November 21st marked our last cleanup for the 2016 and what a season it has been.
Our season began (as it does each year) with the annual Thames River Cleanup in April where we cleaned up what had collected over the winter. It's always a big job, but feels great to be done and looks great when finished.
In May we were under the Wellington Street Bridge where we pulled out shopping carts and an old TV. Just one month after the major city wide cleanup, when we thought we might be getting "on top" of the problem, we found there was more to do!
Then there was the huge haul we got from Dingman Creek in June. It was an example of a slightly out of the way place where people dumped trash, old TV's and building materials.
July, ah, July! Richard B Harrison park and Wellington Bridge again. A fair haul for a hot day.
August found us with Mayor Matt Brown at the forks of the Thames and in Ivey Park. We were grateful for the huge turnout of volunteers as we were able to show what we do and get a lot done. That month we were delighted to have the opportunity to do a cleanup with the London First Church of the Nazarene's day camp. Great workers, great spirit.
In September there was the cleanup and eco poetry workshop with the Children's International Summer Villages (CISV) and then our previously scheduled cleanup with people from St. Andrew's United Church and London Mosque and London Councilor Bill Armstrong from Ward 2 at Pottersburg Creek. What a wonderful, verdant area that has become. As if that wasn't enough, we provided supplies to volunteers from Stantec who did a cleanup for their "community day". Great initiative, happy to help wherever we can.
In October we were back at our original stomping grounds - Carfrae Park. Much as we wish it weren't so, Carfrae always delivers us work and it didn't disappoint.
And that takes us to November when we cleaned up the river from the Wellington Street Bridge to Carfrae Park. We found so much we had to make two heaps.
A HUGE thanks as usual to all the great volunteers who worked so hard to make the river a cleaner, more beautiful place to be for us humans as well as for plants, animals, fish and reptiles, insects, invertebrates etc, etc.
The river is a beautiful, lively space for us all to share, to delight in, where we can connect with nature, quietly sit near and appreciate life, our world and be grateful for all we have. Thank you.
TRR Crew (not all shown below!!)
