Jerry Odhner docked at the Potomac River shoreline on a rainy Saturday with two barrels in his boat.
The Herndon resident visited Algonkian Regional Park to collect barrels, bottles and other trash he spotted during his hour-long boating trip on the Potomac River. He returned with two full trash bags.
"I come out here and pick this up because I boat on the river a lot and want to give something back," said Odhner, who uses the river for canoeing and kayaking trips. He was one of about 30 people from Loudoun, Fairfax and area counties to take part in the Potomac River Watershed Cleanup at the Algonkian Regional Park site. "I like to see it looking better when the trash is gone," he added
The Potomac Conservancy in Arlington sponsored the annual cleanup at Algonkian Regional Park and 16 other sites in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Volunteers removed trash and debris from the sites, which included parks and trails along the Potomac River and tributary waterways to the river. The Friends of Sugarland Run served as the Algonkian Regional Park site coordinator.
FRIENDS SECRETARY Bob Soltess signed in participants and provided them with plastic bags and gloves to take out on the river or to use as they walked along the shoreline picking up the trash. "If we get a chance, we tell them about the river," he said about one of the county’s drinking water and recreation resources. As for the cleanup, "there’s the immediate benefit of making things look nicer. In some cases, it takes noxious things out of the environment."
Joe McHugh, president of the Friends, said the cleanup aims to bring attention to local environment issues and to encourage citizen participation in protecting the environment. "It’s important citizens participate in these activities to counteract suburban sprawl," he said, adding that trash collects in the Potomac River when melted snow and rain wash the trash from suburban areas into the river or when river users leave their trash behind.
During the cleanup, McHugh found two butane gas tanks, an empty can of engine starter and a motor oil bottle, which he set up in a row in front of a full trash bag to point out the items that can be environmentally damaging. "If it opens up, it puts chemicals in the river," he said. "While the other stuff is unsightly, this stuff is dangerous."
The "unsightly" items the Friends of Sugarland Run and the volunteers have collected over the years include plastic and glass bottles, balls, Styrofoam, construction material, gas grills and tires, along with recyclable items. This year, the Friends collected 35 black bags of throwaway items and 25 smaller blue bags of recyclables.
Students from Potomac Falls High School collected trash along the river's edge and broke down a bundled 2-foot block of plastic cups that was left near the boat ramp. The 17 students were from the Youth in Government Club and the Fishing Club.
"I think it’s worth my time because … it’s a great cause. It’s important to keep our environment clean, so it looks nice for the community," said Jackie Hokamp, 18, secretary of the Youth in Government Club.
Katherine Mims, 17, club vice-president, agreed. "This is a place the community uses, so I’m glad we’re keeping it nice," she said.
Brian Egenrider of Potomac Falls said, "I do a lot of hiking and outdoor fulfillment. If you’re going to take advantage of what all these parks have to offer, it’s good to give something back and take care of it as well."