Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy - WOW!! The 2008 Annual Stream Clean-up Event was an AMAZING SUCCESS!

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1 Skippack Pike
Schwenksville, PA 19473
pwc@perkiomenwatershed.org

500 WATERSHED WARRIORS
****CLEAN IT UP !****

The April 19th, 2008 Stream Clean-up Event was the
LARGEST in PWC History!

(click here for the Press Release)

An INCREDIBLE **503** Watershed Warriors rallied to 27 different clean-up sites throughout the Perkiomen Watershed, from Collegeville, Arcola, Oaks, Schwenksville, Skippack and Harleysville to Lederach, Green Lane, East Greenville, Pennsburg, Telford and Sellersville!

We collected 324 bags of trash and 164 tires! Here's a list of some of the more unusual items you all rescued from our streams:

Many, many car parts including a whole engine!
3 bags cow manure
4-55 gal drums
2 hubcaps
8 shopping carts
4 street signs, 2 parking meters
2 toilets
electric conduit
Lots & lots of corrugated plastic, PVC & metal drainage pipe
LOTS of scrap metal of all shapes and sorts
2 kiddie swimming pools, 1 swing set
12 lawn chairs, 1 lazyboy
1 inflatable kayak, 1 rubber raft
1 wooden boat & 1 oar
1 fridge door
1 water heater
2 stereo speakers
road guard rails, fence posts,
1 “Danger-Dam!” sign
carpet, clothing, furniture
3 metal file drawers
1 beach umbrella, 2 bar stools, 3 wheel barrows
lots of construction silt fencing
siding, garage door tracks
4 bicycles, 3 air conditioners, 2 TV’s
1 full riding mower, engine, seat, wheels and all!

Volunteers from SEI, Inc. raise their arms in triumph after wrestling a 10-ton, water-logged riding lawn mower out of the muddy creek and up a long, steep embankment.

PWC Executive Director, Crystal Gilchrist, and her team show off their muscles and their haul of trash including lots of scrap metal and a water heater!

LET'S TALK TRASH!

This amazing event draws hundreds of volunteers aged 3-93, from all reaches of the 362 square mile Perkiomen Watershed, from families, church groups, businesses, schools, environmental organizations, scouts and anyone else who likes clean water! Volunteers remove trash, debris and other offending items from streams and creeks in various locations throughout the watershed (Click here to see a map of the Perkiomen Watershed). Leaders, all supplies and water/snacks are provided. Volunteers should be prepared to get wet and muddy and to leave with an awesome sense of accomplishmennt!

Very Special Thanks To So Many Who Made this Event Possible:

Laura Brody, our intrepid
Stream Clean-up coordinator, volunteer, tire-cleaner, emergency phone-answerer
and all-around
DO EVERYTHING Intern
from Ursinus College!

Our Terrific Team Site Leaders: Elaine Brim, Maggy Burnick, Bruce Cattie, Lisa Cleary, Marcia Clouser, Andy Curtis, Ron Dahlen, Lisa Dull & Regina Ewer, Andy Feick, Crystal Gilchrist, Gene Halus, Cathy Heckler, Manjula Ibrahim, Robin Johnson, Bob Kahley, John Kenney, Preston Luitweiler, Gil Marshall, Steve Mastrocola, Terry & Carol O'Hara, Bill Pierson, Tad Radzinski, Michele Shamus, Gwen & Adam Supplee, Sandy Sweeney and Dave Whitman.

Over 130 students, parents and teachers from
Perkiomen Valley High School participated at several stream clean-up sites.

Our Wonderful Trash Pick-Up Crews: Drew and Crystal Gilchrist, Jon Parker, KayDee Brasch, Gary White & Ursinus College Crews 1 & 2, Terry Maenza & sons, Bob Kahley, Andy Curtis, Jim Straukoski, Garret Burch & Betsy Whitman.

Just one of dozens of truck and trailer loads of trash and tires collected and delivered to our dumpsters by our terrific Pick-up Crew Teams!

And a Small but Mighty Tire Cleaning Crew:(From left to right): David Gilchrist, Laura Brody, Kelly Germann, KayDee Brasch, Jon Parker (not pictured, Tom Maslany & Bob Kahley)

Before recycling, power-washing all the tires of mud, stones, debris and critters is a VERY DIRTY JOB!!

One of three 30-yard trash dumpsters filled to overflowing and our tire dumpster with 164 tires waiting to be cleaned before they go to Emmanuel Tire, Inc. in Conshohocken for recycling!

Now THAT'S DEDICATION! Brian Kavanaugh dives into the creek up to his earlobes to drag a tire from the muddy depths!

CALLING ALL CANOES!

This year we asked our volunteers with canoes to bring them along. Sometimes a canoe is the only way to get at those "hard-to-reach" items (like that plastic bag hanging on a branch 2 feet out over the water, or that tire stuck on a rock out in the middle!) A canoe is also JUST the thing when an item is too heavy to carry across the stream by hand. Thanks to all of our Canoe-volunteers!

TELL US WHERE THE TRASH IS!

Have you ever seen a lovely creek, stream or pond just crying out for SOMEONE to clean up all that trash!? We are always seeking new trashy locations to add to our annual clean-up! Do you know of a location within the Perkiomen Creek Watershed that could use a
"Spring Cleaning in 2009?"
CLICK HERE to let us know!!
NOTE: if email link does not work, please email us at kgermann@perkiomenwatershed.org

Our best quote for 2008: "What are people THINKING throwing trash down here? There are animals living
in this creek!!"

Perkiomen Valley High School students show off their finds.

A very dedicated crew at the Yerkes Road site in Collegeville.

It's getting harder to throw trash in, as the dumpster fills up!

Somebody's missing their kiddie pool!

Students from Methacton High School Environmental Club
drag, roll, push and wrestle a full-size water heater
out of the creek.

One of our 3 trash dumpsters, after the clean-up. For perspective, the sides are 6 feet high!

We should have dump-trucks for this job!

A huge metal BOX? What IS this thing!?

A buried shopping cart. How do these things get here??

THANK YOU to our very GENEROUS SPONSORS for the 2008 Stream Clean Up:

Aqua Pennsylvania
Cabot Corporation
PCWIC
Waste Management
Emmanuel Tire, in Conshohocken
Exelon Nuclear
Green Lane Park
North Penn Water Authority
Pennsylvania American Water
Harmony Promotional Solutions
EmpoweredZone.com*

All Stream Clean-up Volunteers received a FREE recycled plastic
"Official Watershed Warrior" reusable 20-ounce sportsbottle as a THANK YOU!

Front Back

*One generous sponsor, EmpoweredZone.com, was not included on the sportsbottle list of sponsors.
Check out the EmpoweredZone.com website!

QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS? QUESTIONS?

**Click here for our Frequently Asked Questions Page for all of your

Stream Clean-Up Questions!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

We Need Sponsors! This event attracts many hundreds of volunteers from our community. Let us splash your name and logo on our sportsbottles, t-shirts, website, press releases and newsletters!! Do you know of or work for a local school, group or business that would like to become a sponsor of this great event? Please let us know! (Click here to email us) (note: if email link does not work, please email us at kgermann@perkiomenwatershed.org)
Volunteers to assist in the organization and outreach aspects of the Annual Stream Clean-up Event. Do you want to be more involved, or maybe cannot be available the day of the event? Contact Kelly Germann to discuss the many ways YOU can help make this event a SUCCESS! (Click here to email us) (note: if email link does not work, please email us at kgermann@perkiomenwatershed.org)