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water cleanup

Logo for Claytor Lake's Izaak Walton League of America with the drawn image of water, fish, deer, trees, and birds.

$1,000 Award Goes to Claytor Lake Chapter Izzak Walton League

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Logo for Claytor Lake's Izaak Walton League of America with the drawn image of water, fish, deer, trees, and birds.Claytor Lake Chapter Izzak Walton League in Pulaski is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention category as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 15th Annual Green Grants program.    

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address environmental concerns in their community.  Grants must focus on one of the following priorities:   Litter Prevention, Recycling & Waste Reduction, Cigarette Litter Prevention & Recycling, or Community Beautification. 

The Izaak Walton League of America, founded in 1922, is one of the country’s oldest and most respected conservation organizations that’s dedicated to the protection of natural resources and the promotion of outdoor recreation. The Claytor Lake Chapter has focused its efforts on the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of Virginia’s natural resources. Their work encompasses the preservation of forests, soil, water, and wildlife, supporting both local ecosystems and the broader environmental health of the region.

Each month, the Claytor Lake Chapter of the Izaak Walton League hosts dedicated workdays, where volunteers come together to help clean up the local roadways leading into the campground and the surrounding waterways. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Claytor Lake and the surrounding areas experienced significant damage, with debris from upstream flooding flowing into the cove where their campground is located. The flooding has pushed even more materials downstream into a nearby creek that runs through the community, further expanding Photograph of Claytor Lake with still blue water, grasses in the foreground, spit of land with trees, blue skythe area in need of cleanup.

The Chapter needs basic tools and equipment to help sustain these efforts.  Green Grant funds will be used to purchase battery-powered chain saw, gas-powered chain saw, safety vests, as well as grabbles and ropes for removing debris from the waterway. 

These tools will greatly enhance our Chapter’s ability to clean up Claytor Lake and the surrounding roadways. Not only will they make the work easier and safer for our volunteers, but they will also allow the organization to more effectively serve the community by removing hazardous debris and restoring the natural beauty of the area. With the help of these grant funds, the Claytor Lake Chapter can continue its important mission of environmental stewardship.

People wading in the river, picking up trash

2024 Green Grants Award #13: Rivanna Conservation Alliance

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

People wading in the river, picking up trashThe 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.

Volunteers cleaning up litter from the Middle River

Friends of the Middle River Awarded Green Grant for Litter Prevention

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Volunteers cleaning up litter from the Middle RiverFriends of the Middle River is awarded a $500 Green Grant in the Litter Prevention Category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program!

Friends of the Middle River (FOMR), in Verona, promotes the stewardship and enjoyment of the Middle River Watershed through volunteer action, education, science, and outreach.  Litter hurts the river and her wild residents.  Tires that sit in the river for decades slowly disintegrate and release chemical pollutants into the water. Seeing ongoing litter in the river de-sensitizes residents to its unsightliness, implies that the community doesn’t care about where they live, and sends the message that littering will be tolerated.

Funds provided through the Green Grants program will be used to pay for dumpster rental for ten days during their Annual Middle River Cleanup. For the past seven years they have organized up to 75-100 volunteers per year into teams assigned to clean different sections of the Middle River. FOMR’s cleanup week is in August when the water is low (so you can see the trash) and the temperatures are still warm.

Volunteers clean up by walking in the River pulling a canoe behind them which acts as a barge for the trash collected. Each team of volunteers cleans a mile or two of the River. Other volunteers act as land crew and help unload, sort, or inventory the trash. Then the trash is transferred to a dumpster.

The Middle River is one of the headwaters of the Shenandoah River, whose waters flow all the way to the Chesapeake Bay. Membership in FOMR is free and open to everyone.

We appreciate the work of so many volunteers to keep our waterways clean — thank you!

 

$1,000 Grant goes to Groundwork RVA!

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Litter near riverTo help today’s youth understand urban waterways and how the impact we have on rivers impact the source of drinking water for the city, Groundwork RVA was awarded a $1,000 grant as part of Keep Virginia Beautiful’s 12th Annual Green Grants Program.

Groundwork RVA’s mission is to cultivate the next generation of urban conservationists. They work with youth and communities to facilitate environmental, economic, and social well-being in neighborhoods by changing places, lives, and systems, believing that a greener Richmond works for everyone in the city.

The Green Team is Groundwork RVA’s high school-aged program.  They work as a community-based conservation leadership program that emphasizes urban environmental restoration, job readiness, and service-learning.

Groundworks LogoThis summer, the Green Team plans to embark on a mission to better understand urban waterways and the impact that individuals have on the river that serves as the source of drinking water for the city.  The Green Team will tour Richmond City water treatment facilities to understand what happens to the water before it reaches people’s homes, and once it leaves.

Several key litter cleanup locations will be identified and adopted by the Green Team. The cleanup sites will consist of locations accessible by foot as well as river islands that are only accessible by boat. The youth will visit these sites weekly to perform litter cleanup and maintenance. By including these locations, they are accessing areas that many litter cleanup groups are not able to visit.  It also gives their team an opportunity to experience, grow in comfort, and help clean the river. In addition to the weekly litter cleanups, they plan to work with the Forge makerspace at the Science Museum of Virginia to design litter prevention signs.

Green Grant funds will be used for boat rentals to reach river islands, and to purchase litter grabbers, work gloves, and other cleanup supplies.

Thank you for the work you’re doing with our youth Groundwork RVA, and congratulations!