On Saturday, August 8, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the AYLUS Dix Hill Branch volunteered at Valley Stream State Park to remove litter and garbage that had accumulated in the river during the recent rain. Volunteers first started by putting on boots and waders to prepare themselves, then split into two groups that would work upstream and downstream. The volunteers used trash grabbers to reach any difficult to access areas and brought buckets to temporarily store any picked up garbage. Any full buckets were emptied into large trash bags to be collected later. Along with removing litter from the river, some volunteers were also tasked with pruning the bamboo overhanging the river using loppers, since leaving the leafy stalks leaning above the river would clog the river once the leaves were shed in fall. Trimmed bamboo stalks were bundled together and put back into the forest away from the riverbanks. At the end of the event, volunteers carried all the trash bags back to the river entrance, where it would be taken away and weighed later.
With the assistance of the volunteers, Valley Stream State Park’s river would stay safe and clean for park visitors to enjoy.
Volunteers: Jonathan Fan, Jake Wu
Hours: 3 hours, 3 hours
