November 12th Cleanup - McNay Drain and Kilally Meadows ESA

Our next cleanup will be on November 12th, 9:00 am to noon, at McNay Drain and parts of Kilally Meadows ESA.

Our "Staging Area" will the north end of Arbour Glen Crescent near the dumpsters behind the building (see image below).

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing we recommend you wear long pants, sturdy boots or hiking shoes and bring a bottle of drinking water.

As there has been an increase in people camping rough along the river, we encourage you to read our COMMUNITY page that details ARR's respectful and safe approach. 

See you at the river!

 

 

October 22nd Cleanup, Adelaide Street Bridge to Egerton

Hello Antler River Rally Volunteer!

Our next clean-up will be on Saturday, October 22nd, 9:30 am to noon along the bike path from the Adelaide Street bridge to Egerton. 

Our "Staging Area" will be at Grampa and Grama's Chipwagon at 12-26 Adelaide St N.  

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing we recommend you wear long pants, sturdy boots or hiking shoes and bring a bottle of drinking water.

As there has been an increase in people camping rough along the river, we encourage you to read our COMMUNITY page that details ARR's respectful and safe approach. 

See you at the river!

September 17th Cleanup - Richard B. Harrison Park

Our next cleanup will be on Saturday, September 17th, 9:30 am to noon at Richard B. Harrison Park.

 

Our meeting spot or "Staging Area" will be the beside the bike path adjacent to the parking lot at BrokerLink, 69 Wellington Road South.  We will clean up the area near the bike paths.

 

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing we suggest you bring a bottle of drinking water.

 

Families are welcome, however parents must be responsible for their children at all times.

 

As many of you who have attended a cleanup will know, it is common for us to encounter people camping rough along the river.  Homelessness is a multi-factor issue that stems from a complex of social issues including (but certainly not limited to) a critical lack of affordable housing, and addictions and the opioid crisis. The City of London is currently monitoring about 350 active camps in this city; many are located along the river where we hold our cleanups.

 

It is ARR policy and practice not to disturb or enter active camps (unless invited). We cleanup garbage around the camps and along the watercourse. We do not pickup items that appear to be in use, and where possible, we reach out to urban campers to inquire if we can remove any of their unwanted garbage. We regularly give out Tim Hortons cards so people can get a meal, and we practice respect and empathy when engaging with people camping rough.

 

On our cleanups, we often encounter needles and other equipment used for consuming drugs. We ask volunteers not to handle these items unless they are trained and comfortable doing so. Volunteers may simply make a note of the location of these items and inform a trained volunteer (trained volunteers are identified at the beginning of a cleanup).

 

At the beginning of each cleanup, the cleanup coordinator welcomes everyone and goes over the safety protocols. If you have any questions during a cleanup, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the coordinator(s) or experienced volunteers. 

 

See you at the river!

August 27th Cleanup - Carfrae Park

Hello ARR Volunteer!

Our next cleanup will be in Carfrae Park and we'll meet at 9:30 am at the bench on the south side of the river.  We will clean up the Carfrae Park (both sides of the river) and a bit of Richard B. Harrison Park.

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing we recommend you wear long pants, sturdy boots or hiking shoes and bring a bottle of drinking water.

Families are welcome, however parents must be responsible for their children at all times.

As many of you who have attended a cleanup will know, it is common for us to encounter people camping rough along the river.  Homelessness is a multi-factor issue that stems from a complex of social issues including (but certainly not limited to) a critical lack of affordable housing, and addictions and the opioid crisis. The City of London is currently monitoring about 350 active camps in this city; many are located along the river where we hold our cleanups.

It is ARR policy and practice not to disturb or enter active camps (unless invited). We cleanup garbage around the camps and along the watercourse. We do not pickup items that appear to be in use, and where possible, we reach out to urban campers to inquire if we can remove any of their unwanted garbage. We regularly give out Tim Hortons cards so people can get a meal, and we practice respect and empathy when engaging with people camping rough.

On our cleanups, we often encounter needles and other equipment used for consuming drugs. We ask volunteers not to handle these items unless they are trained and comfortable doing so. Volunteers may simply make a note of the location of these items and inform a trained volunteer (trained volunteers are identified at the beginning of a cleanup).

At the beginning of each cleanup, the cleanup coordinator welcomes everyone and goes over the safety protocols. If you have any questions during a cleanup, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the coordinator(s) or experienced volunteers.

We thank our volunteers for helping to build a community of care and respect at the river. 

See you at the river!

July 16th Cleanup - Ivey Park

Our next clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, July 16, 9:30 am to noon at Ivey Park.

We'll meet in Ivey Park by the flagpole at the forks and will clean up areas along the bike paths and near the river.

We'll provide garbage bags and gloves (we also have a few garbage grabbers). Apart from weather appropriate clothing we recommend you wear long pants, sturdy boots or hiking shoes and bring a bottle of drinking water.

Families are welcome, however parents must be responsible for their children at all times.

See you at the river!

 

ARR Cleanup with Oneida Nation on June 18th

 

 

I'm excited to share that the next Antler River Rally cleanup will be in partnership with Oneida Nation of the Thames and Brandon Doxtator (Environmental Coordinator at Oneida). 

 

It will take place from 10:00 am-12:00 pm on Saturday, June 18th. 

 

We need volunteers to help us tackle a sizable garbage hot spot along the river right beside Oneida. 

 

Please click the link below to register for and learn more about the event.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbp8qy78fF9M7ejljWpdgqhrHQxXy_N-SnIPTQenpmqJcnVw/viewform