MANCHESTER, NH – Mark your calendars for one (or all) of the upcoming Manchester Environmental Protection Division’s 24th year of pond and park cleanups.
Are you interested in getting outside, meeting some new people, and doing something good for your community and the environment? Are you not afraid of a little dirt, muck, or unusual finds? Do you really want to be a recipient of the “Most Interesting or Unusual Piece of Trash” award and all of the accolades it brings? If so, please consider bringing yourself, a friend, a sense of community spirit, and a sense of humor and joining us! Our spring dates and locations are as follows:
Saturday, April 22, 2023:
Nutts Pond / Precourt Park. Meet at the kiosk in Precourt Park (Driving Park Road).
Saturday, April 29, 2023:
Stevens Pond / Stevens Park. Meet at the boat ramp/kiosk on Bridge Street Extension.
Saturday, May 6, 2023:
Black Brook / Blodget Park. Meet in the parking lot on Front Street near Dunbarton Road.
All cleanups are scheduled from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. Please arrive no later than 8:55 a.m. to sign in and receive an overview of the area and instructions.
Trash bags, latex gloves, and a handful of trash pickers will be available.
Please wear rubber boots if you have them and dress appropriately for weather as cleanups are held rain or shine!
Thanks to our 2022 volunteers:
Abby Dever, Amanda Desmarais, Amber Topping, Amy Brunett, Amy Swift, Andrew Reagan, Ben Lundsted, Ben Von Suck, Brenda Noiseux, Bryan Hollis, Cairnie Pokorney, Cecilyanne Emmerling, Cheryl Jacques, Chris King, Christine Fajardo, Cole Riel, Dan Forget, David Kunman, Diane Marcoux, Doug Williams, Fran Baldowski, Fred McNeill, Heather Dalton, Henrick Lundted, Holly Blanchard Horst, Iris Langley, Jack Dalton, James Burkush, Jen Alberico, Jen Drociak, Jen Wolf, Jill Holt, Jonathan George, June Trisciani, Katie Burns, Kevin Gordon, Kristina Drociak, Larissa Robinov, Lou Saviano, Mari Fontaine, Martha Frechette, Mathew Ping, Meagan Boucher, Mike Wolf, Muriel Adams, Natasha Dube, Patrick Binder, Pete Boudreaux, RJ Manning, Robert Fowler, Ron Piecuch, Rosemary Wrightman, Ryan Desmarais, Sharon Harlan, Sienna Zerillo, Sue Wang, Tim Dalton, Tom Durant, Trie Yale, Vanessa Blais, William Burke, and Zephen Wood.
Did You Know?
Since 2000, the Manchester Urban Ponds Restoration Program has organized 127 clean-up events. Over the past 23 seasons of cleanups, 1,173 volunteers have spent approximately 3,821 hours collecting 2,653 bags of trash! This does not include the items illegally “dumped” such as shopping carts (108), tires (449), car batteries, other car parts, construction debris, and other items.
In addition, the value of volunteer time spent at these clean-ups has amounted to over $87,000 over these past 23 seasons.