Volunteers Come Together to Clean Pequannock River

More than 50 volunteers from Morris, Passaic and Bergen counties met Saturday at Bloomingdale's Sloan Park to collect trash along a 7-mile stretch of the Pequannock River from West Milford to Bloomingdale. 

The event was sponsored by the Borough of Bloomingdale and the Pequannock River Coalition, with assistance from West Milford, Butler and Riverdale. 

Ross Kushner is the executive director of the Pequannock River Coalition, the environmental watchdog and advocate for the 100 square miles of watershed. The Pequannock is the cleanest tributary of the Passaic River, according to the Passaic River Coalition. Annual cleanups help keep this status by removing trash that could affect the water quality. 

The three-hour event began with the 53 volunteers receiving T-shirts, tools, gloves, trash bags and assignments. Kushner guided many through rail yards, train tracks, hills and vegetation.

"We know where trash is, but it's not always easy to get there," he said."The problem is access." 

After the cleanup, everyone met back at Sloan Park for an awards ceremony and lunch. Due to recent flooding, the usual outdoor picnic in the park was held at .     

"We are delighted that so many folks care about their local environment, especially young people," Kushner said. "The many volunteers allowed us to cover a wide area. I think everyone had a great time, along with the satisfaction of a job well done."