Help Clean Up Our River March 16

EARTHKEEPERS REQUEST VOLUNTEERS FOR RIVER CLEANUP RIVER CLEANUP, MARCH 16, 8:00 A.M.
MEET AT ST. MARYS WATERFRONT PARK

The St. Marys EarthKeepers will be picking up litter in Downtown St. Marys as part of the 2013 St. Marys River Celebration. The annual spring cleaning of the river and tributaries will be held Saturday, March 16, throughout four counties bordering the St. Marys River in Georgia and Florida. This one-day volunteer event gives area citizens an opportunity to play an important role in good Earth stewardship. All participants interested in helping on the EarthKeepers team should meet at the Howard Gilman Memorial Park on St. Marys' Waterfront at 8:00 a.m. for supplies and an assigned area of cleanup. After the cleanup, around noon, volunteers will be treated to a celebration event at Traders Hill in Folkston. To register with the EarthKeepers, email barbara@stormersmarketing.com or simply show up at the scheduled time.

Last year's River Cleanup and Celebration brought out over 800 participants, and volunteers retrieved approximately 54,000 pounds of trash along the river and its tributaries. The luncheon that followed at Traders Hill drew a big crowd, and it is anticipated that this year's event will be an even greater success.
Alex Kearns, Chair of St. Marys EarthKeepers, said that the river cleanup is vital to the protection of many of our marine animals.

"Trash along our downtown streets often ends up in our waterways," Kearns said "and it is (conservatively) estimated that discarded plastics cause 50,000-90,000 deaths of marine animals each year. By working together to prevent litter from damaging the health of our river, we can make a profound difference – locally and globally."

For more information, call 912-729-1103.
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