GREENFIELD — Just days before the 29th annual Source to Sea Cleanup, organizers say they’ve seen a sizable uptick in volunteer sign-ups, which could result in the yearly effort making an even greater impact on curbing pollution in the Connecticut River Watershed.
“This year, I feel like there’s suddenly been an explosion,” said Source to Sea Cleanup Coordinator Stacey Lennard. “We have at least 108 groups all throughout the watershed, and there’s a lot more we don’t hear about until after.”
Lennard said the Connecticut River Conservancy, which organizes the Source to Sea Cleanup in hopes of ensuring cleaner water and healthier habitats through the 410-mile watershed in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut, is expecting about 1,500 volunteers across the 108 or more groups by the time a final count is in hand. The 2024 cleanup saw 117 groups participating, a number that will likely be exceeded this year when the final tally is in, as the do-it-yourself nature of the event allows groups to form quickly and run their cleanups either before or after this weekend.
The Source to Sea Cleanup removed 39 tons of waste in 2024. The annual event has long been held in conjunction with the Green River Cleanup, formed 22 years ago.
According to Green River Cleanup founder David Boles, the group removed roughly 25 tons of trash during the 2024 cleanup. This year’s event will place particular emphasis on the southern portion of the Green River. The northern portion, according to Boles, is clean and healthy, but by the time the river exits Greenfield to the south, it is heavily polluted.
“I don’t know how we can take a Grade A body of water in this day and age, and not address the problem with it,” Boles said. “We dump it into the Deerfield [River] in poor quality.”
Those involved in the Source to Sea and Green River cleanups say the community effort not only has a positive impact on the environment, but on the volunteers as well.
“You should take a before-and-after picture of some of these places,” Boles said. “It just feels incredibly freeing to see them regain what they’re supposed to be.”
“I think the river is a place where everyone can find a home, so being able to go and make sure it’s clean is great,” said Amanda Major, the outreach and events coordinator at the Connecticut River Conservancy. “When you’re actually giving back and you’re like, ‘This river gives me water, I’m going to make sure this water is clean by taking trash out,’ that’s really powerful.”
Lennard echoed Major’s sentiment.
“In trying times like we’re living in, I think something like the Source to Sea Cleanup, which is a real hands-on, volunteer event where people can get out and be in community with other people, get dirty, work hard and see their progress, is a very palpable, positive experience,” Lennard explained.
Besides an uptick in volunteers, the recent drought and low water levels in western Massachusetts may help this year’s cleanup be more effective.
“I think [the drought] will allow for better access into the river, to help with the cleanups,” Boles mentioned.
“You know, we’ll see about [the water levels],” said Lennard, “after we get an inch or two of rain on Wednesday and Thursday.”
Green River Cleanup volunteers will meet on Saturday, Sept. 27, starting at 9 a.m. at the Green River Swimming and Recreation Area on Nash’s Mill Road. Breakfast and lunch will be provided by area restaurants, and there will be live music by Boys of the Landfill. School groups and other organizations will participate in cleanup efforts on Friday.
More information about the Source to Sea Cleanup is available at ctriver.org/source-to-sea-cleanup.
Volunteers are advised to dress accordingly, with pants and proper footwear. Gloves and trash bags will be provided, according to Boles. The cleanup could use volunteers with trucks and trailers to help haul away larger debris.
“It’s a great celebration,” Boles said. “We hope to get up to 300 people between Friday and Saturday, and celebrate the fact we have a beautiful river and it runs here into Greenfield.”