RiverSweep 2006 August 26, 2006 It was a dark and cloudy morning, and the hunt was on! Not-so-bright but plenty early, volunteers joined the Black River Action Team (BRAT) to seek out and remove all manner of junk and trash from the bed and banks of the Black River. Some worked in Springfield, others in Ludlow, but no one came away empty-handed. The Springfield trash tally included 4 pickup trucks-full and 21 trash bags: ~ 7 shopping carts ~ approximately 120 cans and bottles ~ 14 fishing bait containers and 4 lengths of fishing line ~ 1 hot water heater ~ a blanket ~ 11 tires ~ a coffee maker ~ a steering whlle and a muffler pipe ~ a 16-foot-long metal I-beam ~ food wrappers and containers ~ jumper cable clamps ~ 3 batteries ~ 3 pieces of rebar/fencing ~ 1 couch ~ 2 diapers (yes, folks, diapers!) ~ clothing ~ a golf club head ~ a cooler ~ 2 rugs ~ McDonald's food containers with the 2002 Olymics promotional logo ~ 6 Vicks inhalers ~ 1 blood sugar tester ~ even the kitchen sink! Volunteers worked from the shore and from the water, often slogging through mud and weeds to haul out items. The gang of folks working on Seaver Brook had to leave a car engine behind due to its size and the fact that it is embedded in the streambank. Removal may cause destabilization of the bank, making things worse instead of better. Up in Ludlow, a gung-ho gang of 9 volunteers got wet and dirty clearing large trash from the main stem of the river, as well as from Jewell Brook and another small stream near the rec center. Their haul included: ~ more than 300 cans & bottles, some VERY old ~ 3 very heavy metal cannisters, each approximately five feet long and 24" inches in diameter ~ 3 television sets ~ 8 bags of assorted food wrappers and other trash ~ 3 tires, one from 1975 ~ wooden pallets ~ a very large drain tile ~ a life jacket ~ 2 shopping carts (bringing the BRAT's seven-year, total to 198, including parts) ~ 2 empty barrels ~ a bathroom scale ~ a horse shoe ~ golf balls ~ a water tank ~ chunks of styrofoam & sheets of plastic ~ pieces of metal roofing ~ landscaping debris ~ approximately 20 pounds of scrap metal ~ half of a wooden baseball bat ~ most of a bicycle ~ a 10' long section of metal pipe Some items were simply too large or heavy to move: conduit and a metal ladder upstream of the recreation center bridge, a metal pole and coils of wire and conduit behind TDS, a 20' long section of cast iron drain pipe with concrete at one end in Jewell Brook near Cook's Corner, 2 car frames, and a 12' metal pipe with a metal plate on one end behind the Shell gas station. RiverSweep has been an ongoing event since 2000, in parternship with the Source-to-Sea Cleanup event put on by the Connecticut River Watershed Council, the BRAT's umbrella organization. Trash tallies from RiverSweep are forwarded to the CRWC for inclusion in their watershed-wide tally at the end of the year. Delicious refreshments for Springfield were generously provided by Main Street Market, the Springfield Food Co-op, Springfield Royal Diner, and Shaw's of Springfield; eye-opening coffee was on hand at both locations, thanks to Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Company of Waterbury. Ludlow BRATs enjoyed MadHouse Munchies chips, doughnuts from Sweet Surrender Bakery, a slice of Wicked Good Pizza and cool bottled water from Shaw's of Ludlow. Posters and signage was donated by Alternative Printing of North Springfield; the classic BRAT tee shirts and nifty new patches were printed once again by Vermont Tees of Chester. Additional support was provided by many generous donors: Cavendish Trail Horse Rides, Citizens Bank, CT River Bank, CT River Joint Commissions, CT River Watershed Council, Divergent Technology, Ludlow Transfer Station, Luzenac America, NBC Solid Surfaces, Rotary Club of Springfield, Sandri/Sunoco, Southern Windsor County Regional Planning Commission, Springfield Shopping Plaza, Springfield/Chester Recycle Center, Spring River Enterprises Web Design, and Young's Furniture. The donations and volunteer efforts of members of all the communities in the watershed are what keep the BRAT going ~ each person makes a ripple and helps projects like the RiverSweep happen year after year. There is always more junk to remove, new places to explore for trash removal. With continued support from businesses and individuals, the BRAT will be able to continue working on the Black River to improve and maintain the health of the water and the land surrounding it. The BRAT's motto reflects the group's common-sense, hands-on approach to stewarship: "Taking the health of the Black River into our own hands." In addition to asking for outright donations, the BRAT does some creative fundraising. Some donors are able to offer items that the group then raffles off at events such as the Ludlow Zucchini Festival, the Windsor County Ag Fair, and the upcoming Chester Craft Fair. Raffle winner so far are: ~ Jesse Cox and Karen Surma each won a gift subscription to Northern Woodlands Magazine; ~ Rosalind Westlake won a leather gift bag full of personal care goodies; ~ Louise Peale won a pair of framed photographs by portrait and wildlife artist Aleks Freeman. Upcoming raffles include a gift basket of coffee, tea and chocolate from Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea, and a case of 3 varieties of MadHouse Munchies chips. Tickets are $1 each, or 6 for $5. A check may be mailed to director Kelly Stettner, BRAT, 45 Coolidge Road, Springfield VT 05156. Please indicate which raffle you would like to enter. BRAT tee shirts and patches are also available; shirts are $8 each and patches sporting the group's fishy logo are $2 apiece. Donations are always appreciated; in order for a donation to be tax-deductible, it must be made out to and mailed to the BRAT's umbrella organization as follows: CT River Watershed Council ("BRAT" in memo section) 15 Bank Row | 
