Hundreds of volunteers are expected to join the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC) and their partners at sites across Genesee and Lapeer Counties 9 a.m.to noon tomorrow–Saturday April 27–for the Flint River and Community Clean Up,

Volunteers are still needed for the annual Stewardship Day and all are welcome to participate and celebrate at appreciation lunches, FRWC spokespeople said.

Executive Director Rebecca Fedewa said, “The cleanup event has been an April staple for more than 20 years, originating with the Friends of the Flint River Trail. Over the years, many partners have joined forces to now create one of the area’s largest cleanup efforts.”

Partnering with the Keep Genesee County Beautiful, Genesee County Parks, the City of Flint, the City of Lapeer, Kettering University and many others, the FRWC and its chapters hosted more than 250 volunteers in 2018 at 18 sites across the watershed. These same partners and more have come together again in 2019 with an ambitious goal of exceeding 500 volunteers.

Here are the sites for this year’s event:

Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Park (2000 James P. Cole Blvd, Flint 48503) – Join the Friends of the Flint River Trail for trash and debris clean up along the Flint River Trail and lunch. Atwood Stadium (701 University Ave, Flint 48503) – Join Kettering University staff and students for trash cleanup near Atwood Stadium and Chevy Commons. Thread Lake @ McKinley Park Vista Center (2999 Orville St, Flint 48503) – Join Mike Herriman and Vern’s Collisionfor trash and debris cleanup around Thread Lake. Old Farmers’ Market: Check-in at Re-Store (420 E Boulevard Dr, Flint 48503) – Join Habitat for Humanity for trash and debris cleanup along the river from the Re-Store to Riverbank Park. Holloway Dam Canoe Access Area (7411 Holloway Dr, Davison 48423) – Distribute PFAS information and assist with trash cleanup near this popular fishing spot Mott Park Recreation Area (2401 Nolen Dr, Flint 48504) Join Flint Town Flyerz for trash and debris cleanup throughout the Mott Park Recreation Area Gilkey Creek @ Pierce School (1101 W Vernon Dr, Flint 48503) – Join Applied Ecosystems for trash and debris cleanup near Pierce School and along Gilkey Creek Carriage Town (621 Stone St, Flint 48503) – Join the Carriage Town Historic Neighborhood Association for trash and debris removal Kearsley Park at Donnelly Pavilion (Kearsley Park Blvd, Flint 48503) – Assist the City of Flint with trash and debris cleanup along Gilkey Creek and throughout Kearsley Park Gilkey Creek @ Applewood Estate (1400 E Kearsley St, Flint, 48503) – Join Ruth Mott Foundation staff for cleanup while learning about the daylighting of Gilkey Creek Flint Park Lake (4699 Berger Dr, Flint 48505) – Assist the Flint Park Lake Neighborhood Association with cleanup around Flint Park Lake For-Mar Nature Preserve & Arboretum (2142 N Genesee Rd, Burton 48509) – Join Genesee County Parks for invasive species removal OR learn about how you can become a citizen scientist through water quality monitoring Flushing Riverview Park (299 S Cherry St, Flushing 48433) – Join Flushing Parks and Recreation Committee for trash and debris cleanup, tree giveaways, and lunch Flushing Township Nature Park (8295 N McKinley Rd, Flushing 48433) – Join staff from the Genesee County Drain Commission for trash and debris clean up Lewis Street Eco Park Rain Garden (3101 Lewis St, Flint 48506) – Join the Genesee Conservation District to learn about the installation, maintenance, and benefits of rain gardens while sprucing up the area for the season Neighborhood Engagement Hub (3216 Martin Luther King Ave, Flint 48505) – Join the Neighborhood Engagement Huband their partners for neighborhood beautification and help to set up for their afternoon community resource event: MLK Springtime Pop-Up – 22. Lapeer County (Cramton Park, Downtown Lapeer) – Join the Lapeer Chapter of the Flint River Watershed Coalition for a community cleanup event focusing on six sites in Lapeer along the Flint River and stay for an appreciation lunch.

A FRWC press release said volunteers are encouraged to pre-register for a site, but are also welcome to “Just show up!”

Volunteers will each receive either a set of bamboo travel utensils or a Flint River Watershed Coalition dry bag while supplies last. Some equipment will be provided.

Volunteers should wear long sleeves, long pants, closed-toed shoes and be prepared to be outdoors. Families are welcome at all sites. Children under the age of 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Minors under the age of 18 must have a liability waiver signed by their parent/guardian. These will be available onsite and can be downloaded in advance at www.flintriver.org.

Volunteer appreciation lunches will be held at Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Park at 2000 James P. Cole Blvd., Flint, MI 48503 from noon until 2 p.m., Riverview Park in Flushing from noon until 1 p.m., and Cramton Park in Lapeer from noon until 1 p.m..

Genesee County volunteers may pre-register at www.flintriver.org or contact Autumn Mitchell at amitchell@flintriver.org or 810-767-9491. Lapeer volunteers, contact Peter McCreedy at (810) 614-7594 to register.

The FRWC encourages participants to join in on the viral hashtag trash challenge during the event by tagging their social media photos with #TrashTag #FlintRiver. Photos of interesting or unusual items can be submitted to amitchell@flintriver.org for a chance to compete for the annual Golden Gloves Award which is voted on publicly and awarded the following January at the FRWC Annual Celebration.

–EVM Staff

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