Annual Adopt A River Event to be Held Saturday

The Lansing Board of Water & Light (BWL) and Impression 5 Science Center will hold the annual Adopt A River event this Saturday, May 9 from 8:30am to 1pm at Impression 5 Science Center, 200 Museum Drive in Lansing. Volunteers will help make the Lansing area even more beautiful by cleaning up the Grand and Red Cedar rivers along the 10.2-mile Lansing River Trail.

Admission to Impression 5 Science Center is free on Saturday to those who register and participate in the clean-up. In addition, several varieties of native, potted trees will be given away as part of the BWL’s Plant a Tree in the Right Place program. Participants should bring their own gloves for the clean-up. Complementary, reusable water bottles will be provided to be filled at the BWL Water Station, as well as brunch to those who register.

This year’s schedule for Adopt A River is as follows:
•    8:30am – Registration
•    9-11am – Clean-up 
•    10:30am-1pm – Brunch & Environmental Fair

The kid-friendly environmental fair will showcase exhibitors, including:
•    Craft provided by BWL
•    BWL Falcons
•    BWL Historical Exhibit
•    Capital Area District Library
•    Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA)
•    City of Lansing Public Service Department
•    Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) – Project Wild
•    EGLE – Water Resource Division
•    Greater Lansing Regional Stormwater Management
•    MSU Department of Entomology
•    Potter Park Zoo

Since Adopt A River’s inception in 1994, volunteers have cleared literal tons of litter, and the program has earned statewide awards for river stewardship. It has also served as a model for similar river-awareness programs in Michigan. For more information or to register, go to www.impression5.org.