Cleaning Up
Cape Fear River Watch volunteers have picked up nearly 7,000 pounds of trash from local watersheds during the first 3 monthly clean-ups of 2008.
Go ahead. Read that sentence again. 7,000 pounds. Now consider that 2 of those 3 clean-ups took place in the cold rain. Granted, the volunteer crews did knock off at noon on the rainy days rather than the usual 1:00pm, but that kind of dedication is worthy of recognition and applause. Go ahead. Clap.
In addition to the usual assemblage of plastic bags, styrofoam cups, fast food wrappers, bottles, cans and discarded car tires, volunteers have picked up television and computer remnants, the discarded front door to somebody’s house, and a full and sealed IV bag. Enough trash had accumulated in a tributary of Smith Creek near Maides Park to effectively dam the creek. River Watch volunteers removed the trash dam and restored flow to the creek.
Where does it go from here? April’s clean-up is scheduled to take place at Greenfield Lake on April 19th (the Saturday closest to Earth Day.) Judging from the effectiveness of the River Watch volunteers thus far in 2008 and the experience of previous years’ clean-ups at Greenfield Lake, the City of Wilmington had best send more than one dump truck to remove the expected trash haul. The recent low water in the lake due to repairs to the outfall dam has shown that too much of the lake’s more than 5 miles of shoreline is strewn with trash. CFRW is hoping for/expecting a big turn-out to put a big dent in that mess. It’s little early to make real predictions, but so far the long range forecast is calling for sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. We’re due.
Greenfield Lake is one of the hidden jewels of Wilmington and it shines even more beautifully in the spring when the cypress begins to leaf, the dogwood blooms under the long leaf pine canopy, and the thousands of azalea bushes that ring the lake explode in color. It’s about the prettiest spot in the world to pick up trash.
As with previous years’ Greenfield clean-ups, this years effort will include both land and water components. Since so much of the lake’s shoreline is approachable only by water, many volunteers will be using canoes and kayaks to get where the trash lies. For those who aren’t comfortable plying waters of a lake with multiple 14 foot alligators in a tippy canoe, there will still be plenty of trash to pick up on shore. Sometimes it seems that azalea bushes exist solely to catch blowing McDonalds wrappers.
If you’d like more information about how you can help with April’s big Greenfield Lake cleanup contact either Bill Murray or Joe Abbate at River Watch. Until then, just consider that first number again, 7,000 lbs, and take your hats off to a great crew of volunteers.
Burnt Mill Creek Water Quality Summary 2007 is Available
“Five of seven samples collected in 2007 at BMC-AP1 had counts exceeding 200 CFU/100 mL; and four of seven samples from BMC-AP3 exceeded the standard. The high variability among counts prevented the apparent reduction through the pond from being statistically significant.”
OK, Wuthering Heights it’s not, but for those with an interest in the water quality of our local streams and rivers Mike Mallin’s 2007 Burnt Mill Creek Water Quality Summary makes some fascinating reading.
Does the Ann McRary Pond succeed as a pollutant removal device? Why is the Turbidity higher in water leaving the Kerr Avenue Wetland than water entering? Are the fecal coliform counts at Princess Place and Wallace Park going up or down relative to previous years? Why?
Really, this is good stuff, even if you don’t know your BMPs from your BODs. And there are pictures . . . well, a map.
Make Some Rain
The North Carolina Conservation Network is recruiting Rainmakers. No, nothing to do with the drought. Each Rainmaker will work for one of the Eastern North Carolina Riverkeeper organizations – including Cape Fear River Watch – to implement a comprehensive fundraising plan. Increasing the organization’s membership base and donor revenue stream will be a core Rainmakers goal.
The full job description and application form can be viewed on NCCN’s website. If you’d like to work with some of the finest environmental organizations in the region with training and support from a proven leader, then this is your opportunity. If you know somebody who would like to work for some of the finest environmental organizations in the region, then pass on this message because this could be his or her opportunity.
Raise the Bar is Back
Raise the Bar, the weekly fundraiser sponsored by Miller Lite and Sea-Comm Media (The Big Talker 93.7 & 106.3, The Bone 103.7 and The Penguin 106.7) will begin another 4 month run in April. Cape Fear River Watch and the Cape Fear Surfrider Foundation will be the beneficiaries of this traveling weekly happy hour extravaganza featuring live music, free food, exciting raffles, and the occasional snippet of environmental education.
The fun begins with CFRW on April 3rd from 5-8pm on the Reel Café’s rooftop deck overlooking the Cape Fear River. The next week (April 10th) the fun moves to Hamburger Joe’s on Market St. in Ogden. Surfrider will be the beneficiary the next two weeks at Kefi and the Ocean Grill on the 17th and 24th. Keep an eye on the River Watch Calendar Page for dates and places after that.
The Raise The Bar Cruisin’ Karaoke challenge was both great fun for and a great help to River Watch over the last 6 months and we’re all looking forward to this “live music in the summer” version.
