Cayuga Lake and its creeks are at the heart and center of our lives, and we need to celebrate and protect them.
What: We are embracing and encircling Cayuga Lake with creek and lakefront cleanups, starting this spring and into early summer. Thirty-four major creeks drain to the lake, along with hundreds of small straight streams. In cooperation with the Floating Classroom and the Center for Environmental Sustainability, the Cayuga Lake Watershed Network is organizing a rolling schedule of weekend creek and waterfront cleanups around the lake. We invite individuals, families, schools, churches, businesses, Scouts and community groups to take part.
When: We’ll have a celebration and kickoff cleanup during the weekend of April 16-18, the Global Days of Service prior to the 40th anniversary of Earth Day the following weekend. A rolling schedule will keep these cleanups going until the plants grow too high for effective cleanups (hard to imagine right now!).
Where: Anywhere in the Cayuga Lake Watershed, where waters are flowing in the direction of Cayuga Lake. Do you have a favorite neighborhood creek or wetland, where trash has built up? Here is your chance to get that mess cleaned up. Was your picnic spot or shoreline area along the lake marred by garbage, last fall? Let’s get that stuff out of there! A couple of communities are already organizing for a creek cleanup, but not many yet. Help celebrate and protect our creeks and lake.
Who: Individuals, families, schools, churches, Scouts, community groups. You!
As a group organizes for a cleanup, we’ll help pick a good spot along the chosen creek or waterfront area that is safe for all ages and approved by landowners, and get the word out via email, a press release to local newspapers, radio, etc. We are asking for a couple of hours of volunteer time to pick up trash and clean up around a carefully-selected area.
To help you organize a cleanup, we need the following information:
- Do you want to have your own cleanup, or be a participant?
- If you are doing your own cleanup, we need the coordinator for your group – name, contact information (preferably both phone and email). You might want to come up with a fun name for your group and cleanup!
- Name of the creek or lake waterfront area you will be tackling.
- A cleanup location – safe, with nearby parking, and landowner permission.
- Provide clear directions to provide to volunteers who want to show up on the date. Tackle a do-able section with trash appropriate to your group.
- A date and time period for the cleanup (two to four hours at most) and weather (rain, snow) date.
We’ll help with these tasks:
Publicity – a short news release for local newspapers, radio stations, and other places you suggest (we’ll help write and send it out).
- Garbage bags to fill, a place to put the full bags, and someone to collect and dispose of them properly afterwards (we’ll help organize the pickup, and will help provide garbage bags, and gloves to wear).
- A sign-in sheet for all participants (we will provide this).
- Signed safety waivers for all participants (we will provide waivers).
You will need to inform participants/keep track of the following:
- Adult supervision and permissions are needed for all youngsters – no unaccompanied youngsters allowed.
- Appropriate clothing, hats and footwear, with possible change of clothing nearby, sunblock if it is a sunny day.
- A first aid kit and access to emergency help via cell phone, etc (plan ahead!)
- Refreshments (snacks, and water to drink if it is a hot day).
- Someone to take photos and keep notes of what you collect.
Business Sponsorships: We are seeking donations from area businesses to help support this project. Please contact steward@ycaugalake.org for more information.
Afterwards, we’ll want to know:
How many bags of garbage did you collect?
What was the grossest thing you found?
What was the largest thing you found?
What was the weirdest thing you found?
How would you improve this event for next year?
Awards will be presented for Best, Most, Grossest,
Largest, Weirdest, etc!
How to Get Involved: Contact the Network at the following email addresses and let us know you want to get involved: amunoz@wells.edu, mbirklin@wells.edu. You can also leave us a message at 315 364-2992. Watch for information on our Web site, www.cayugalake.org . By mid-April, we’ll list groups with contact information.
