Whitewater River Cleanups

One of the best ways for paddlers to show our commitment to protecting the rivers we paddle is to organize and participate in stream cleanups. American Whitewater is proud to participate in the National River Cleanup Week® and we encourage our members and affiliate clubs to organize cleanups in association with this great program.

What is a river cleanup? River cleanups come in all shapes and sizes. A river cleanup is simply a group of river enthusiasts getting together to remove litter from the bed and banks of a section of river or stream. This can be as simple as a group of three or four paddlers cleaning up the put-in and take out of their favorite river, and/or picking up trash that they see while paddling or hiking the run. Cleanups can be as complex as whole communities rallying to clean up long sections of urban river corridors. It is up to you to decide how big to go.

Why participate in the national program? Participation in the National River Cleanup Week® program gets you free trash bags, organizational support, recognition (which helps build credibility for the paddling community), a chance to win some great prizes, and recognition in the AW journal. PLEASE, when you sign up, indicate that you are participating through American Whitewater! The winners of the photo contest will be published in the AW Journal.

More generally, river cleanups do several great things for rivers:

They remove trash that can harm wildlife and water quality.
They improve the scenic value of rivers for all recreational visitors.
They strengthen the local community of river enthusiasts.
Clean rivers are inspirational and encourage stewardship from the general public as opposed to trashed rivers which are perceived as having little value.
Press from river cleanups, and local participation, may reduce littering behavior.
Press from river cleanups improves the public perception of the paddling community and helps us more effectively participate in other environmental issues.

For more information: visit the National River Cleanup Week’s website

Sign Up Today! What is the timeline for participating? The river cleanups should occur during the week of May 31 - June 8 2008, and you should sign up as an organizer or participating group as soon as possible! The more people you can include the better, so start planning early. Sign Up Online!