Raritan Headwaters, based in Bedminster, has been named a River Hero by the national group American Rivers for its annual cleanup of the upper Raritan River and its tributaries.
BEDMINSTER - Raritan Headwaters has been named a River Hero by the national group American Rivers for its annual cleanup of the upper Raritan River and its tributaries.
Raritan Headwaters organized 1,347 volunteers in April 2016 for a cleanup of the North and South Branches of the Raritan River and their tributary streams. Working at 52 sites in 31 municipalities within the 470-square-mile watershed region, the volunteers removed more than 12 tons of trash, according to a news release.
For its efforts, Raritan Headwaters was given an honorable mention in the Most Volunteers Mobilized category of the 25th annual National River Cleanup recognition program. The organization was the only all-New Jersey group to be honored.
"We're thrilled to be recognized as a River Hero by American Rivers," said Angela Gorczyca, water quality manager for Raritan Headwaters and organizer of RHA's stream cleanup. "Raritan Headwaters' mission is to protect clean water in our watershed, and we're very grateful to the dedicated volunteers who help us carry out this mission."
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Volunteers at the 2016 cleanup included students, Scout troops, families, churches, community clubs, environmental commissions, open space committees, residents, and businesses from throughout the watershed region.
"Over 53,000 volunteers removed more than 3.4 million pounds of trash from nearly 2,000 cleanup sites, and individuals across the country helped keep over 31,000 pieces of garbage and debris out of our waterways," American Rivers spokesman Lowell George said during the 2016 National River Cleanup.
"Without cleanup organizers and their dedicated volunteers, we'd be left with millions of pounds of trash still in our rivers."
River Hero awards were given in the categories of most river miles cleaned, most pounds of trash collected, most volunteers mobilized and most pounds of trash by fewest volunteers (known as the "Tiny but Mighty" award).
Raritan Headwaters next stream cleanup takes place on Earth Day, April 22.
"We're already working on putting together a fantastic group of volunteers," Gorczyca said.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, at multiple sites along the Raritan River throughout Hunterdon, Somerset and Morris counties.
Everyone with an interest in clean water is invited to participate, from individuals and families to businesses, civic organizations and church groups, at the site of their choice. Bags, gloves, T-shirts and snacks will be provided. Participants need only bring their enthusiasm.
"Wind, rain and snowmelt wash litter from the land into our local streams which could adversely impact the drinking water of nearly 1.5 million New Jersey residents," explained Gorczyca. "By cleaning up areas along waterways, volunteers play a very important role in helping to preserve water quality, not only in their neighborhoods, but all the way down to the Atlantic Ocean."
For more information, contact Gorczyca at 908-234-1852, ext. 315, email agorczyca@raritanheadwaters.org or go to www.raritanheadwaters.org/streamcleanup.