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WARREN, Pa. – The Forest Service announced the 20th annual Allegheny Reservoir Cleanup Day will be held on Saturday, May 11, 2024.
The event hosted by Allegheny National Forest and its partners is seeking volunteers to assist in trash removal from the watershed. To register, visit the Allegheny River Cleanup website. The deadline to sign up is Thursday, May 2, 2024. For more information, email [email protected].
Volunteers are asked to arrive before 8 a.m. at the Highbanks Campground, located at 1370 West Bank Perimeter Road, Steamburg, NY. Volunteers will be given supplies including trash bags and gloves. It is recommended that participants bring layered, weather-appropriate workwear, including rain gear as the cleanup will occur rain or shine. Hotdogs, chips, and beverages will be provided at the end of the day. Participants are encouraged to bring snacks and drinking water.
“Our reservoir cleanup days would not be successful without all the hard work of our many dedicated volunteers,” said Nathan Welker, Allegheny National Forest Aquatic Ecologist.
Since 2005, almost 5,500 volunteers have donated more than 48,000 hours, removing about 1,000 cubic yards of trash from the reservoir. Items removed include television sets, microwave ovens, lawn chairs, refrigerators, 55-gallon drums, and more than 17,500 tires. Countless bags of recyclable glass, plastic, and aluminum and almost 160,000 pounds of recyclable metal (nearly 80 tons) have been removed.
