Over the weekend, Heritage Conservancy hosted a “surf and turf” cleanup at the Bristol Marsh Nature Preserve that involved volunteers on land and volunteers in kayaks on the water to remove litter, helping to ensure that our group had the whole marsh covered!

Partnering with DCNR to celebrate River Days, which is sponsored by the Alliance for Watershed Education of the Delaware River, Heritage Conservancy staff members joined nearly 20 volunteers to remove trash and debris from the area.

During a time when nature has been there for all of us, it was evident that our volunteers were ready to return that favor and show their appreciation for nature. The group demonstrated that there is always time to give back:

• A young mother who is also an active military member said that it was great to be able to get outside and give back.
• One passerby saw Heritage Conservancy and DCNR staff setting up for the day. He offered, “Give me a bag, I can do some now!” He quickly got to work, and in 30 minutes, he had removed a 50-gallon drum and picked up enough litter to fill a trash bag.
• Kati Bryson, a 4th grade teacher at Keystone Elementary School, brought her two older sons to the cleanup before heading to hockey practice.

By the end of the day, our volunteers had collected 30 trash bags full of items such as plastic bottles, food wrappers, and cigarette butts. By removing this litter, our volunteers stopped many harmful materials from polluting the marsh and our drinking water.

Bristol Marsh, located along the Delaware River, helps to naturally filter the river’s water. Over 15 million people depend on the Delaware River for their drinking water, and anything that happens at the marsh has a global impact since the Delaware River filters into the ocean. Because of this, Heritage Conservancy aims to keep these critical natural resources clean and make people aware of their importance.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who joined us! It was inspirational to see so many people come together for the betterment of our community.

If you’d like to get involved in making a positive impact for your community, visit the Volunteer section of our website to learn more.