I grew up in Niagara County, NY, a place so polluted that neither the rivers nor the Great Lakes — the largest reservoir of fresh water on earth — are clean enough for swimming or fishing. When I moved to Western Massachusetts, I fell in love with swimming in rivers and lakes — and, in particular, in the pristine Green River. The Green River Cleanup began 16 years ago when my son Noah, along with a group of students from his environmental science class, decided to take direct action. From that day, the cleanup has grown into an amazing community effort to care for our rivers and watersheds.
On Sept. 27 and 28, nearly 600 volunteers participated in Greenfield’s part of the annual Source to Sea Cleanup. Greenfield volunteers recently have expanded their focus to include sections of the Deerfield and Connecticut River Valleys. This is the largest and most vibrant group in the entire Source to Sea effort. It demonstrates the deep commitment of our community to preserving and improving our waterways and the ecosystems of which they are a part. Volunteers clearly consider their engagement an essential but also a joyful experience. Despite the ugly trash they dragged to the Green River Swimming Area, the mood there was jubilant. People enjoyed meeting old and new friends who shared their commitment to cleaning our waterways. As coordinator of the Green River Cleanup, I want to thank everyone who participated. What an engaged community!
About 300 students from local schools took a break from classes on Sept. 27 and plunged unhesitatingly into trash-littered fields and riverbanks. They have every reason to be concerned about the environmental future they will experience, and it is inspiring to see their enthusiasm. The Franklin County Sherriff’s Office supervised a group of workers who assisted Northeast Paving and the Greenfield Fire Department in removing 700 tires from a dump above the Green River. The DPW donated equipment, cleared roadways, and hauled away the massive pile of trash gathered from all sites that included metal, plastic, furniture, solvents, paints, and oils. The City of Greenfield made the swimming area available as a center of operations.
Local businesses also played a key role. Manny’s, BJ’s, Greenfield Coop Bank and The Tire Warehouse contributed supplies and sponsorship. Monty at WRSI, WHAI, 95.3 Bear Country, and the Greenfield Recorder helped to get the word out before and after the event. Other businesses contributed food and beverages to nourish volunteers: Coffee Roasters, Mesa Verde, Antonios, Real Pickles, Big Y, Magpie, People’s Pint, Adam’s Donuts, DeAngelos, Wine Rack, The Market, Rise Above, New Fortune, Ryan and Casey, Harper’s Store, Subway, Dunkin Donuts (Federal Street), Dunkin Donuts (Mohawk Trail), Artisan Beverages, Clarkdales, and Fosters. PV Squared contributed trucks, equipment, and a large group of volunteers to tackle a difficult site that included an abandoned guesthouse in a ravine above the Green River. Trout Unlimited, USA Hauling, and Jonathan George Accounting did an amazing job cleaning the Bardwell Ferry Bridge site.
The challenges ahead for future years will require even greater efforts and cooperation. Locally, we need to address what becomes of the relatively pristine Green River south of the Swimming Area. Testing shows that, before flowing through the City of Greenfield, it is a Grade A watercourse, but it enters the Deerfield River as Grade D. It will be a difficult to remediate the old industrial sites and other sources of urban contamination. It will require more partners, more resources, and even greater commitment to get this done, but I believe that this year’s experience shows we are up to it. We not only swim in this river, but it is the source of 33 percent of Greenfield’s water. The Green River flows into the Deerfield, the Deerfield into the Connecticut, the Connecticut into Long Island Sound, and the Sound is an arm of the Atlantic. The oceans are the concern of all of us. Moreover, the water, air, and climate are all interconnected. We must continue to think and act both locally and globally.
I want to thank the Connecticut River Conservancy with its wonderful staff. They not only remind us of important environmental interconnections, but also provide important leadership and assistance to our local work. They understand that we all must be partners to reach our goals. I would also like to thank the Deerfield River Watershed Association for their support. Finally, a big thanks to Mike Pattavina for his stellar support and effort. See you all next year!
David Boles is the coordinator of the Green River Cleanup.