When it comes to creating a healthy environment one thing never changes: if there’s trash, you’ve got to pick it up! The Nisqually Watershed community did just that this spring during the Annual Nisqually River Clean Up event on April 2nd! Over 55 volunteers from the Washington Recreational River Runners (WRRR), Washington Kayak Club (WKC), and Paddle Trails Canoe Club (PTCC) all joined together to raft, kayak, canoe, boat, and even paddle board down the river collecting trash along the way!
Those on the water gathered in the early morning at the access point in McKenna to launch their crafts and begin the trip down the river while others launched from Nisqually park and headed down to the 6th Avenue access point. As these two flotillas carried their environmental cleaning crews downstream, volunteers from the Nisqually Stream Stewards arrived onshore to help haul trash out of boats and rafts up the hill to the waste and recycling bins. While last year’s clean-up saw water craft come to shore with mattresses, bikes, and concrete fire pit rings; this year brought tractor tires, couch cushions, and even a shopping cart!
Despite lower water levels of 855 cubic feet per second and a mix of wild weather including rain, hail, and even thunderstorms; the day was a success! In total the clean up covered 17 miles of the Nisqually River and resulted in 0.77 tons (1,540 pounds) of trash being removed from the waters and banks of Nisqually. While this is a 1.13 ton decrease from last year’s clean-up, it is good to know that these clean ups are working and the overall level of garbage in the river continues to go down each year. The event came to a close with a celebratory barbecue in McKenna as the sun shined on another job well done.
This was the fourth major cleanup of the river, following previous cleanups in 2018, 2019, and 2022; and it simply would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of so many different organizations, governing bodies, and our 60+ attendees! Thank you to everyone who was involved, we can’t wait to do it again next year!
Thank you to the WRRR, WKC, and PTCC for co-sponsoring the event and for bringing members to help clean up. Thank you to our Stream Stewards who volunteered their Saturdays to help haul trash. Thank you to the American Rivers National River Cleanup® Initiative for support. Thank you to Thurston County Public Works who provided materials for the event and covered the waste disposal fees. Thank you to LeMay Pacific Disposal for providing waste and glass recycling drop boxes. Thank you to Centralia City Light who welcomed us at both McKenna and Nisqually Parks. Thank you to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife who welcomed us at their 6th Avenue SE Water Access Site. Lastly, thank you to the Nisqually Indian Tribe for welcoming us onto their ancestral lands as we work together to keep this a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment!
If you would like to get involved in future Nisqually Stream Steward events learn more and sign up here: https://nisquallyriver.org/stream-stewards/
