St. Marys River Clean-up and Celebration

On Saturday, March 28, a record-breaking 197 volunteers gathered at 

Howard Gilman Memorial Park for the annual St. Marys River and Clean-

up. The day before, 53 Navy volunteers arrived to clean up the waterfront

and collected 23 bags of trash, 9 bags of recyclables, pieces of rusty metal 

and other detritus from the marsh and along St. Marys Street. 

From 8:30 am to 12 pm on Saturday, volunteers spread out throughout 

the downtown area and far beyond, retrieving trash from the streets, 

ditches, marsh and river. Mayor Morrissey and all members of City 

Council joined in along with kayakers, boaters, Scout troops, high school 

students, and citizens of all ages. St. Marys EarthKeepers Chair Alex 

Kearns stated “Once again our community showed its spirit and unity. 

Clearly, even though we've made huge strides in reducing litter, there is 

still a great deal of work to be done. It was a wonderful day for all 

involved.”

The final tally: 197 volunteers, 92 33-gallon bags of trash, and 53 33-

gallon bags of recyclables.

The St. Marys EarthKeepers extend their thanks to the media and all who

 shared the event-notice via Facebook etc. and email, Advanced Disposal 

for their invaluable assistance, and, above all, to everyone who 

participated.

St. Marys River Clean & Celebration 2015

Photo: Steve Royer

It’s time to mark your calendars again and save the date: Saturday, March 28 – The St. Marys River Clean-up and Celebration.

Each year, volunteers from four counties work together to free our lovely river of the trash that stifles her breath and sullies the marshes.

Last year, 94 St. Marys volunteers (including our City Council) collected 54 33-gallon bags of trash, 26 bags of recyclable material plus carpets, broken furniture, tires, plumbing fixtures, rotting boards and other debris from our roadside, riverfront and ditches. And that’s just what we could reach. 

We meet at Howard Gilman City Park (St. Marys waterfront) at 9 am and work until 12 pm, followed by lunch at White Oak Plantation. Our volunteers each year span ages from six years old to eighty-plus…and we do hope you’ll join us.

If you wish to register your group ahead of time, please contact Alex Kearns at 912-673-6120.