Local Sites for Clean the Bay Day

By Desiree Parker Thursday, June 03, 2010

The Chesapeake Bay watershed has fingers reaching deep into the Historic Triangle – which is why every year locals come out en masse to help remove junk from local waterways for Clean the Bay Day, happening this Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

The massive cleaning effort began in 1989, with thousands of volunteers clearing debris from the state’s waterways. In 2009, over 7,000 volunteers removed 102 tons of trash along 475 miles.

According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation website, “Cigarette butts, plastic bottles and bags, tires, paper, furniture, bikes, construction materials, are just a sample of the types of debris that pollute our shorelines and waterways, kill marine and other wildlife, and degrade our communities and the water quality of the bay.

“As rain falls onto our streets, roofs, parking lots, and lawns, the stormwater runoff collects debris and other pollutants, travels through the storm drains and ditches and ultimately deposits this pollution in our waterways and along our shorelines. The debris is a visible and pervasive reminder that the Chesapeake Bay needs restoration and improved stewardship.”

Volunteering for Clean the Bay Day is a great way to help protect the waterways and help localities remove litter.

Craig Metcalf, helping to organize Clean the Bay Day as a joint effort by the James City County Concerned Citizens and PRIDE, points out some areas in the county that need help. One area where volunteers will be working is the retention pond at the corner of Monticello Avenue and News Road, near the Rite Aid. There’s lots of trash in that area, he says, “and when [the pond] overflows, everything in it has to go someplace. It goes in our streams and waterways.”

Also, trash decays and releases toxins, he says, and the litter is an eyesore to the community.

Laurie Halperin, York County’s Recycling and Beautification Coordinator, suggests folks in York County organize neighborhood cleanups or cleanup backyards, since so many county residents have property along waterways.

There are several other clean-up projects in the Triangle going on Saturday. For a list of cleanup areas, see below.

If you want to volunteer for any of these projects, fill out a volunteer form online or just show up at one of the cleanup sites in James City County or Williamsburg. For York County sites, email Laurie Halperin at halperil@yorkcounty.gov.

Cleanup areas:
Williamsburg – meet at the Woodlands Conference Center, off of Bypass Road. Cleanup area is a conservation easement owned by Colonial Williamsburg, which runs along Bypass Road and Rt. 132.

James City County – eight locations throughout the county.
- Retention pond at the corner of News Road and Monticello Avenue
- Reservoir area on Pocahontas Trail between Morningstar Baptist Church and Carter’s Village
- Brickyard Landing on Brickyard Landing Road in Toano
- Colonial Golf Course cleanup along highway area nearby
- Little Creek Dam
- Colonial Parkway near Jamestown Settlement (access from rt. 199)
- Jamestown Beach Campground on Jamestown Road
- Jamestown Road between 7-Eleven and Jamestown Beach Campground

York County – eight locations throughout the county.
- Indian Field Creek on Colonial Parkway
- Fusiliers Redoubt and French Trench across from Victory Center
- Yorktown Beach Picnic Center
- Back Creek Road, Back Creek Park
- Industrial Park on Wolftrap Road
- Cook Road and Surrender Road
- Richneck Road
- Waterman’s Museum

What to consider bringing along when you volunteer:
Insect Spray
Allergy medications
Sun Block
Work Gloves – Please wear these at all times!  This is the most important item.
Boots or closed toe shoes.
Long pants, long shirts, and hats are also recommended.
While trash bags will be provided on site, you may want to bring a disposable bucket or similar container for sharp objects, broken glass or metal shards. A separate container for these items will avoid tears and rips in your trash collection bags.
Rope, for objects like tires. It may be easier to pull these items to the roadside rather than carry them.