Rivanna Conservation Alliance

Congratulations to the Rivanna Conservation Alliance for their $1,000 Green Grants award in the Litter Prevention category!

The Rivanna Conservation Alliance (RCA) is an environmental nonprofit based in Charlottesville, serving the Rivanna River watershed. RCA has a small staff, but a substantial impact on the watershed. They engage community volunteers in activities designed to monitor and improve our waterways, promote environmental stewardship, and increase understanding and appreciation of our watershed’s natural environment, including cleanups, education events, tree plantings, invasive removals, and more.

The Rivanna River Round-Up (RRRU) is a volunteer-led, community-wide cleanup event that focuses on combating litter in and around the Rivanna River watershed. RCA created the event in September 2020 to provide a safe way for the community to give back to the river during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In the four years of this event, RCA has recruited at total overall of 755 volunteers who cleaned up over 120 miles of streams, trails, and the Rivanna River, removing 389 tires and 573 large bags of trash from the waterways.

This event offers a variety of cleanup types and locations that volunteers can choose from, including sites that are land-based, in streams, or on the Rivanna River. Walking cleanups are focused on trails and riverbanks, while wading cleanups require volunteers to get in streams to collect trash. Volunteers can also register for paddling cleanups on the Rivanna to pull out tires and other items that wash into the river. Volunteers can even register their own cleanup as part of the event, with basic supplies provided by RCA.

Funds from the Green Grants award for the Rivanna River Round-Up will be helpful for this large-scale trash cleanup. The grant will provide crucial funding to replenish and grow the inventory of cleanup supplies, allowing the event to grow sustainably. As they enter the fifth year of the RRRU, the need for new supplies is greater than ever, and this grant will make enable them to meet this demand.  Supplies will include renting 10 canoes with shuttling service; renting an 18 yard dumpster for five days, purchasing new trash bags, work gloves, and items to restock first aid kits.

Lisa Wittenborn, Executive Director, said “This grant will empower us to focus our cleanup efforts to other parts of the watershed, particularly areas like Fluvanna County. There is a significant tire pollution problem here that we have been slowly addressing over the years.”

We’re confident that Rivanna Conservation Alliance will continue to benefit and serve the community and the environment.