Save the Date: Riverkeeper Sweep June 2, 2012

We are proud to announce the first-annual Riverkeeper Sweep, a day of service for the Hudson River, on June 2.

Every day we benefit from living near the Hudson River – we benefit from its beauty, its wildlife, its recreational uses, its inspiration. The Riverkeeper Sweep is one day to give back.

There are four ways to get involved:

1. Organize a Sweep!
As of today, volunteer leaders have stepped up to organize more than 20 cleanups and other service projects spanning 140 miles of Hudson River Estuary, from Schodack Island to the Lower East Side of Manhattan. It’s not too late to organize an event in your community. Check our interactive map at riverkeeper.org/sweep to identify sites that may be in need of a cleanup and find resources you need to organize a successful event, then contact Dana and Dan at sweep@riverkeeper.org for more information.

2. Volunteer for a Sweep!
Hundreds of volunteers are expected to join in service projects on June 2. Check the map at riverkeeper.org/sweep to find a cleanup or other service project near you, then register so you can stay informed about the Sweep.

3. Join us at the Sweep Party!
Our Shad Fest is on hiatus this year, and we’d like to invite Riverkeeper members, volunteers and friends on June 2 to our home port in Ossining for a free party from 4-7 p.m., featuring food, music, river-based activities, special member-only events, speeches by Riverkeeper’s Chief Prosecuting Attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and President Paul Gallay, and an awards ceremony recognizing supporters for exemplary service to the Hudson River.  (Come early for river seining on the beach at 3 p.m., or stay late for member-only sunset sails with the Ossining Community Sailing Club. If you’d like to become a member and be eligible for sails and other special events at the party, please join at the Advocate level.) Stay tuned for more details.

4. Become a Sweep sponsor
American Rivers, Ironshore, Keeper Springs and Whole Foods have signed on as sponsors of the Sweep. To become a sponsor, contact Keeva Young-Wright, vice president for development, at kyoung-wright@riverkeeper.org or 914-478-4501 x229.

About the Sweep
On June 2, 2012, Riverkeeper will engage volunteers throughout the Hudson River region, empowering them to organize and participate in service projects that benefit the river, from cleanups and tree-planting to outreach and activism.

Scenic Hudson created and led the Great River Sweep from 1998 – 2007, and removed 400 tons of riverside trash with thousands of volunteers, who continued the event’s award-winning achievements in subsequent years. Scenic Hudson remains a supporter of the initiative while maintaining its focus on saving land, creating parks and revitalizing waterfronts along the Hudson.

In 2012, Riverkeeper adopted the Sweep to respond to trash deposited by historic flooding in 2011, and to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, a law that is foundational to Riverkeeper’s work, and that requires citizen leadership to succeed in achieving its goal of fishable, swimmable and drinkable water. In 2012, the Riverkeeper Sweep coincides with National Trails Day, providing the public with another powerful impetus to become good stewards of the river and valley.

Sponsors of the Riverkeeper Sweep in 2012 include Keeper Springs, Ironshore, Whole Foods and American Rivers.

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