What do an eight-foot long wellpoint, a family of ducks, a trailer axle and a dozen shopping carts all have in common? They were all in the Black River on Saturday, August 28th when the Black River Action Team (BRAT) held the 11th Annual RiverSweep cleanup. A pair of bowling pins, a hot water heater, three bicycles, two pillows, a canoe full of rusting metal machine parts, bags full of household trash and food garbage, and bed springs were just some of the amazing haul of the more than 75 Springfield volunteers helping out at this year’s RiverSweep. From Boy Scouts to passersby, the volunteer army included long-time BRAT members like Marita Johnson to first-timers such as Edwin Fransen and Brandon Greene; a special addition this year was a gung-ho crew of employees from Black River Produce, the North Springfield company whose diesel fuel pumps were vandalized on August 8th, sending thousands of gallons of fuel into the Black River. The Produce crew was eager to roll up their sleeves and help out their namesake, and they didn’t disappoint. Using an old aluminum canoe as a trash barge, the intrepid crew paddled kayaks and waded downstream from North Springfield to the first boom that was installed to capture the floating fuel a few weeks ago. They collected more trash and metal debris than they could carry, stopping to off-load the junk twice at locations for pickup later in the day.

The 60 Plaza volunteers included Scout Pack 258 and Troop 252 as well as plenty of individuals and families plus folks who were on their way to or from work. People of all ages hauled out shopping carts, a hubcap, a pair of pillows, close to 200 pounds of broken plaster molds, a stop sign and a street sign for Maple Street (both complete with posts!), 2 partial bicycles and one whole bike, and so much more, covering the river’s edges between Riverside Middle School and the Plaza, the Toonerville Trail bike path, Hoyt’s Landing and even the small ‘Welcome Park’ established and maintained by Springfield citizen Harold Grout, down at the river behind the Community Center on Main Street.

The trio of BRATs working in Ludlow retrieved a variety of items ranging from an ironing board to metal strapping, but had to leave several items in the river or on the banks due to their size and weight. The BRAT plans a spring “mini-sweep” to retrieve items such as these.

2010 marks the 10th birthday of the BRAT, a group founded in 2000 by Kelly Stettner of Springfield . She was crossing a bridge in Springfield, looked over the rail to see what would be lurking in the water below; instead of fish and turtles, she saw shopping carts and tires. “That’s terrible!” she exclaimed to her husband, John. “Somebody really ought to do something about that.” John elbowed her in the ribs and replied, “Well, you’re ‘somebody.’” From a three-person cleanup crew that first year to more than 85 volunteers up and down the watershed just a decade later, Stettner continues to be amazed at the support RiverSweep receives every year.

Diesel fuel pours into Black River

Vandals are said to be the source of the release, which happened early in the morning on Sunday, August 8th. Black River Produce, a long-standing community partner in North Springfield, hosts a diesel fuel pump on their lot to service their fleet of delivery trucks. Over 4,000 gallons of fuel are estimated to have washed into the storm drain on the lot and poured out the drainage pipe directly into the Black River on the other side of the road.

I took this photo at our kayak dock/sampling station down at Riverside Middle School this evening about 6:30, and you can see there is still a sheen of oil. I did spot a few crayfish and one bottom-dwelling slimy sculpin, but no river bugs. Perhaps they sensed my presence and hid or fled, but I didnt see a single caddisfly or scud or boatman…nothing. I’ll know more as I do bug hunts over the next few weeks; I am hoping to get down there in the morning tomorrow or Friday with my net and will post results.

The Springfield Fire Department agrees that the fuel will most likely be long gone by our annual RiverSweep on August 28th: as the river slowly pushes the water downstream, what fuel escapes the boom will be evaporated by the many waterfalls on the river.

I am in touch with Black River Produce to see if there is any way we can help them with cleanup or anything at all. A good rain storm will help dissipate the fuel and wash it off the rocky shores, so it can more easily be vacuumed up by the cleanup company hired by BRP.

Island in the Black River?

Early in the spring, a large pine tree behind the Springfield Shopping Plaza cracked and the top half splashed into the river. It floated downstream just a short ways and lodged into the silty bottom, it’s branches sticking up out of the water. Over the next few months and years, I plan to keep a photographic record of its development as wildlife takes advantage of this new habitat.

RIVERSWEEP SCHEDULED for 8/28/10

Mark your calendars, it’s official! This is the 11th Annual RiverSweep, taking place at all points along the Black River in Windsor County, VT. We share our results with our umbrella organization, the CT River Watershed Council, to combine with their trash tally for the annual Source-to-Sea cleanup they do.

As usual, I’ll have an HQ station at the Springfield Shopping Plaza (in the bank drive-up near the footbridge) and at the gazebo on the Town Green in Veterans’ Park in Ludlow. Come on by anytime between 8am and noon to sign in, pick up your free tee shirt and refreshments, grab a pair of workgloves and a trash bag and see where you’d like to work.

Stay for an hour or all morning! Free lunch is generously donated by local businesses, as a ‘thank you’ for donating your time and elbow-grease.

Can’t make it on the 28th? Show your support by mailing us a check in any amount, and we’ll use it to offset the costs of our projects throughout the year. Send it to the BRAT, 45 Coolidge Road, Springfield VT 05156.

Tax-deductible donations may be mailed (with “BRAT” in the memo section) to the CT River Watershed Council, 15 Bank Row, Greenfield MA 01301.

Join the fun as we clean the river from bed to banks and beyond!

Welcome to 2010!

It’s been ten years since our first ripple! We have grown from a once-a-year cleanup with a handful of folks to a dynamic, organic grassroots team of dozens of wonderful volunteers.

From hunting river bugs to exploring the upper reaches of our watershed, we’ve really begun to have FUN!

There are big plans for lots of great projects and events for 2010, so stay tuned.