Lansing's Adopt-A-River draws 500 volunteers

Grasha, Kevin (2012, May 5) Lasing State Journal http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012305060100&nclick_check=1

Idealism was in full force Saturday, as volunteers walked the banks of the Grand and Red Cedar rivers and hauled away trash.

When asked why their Holt-based Girl Scout troop was involved in the 19th-annual Adopt- A-River event, Anna Woodrough, 7, and Francesca Hagle, 6, responded in unison:

“(To) make the world a better place.”

Both girls, members of Troop No. 239, were referencing Girl Scout philosophy.

A fellow troop member, 7-year-old Keirsea McDaniel, added that she wanted to “help the environment.”

They were among an estimated 500 volunteers who registered for this year’s river cleanup, which was sponsored by the Lansing Board of Water & Light and Impression 5 Science Center.

In the last two decades, volunteers have collected enough trash to fill several small houses.

Among the items collected Saturday were aluminum wrappers, cigarette butts, broken glass, bottle caps — even a discarded fishing pole.

Tansay Carter, BWL’s public relations and diversity specialist, and three youths from her church were part of the effort.

“Helping out the planet — that’s really big for young people,” Carter said. “They’re very Earth-friendly, Earth-focused.”

The Adopt-A-River event was an idea spawned two decades ago to protect the rivers.

It has expanded in scope to include giving away tree saplings and instructions on how, and where, to plant them.

The BWL has given away more than 9,000 trees in recent years, said spokesman Steve Serkaian.

The utility’s general manager, Peter Lark, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, and Impression 5 executive director Erik Larson helped plant an 8-foot pear tree in the median along Museum Drive.

Beautification of the street, which is between the Dye Water Conditioning Plant and Impression 5, was part of the event.

Still, the rivers were the focus.

“Obviously, it’s something we all share,” Lark said.

Roll up your sleeves, pull on the plastic gloves and join BWL General Manager J. Peter Lark and hundreds of volunteers for BWL’s annual spring Adopt A River Day, the event that has won statewide awards and served as a model for other river-awareness programs.

This year’s event will include beautification efforts along Museum Drive where banners and fence paintings will be installed to give the corridor a visual boost, and improvements will be made to the trailhead of the Lansing River Trail.

This year’s events will include an environmental fair, and the BWL will again give out free saplings and ornamental trees to volunteers. Here are just a few of the folks and attractions on tap for that day:

Please read on about the great history of this even greater event and see sign-up information below.

Lansing’s Adopt A River program was organized by the BWL in 1994 to restore pride in one of our area’s great natural resources.
Adopt A River encourages businesses, unions, schools and civic groups to adopt sections of the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers and to keep their banks and nearby areas clean and free from litter. Numerous groups are currently signed on as adopters of sections of the two rivers.

Adopt A River Clean-up

The BWL continues to provide support for Adopt A River. Two general river cleanup days are organized each year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Everyone is invited to join these efforts and take part in a picnic lunch along the Grand River following the cleanup.

In 2006, the BWL began a new partnership with Impression 5 Science Center to coordinate the Adopt A River program. River cleanup headquarters is now located at Impression 5 Science Center along the Riverwalk at 200 Museum Drive in Lansing. The partnership will provide new opportunities to broaden and enhance the program, including free admission to Impression 5 Science Center the day of river cleanups for Adopt A River volunteers. Impression 5 will focus its Super Saturday exhibits on learning about ecology and the environment on those days.

Since the program began, Adopt A River volunteers have cleared literally tons of litter and junk from our rivers and river banks. Adopt A River volunteers are a major reason why these Lansing resources are being returned to their natural beauty.

For more information or to sign up for the next river cleanup, please call:
Erik Larson, Impression 5 Science Center, 485-8116 ext. 43.