The Conewango Creek Watershed Association will lead its 7th Annual Chautauqua Lake Cleanup on May 21, 2022, 8 AM to 1 PM. This year’s event is all the more significant since 2022 marks the 50th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act (#Act50).
The public is cordially invited to participate. Volunteers are needed to help with litter pick-up (on land or water), unloading and loading canoes, transporting trash to dumpsters, registration, checkout, and photography.
Those interested in participating should preregister online at www.conewangocreek.org. Scroll down to “Latest News” and click on the Cleanup event.
Volunteers should check in on the day of the event from 8-9 am at the Chautauqua Lake Fishing Association at 10 Chadakoin Parkway in Celoron. Coffee and donuts will be served in the morning, and lunch will be provided at noon. Park at the Chautauqua Lake Fishing Association and there will be carpooling to the launch site at McCrea Point Park.
Participants should wear long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Bring water, snacks, a hat, insect repellent, and sunscreen. Gloves, buckets, and bags will be supplied. There are a limited number of loaner canoes available.
The event is cohosted by the Conewango Creek Watershed Association, the Chautauqua-Conewango Consortium, the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy, the Chautauqua Lake Association, the Chautauqua Fishing Association, Chief Cornplanter Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the US Forest Service – Allegheny National Forest, the Chautauqua County Landfill, and Casella Water Services.
“This cleanup has been very successful in past years,” reports Liz Dropp, chair of the Conewango Creek Watershed Association. “Chautauqua Lake and the Chadakoin River are connected to the Conewango Creek and all are popular recreational waterways. Trash in and adjacent to the water is not only unsightly but bad for the environment.”
Projects like this can help to ensure the health of our local waterways for years to come. To quote Liz Dropp again, “We’ll know we’ve achieved our goal when cleanups like this are no longer needed.”