Westfield Vocational High School cheerleaders volunteer for Westfield River cleanup. (Photo submitted)
There are reasons for hope for the Westfield River, and reasons for discouragement. The Westfield River Watershed Association, sponsor of the annual Westfield River cleanup, reports good news: more than 85 caring, committed, hard-working people showed up to help clean up the Westfield River this past Saturday. The bad news is that there are certain people in the area who continue to use the river as their personal dumping site.
Nearly 100 bags of trash, plus a large collection of furniture, tires, car parts, construction debris, rugs, blankets, sleeping bags, tents, a sink and pedestal were collected at Westfield and Russell sites. Thirty bags of trash and similar large items were collected by the volunteers in Agawam. Trash ranged from newspaper, cardboard and plastic to liquor, beer and soft drink cans and bottles, coffee cups and snack wrappers.
Volunteers in Westfield included a large group of Lane Construction employees and four Westfield Vocational High School cheerleaders and their advisor. The Lane crew brought two trucks to help move large items. The cheerleaders brought great energy and determination, as evidenced by the heavy, water-soaked furniture they dragged out of the river and up the river bank. In Agawam, volunteers included groups of students from Agawam High School and Wilbraham & Monson Academy, as well as residents from Agawam and other nearby communities.
The Westfield River cleanup is part of the annual Connecticut River Watershed Council’s Source to Sea (www.ctriver.org) cleanup that involves communities from the Canadian Border to Long Island Sound.
Mark Damon, organizer of the Westfield and Russell cleanup locations, noted that seeing middle school, high school and college students give up time on their weekend to help clean up the river gives him and other board members of the Westfield River Watershed Association hope for the future.
The Westfield River Watershed Association was established in 1953 to protect and improve the natural resources of the watershed, as well as to expand recreational and other land use opportunities for people’s enjoyment and for sound ecology. To join WRWA or learn more, visit www.westfieldriver.org.
