Volunteers Remove Trash And Debris From Streams Throughout The Chesapeake Bay[imageframe class=”acb-img-container float-right-container” ] Local streams and woodlands received a clean start to Earth Month as thousands of volunteers came out on the first Saturday in April for Project Clean Stream, one of the largest cleanup events in the Chesapeake Bay region. Perdue proudly presented Project Clean Stream 2011 as the event’s first lead sponsor and allowed for some serious results. Though all results are not in, the cleanup has easily cleared previous years and our 2011 goals; so far, on April 2nd Project Clean Stream brought in over 300,000 lbs of trash with 5,044 volunteers at an impressive 222 cleanup sites! In addition, sites were asked to track the number of plastic or glass containers removed; the preliminary data show a remarkable 120,000 containers. Even larger numbers are on their way; 22 sites are still on target to submit results.Results and efforts seen from Project Clean Stream are a true testament to collaboration and partnerships. Over 90 different watershed groups and businesses helped to organize cleanup sites for 2011. Perdue alone boasted over 50 cleanup sites throughout Maryland and Delaware and even states outside of the Bay watershed including states as south as Georgia and as west as Kentucky and Indiana. The Alliance was successful in securing sites in Pennsylvania and Virginia as well as introducing invasive species pulls and tree plantings to the event. On a more local level, watershed organizations, such as Blue Water Baltimore and Gunpowder Valley Conservancy, dramatically expanded the number of sites and community involvement within their watersheds.

Lou Etgen, Associate Director for the Alliance states, “Project Clean Stream is a multidimensional program. It makes our streams and woodlands safer and cleaner, encourages people to get outside and investigate their local streams, and connects volunteers with their local watershed groups. Most importantly, it brings community members together and educates volunteers on the importance of environmental stewardship and inspires them to make a difference!”[imageframe class=”acb-img-container float-right-container” ] Of course ideas for next year are already under way and even larger goals are coming into focus. “I’d love to see cleanup sites in every state in the Chesapeake Bay watershed”, says Dan Ellis, the coordinator for Project Clean Stream 2011, “The power of this sort of event is that everyone lives near a stream of some kind; we can get the message across that actions from hundreds of miles away still influence the Chesapeake Bay.” Ellis also hopes for an incorporation of more tree plantings and invasive species pulls in the future. “Maybe a theme for PCS2012 could urge that cleaning a stream isn’t just removing trash, it’s restoring it to a more historic past.”

Under the coordination from the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, with the help of Perdue, the Chesapeake Bay Trust and partnering watershed groups, cleanup sites were significantly increased in quantity and distribution. The Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay applauds the efforts of our volunteers, contributors, and partners in this important out-reach initiative, and understands that Project Clean Stream would not be possible without the assistance of the many individuals that work towards making this annual clean up a success.[one_half ] [one_half ]

Perdue presents Project Clean Stream 2011 with help from Chesapeake Bay Trust, View Perdue’s Environmental Programs Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

If you’d like more information about Project Clean Stream, please visit www.allianceforthebay.org/pcs, call (443) 949-0575 or e-mail dellis@allianceforthebay.org.