Get the family involved and help clean up our waterways

National River Cleanup Week is coming next month, May 14-22. This can be a great way to get the school-age kids outdoors and involved in our country’s precious waterways. There will even be a chance for participants to win new boats and other paddling gear at the event.

National River Cleanup Week is a nonprofit event, open to everyone, with the stated goal of helping to keep rivers and waterways clean and raise public awareness of the fact that many of our waterways are become clogged with trash and other garbage (a great environment to paddlle in, by the way). In last year’s event, over 47,000 volunteers participated, helping to clean up almost 90,000 miles of US waterways.

And kids are encouraged to think about why they’re cleaning up the rivers, and just exactly where all this trash is coming from. And there is are art, poetry, and essay contests that the youngsters can enter in order to win the boats and gear. Some name brand paddling gear will be awarded, including kayaks, PFDs, paddles, etc from the likes of Thule, Wilderness Systems, Perception, Lotus Designs, and more. The contests are open to children of elementary-school age all the way up to 12th graders.

To participate in the contests, all entrants must be part of the registered cleanup. You can register and read the rules at www.nationalrivercleanup.com or call the NRCW office at 865-558-3595.