The dedication shown during this 25th year of cleanups to our environment by our residents truly helps to keep Centre County beautiful.”

Since 1997, Watershed Cleanup Day volunteers have removed over 6.11 million pounds of waste from local streams, roadways, sinkholes, and illegal dumpsites.

“This year’s event was especially memorable because for many of us it was our first opportunity to get outside and work alongside our friends and neighbors after a very challenging year,” said Tim Gould, committee chair for Watershed Cleanup Day. “It was great to see everyone having fun outside on a sunny Saturday morning after nearly a year of planning and collaboration with our partners.”

The event is made possible by community volunteers and a partnership between ClearWater Conservancy, Centre County Recycling and Refuse Authority, Spring Creek Watershed MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) Partnership.

“The amount of litter we’ve seen has diminished over the years and that truly shows that education is working to create the ethos of preserving our beautiful private and public lands,” said Shafer.

The Spring Creek Watershed MS4 Partnership is comprised of State College Borough, College Township, Ferguson Township, Harris Township, Patton Township, Spring Township, and Penn  State University.

The partnership works together to develop and implement a stormwater management program to reduce contamination of stormwater runoff.

"Watershed Cleanup Day is an integral part of our stormwater management program in the Centre Region,” said Amy Farkas, Harris Township Manager. “This cleanup helps to supplement the work done by each municipality to ensure that our runoff is managed in an effective way. It truly takes a village to ensure our waterways remain clean."

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the ClearWater Conservancy website.  Click Here to sign up for their e-newsletter.  Visit them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and watch their YouTube Channel.  Click Here to support their work.

Visit the Centred Outdoors website to learn more about enjoying the outdoors in and around Centre County.

Volunteer For A Cleanup

The 2021 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative will be held from March 1 through May 31.  Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.

[Posted: May 14, 2021]

5/17/2021