It was 10 a.m. on Saturday, and the mist had just risen off the Connecticut River. The usual sights and sounds were present: rowers paddling boats through the calm water and cars and trucks humming across the Ledyard Bridge. But a closer look revealed something different. Along the riverbank, nearly 100 Dartmouth students and community members walked back and forth, clad in bright blue shirts, putting everything from soda cans to plastic wrap into garbage bags.
This unusual sight is part of an effort that Ron Rhodes, regional director of the Connecticut River Watershed Council's Source to Sea Cleanup, organizes every fall.
Students signed up for this weekend's program as part of the United Way Day of Caring, locally sponsored by the Tucker Foundation. The cleanup helped remove thousands of pounds of potentially dangerous waste from the river's watershed, preserving water quality and wildlife health.
Past years have been incredibly successful for the Source to Sea Cleanup. In 2012, the project removed over 99 tons of trash. This year's effort is the largest yet, drawing well over 2,000 volunteers from New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut, the four states that border the Connecticut River. The volunteers comb all 91 miles of riverbank by foot, canoe, kayak or, in the larger estuaries to the south, motorboat.
After the initial meeting, Rhodes provided the crews with thick fabric gloves and an assortment of garbage bags, including heavy-duty ones for sharp or hazardous waste. Volunteers then spread out along the riverbank and into the woods, foraging for non-biodegradable garbage that could harm the environment.
Cleanup crews in Hanover met early Saturday morning and began their day with team-building exercises. Crew leaders asked members to describe their background in community service. Some members had little to no experience, while others were seasoned, having worked in facilities ranging from homeless shelters to senior care complexes.
Volunteers were also informed of the ways that they could give back to the Upper Valley community, including outreach through the Tucker Foundation and the Dickey Center for International Understanding. Crew members were asked to contribute whatever time they had, and some stayed for only two hours, while others worked for four hours or more.
Rhodes, an instructor for the fly fishing physical education class at the College, grew up hunting and fishing. He said river cleanup is essential to keeping the watershed safe for trout.
"The trout have to have clean, cold water," said Rhodes. "If there's pollution, or trash, that's not going to be a good area for trout or any fish to live."
Though volunteers often haul bizarre objects out of the water in the Upper Valley, the most colorful stories come from the river's estuary regions.
"Down south, they find whole cars and farm equipment," he said. "Some big stuff gets pulled out of the river that's been there for years," he said
Most often, though, volunteers find the refuse of frugal drivers.
"The most common item is tires, because it costs money to dispose of your tires, so people don't want to pay the six bucks when they get new tires," Rhodes said.
Rhodes joined the council after a long career in politics. He worked in the offices of a Congressman and two different governors. He held positions at the Treasury Department and worked on a senatorial campaign.
As river steward for the North Country, Rhodes oversees activity in northern New Hampshire and Vermont.
As a local resident, he said it is his duty to help care for the river, and he looks forward to having more college students participate in the cleanup.
"I want to give back to the resource that I use and love, and make sure that resource is healthy," he said. "Luckily I was able to turn that passion into a job."
Vinoy Vijayan Med'13, who participated in the cleanup, expressed desire to give back to the community that has provided him with warmth and diverse resources.
"This has been a great, welcoming place to live for the last few years," Vijayan said. "It's good to spend at least a few hours giving back to the town and the region."
Maura Murphy, a MALS student, said she feels her educational experience should involve helping preserve the local environment.
"We've attained a place in life where we have a pretty good opportunity to get a good job and we want to help out the community at the same time," she said.
