Cleaning Up The Pootatuck

By Kendra Bobowick

With a rusted street sign in his hand, Rob Manna walked up the Pootatuck River bank Sunday, April 22, adding the sign to a growing collection of trash pulled from the water.

Volunteers — many in waders, boots, and long gloves — met Sunday morning at St John’s Church basement hall on Washington Avenue to assist the Candlewood Valley Trout Unlimited (CVTU) members in an effort with Sandy Hook Organization for Prosperity (SHOP) to launch a river cleanup in the spirit of Earth Day, which was April 22. SHOP member and land owner Michael Burton offered access to the river through his property along Washington Avenue, bordering the river. The town’s annual Earth Day Festival will be this Saturday, April 28, between 10 am and 4 pm at the Newtown Middle School.

Before volunteers — roughly 22 — broke into groups and set out to pick up trash, CVTU member Ann Astarita reminded them, “Watch out for ticks.” She also spoke briefly about her group’s efforts. “CVTU does a lot of conservation …you don’t have to be a fisherman to join.”

Looking at the people gathered — children included — Ms Astarita asked them to walk the river banks “as far as you feel comfortable,” and pick up debris in and near the water.

For nearly two hours volunteers collected trash on either side of the river accessible from Washington Avenue and from behind storefronts on Church Hill Road.

Remembering the rainy Sunday morning, Ms Astarita said Tuesday, “We had about 22 people that braved the weather and we wrapped about 20 bags of trash and other items.” She thanked Pat Caruso with Associated Refuse, who donated a dumpster for the day. She said, “We are thankful to everyone who came and stayed even in the rain.”

She hopes that “small things like cleaning up garbage along the banks of our rivers and streams will make everyone think twice about what goes into rivers directly and indirectly:  trash, fertilizers, pesticides, invasives [plants and animals].” She said, “Rivers and streams are the visual reminder of how important water is to all of us.  We need it for life.”