Mohawk Valley, NY — As the snow begins to melt across the Mohawk Valley, more than just the signs of spring are becoming visible; a growing amount of litter left behind over the winter months is now exposed. Litter is not only unsightly, it accumulates in roadways, waterways and storm drains, increasing flooding and harming wildlife. Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful, a local affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and committee of Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, Inc., is calling on residents to volunteer an hour or two of their time with a seasonal clean-up initiative of their own. “Now that the snow is finally melting, it is time once again to get outside and cleanup our neighborhoods, parks, and waterways,” said Stephen Smith, Director of Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful. “Litter is not a one-time issue. Litter is spread through winds primarily. It also can be spread accidentally
during transport of trash and recycling to facilities, and sadly, sometimes intentionally by pedestrians and motorists. All of us want to live in a clean environment – and every volunteer makes a difference.”
This year, our spring clean up kick-off event will take place at Pixley Park in Utica. We will have local leaders, including Mike Galime, Mayor of Utica, and Patti Artessa, Public and Government Affairs from AAA Northeast, discuss how litter impacts our lives, and a litter clean up will take place in the park immediately following the speaking event. Volunteers of all ages are encouraged to participate. In addition to picking up litter, Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful will be handing out free supplies for residents to go on to do more cleanups throughout the spring in their local neighborhoods, parks and community spaces.
Please join us for our event, bring a friend and help us clean up a local park:
April 15 th : 1:30pm at Pixley Park (Utica, NY – across from Donovan Middle School, corner of Matthews Ave and Noyes Street) Clean up to follow We would also like to encourage volunteers to come out to the Utica Canal Sweep anytime on Friday, April 17 th from 10:00am – 4:00pm. Please come to the Trailhead Parking Lot on Harbor Lock Road off of
North Genesee street to get supplies. This event is part of the Parks & Trails NY Canal Clean Sweep Initiative. Visit the Parks & Trails website to find a canal cleanup event near you! Keep Mohawk Valley Beautiful encourages everyone to be part of the solution to combat litter and support a cleaner, healthier environment. Anyone can register for a cleanup! Get a group of friends, coworkers or your family together and clean up your neighborhood, favorite park, or local waterway.
KMVB can provide you free cleanup supplies to make the cleanup more convenient. For more information on how to participate in the clean-up event or to donate to the cause, visit mvedd.org/kmvb or contact info@mvedd.org.
