This year, people flocked to the river in greater numbers as a way to connect with nature and enjoy time with family and friends. Friends of the Rappahannock organizes river clean ups to reduce the amount of trash harming our streams and wildlife.
Most years, we organize large scale clean ups with many community partners. This year to keep clean ups safe, we worked with our partners to host smaller clean ups. Since we had to reduce the size of gatherings, we adjusted our strategy in 2020 by encouraging the general public to host their own clean ups. We supported these clean ups by providing gloves, litter getters, trash bags and trash pick up.
Ritchie family wins July 4th weekend river clean up challenge
Together, we removed 5,705 pounds of trash with the help of 268 volunteers and a total of 749 volunteer hours.
Keeping the Rappahannock River clean and healthy is a group effort. This year, despite challenges, our community rose to the occasion. We are grateful to all who volunteered their time and energy to keep the Rappahannock clean.
