To the Editor:

Our 8th annual Clean Rivers Day is April 18 this year. I hope this year will be a bigger and better effort than ever before. It is a great opportunity to get your school, scout, church, civic or whatever group out in the community and help clean it up. It certainly needs it.

You don’t even have to have a group; just go somewhere you want to pick up and do it, or you can join a group and help them.

And don’t tell me you can’t help because you can’t go sloggin’ through the swamps in pig boots. You don’t have to do that. Pick up trash in the ditch in front of your house, and then let me know how much you got. We have had such a great amount of help over the years from the community, and it really shows how much everybody cares about the environment that we live in.

We always have sort of a loose competition between groups to see who picks up the most bags of trash each year.

Most every year the Franklin YMCA Black Achievers come out on top. Maybe, this year, if Franklin City Schools could put a team together they could give that team some competition, but to do that a mighty team, indeed, would have to be born. That’s the challenge — to beat the reigning trash terminators. We always need more boaters to participate. If you like to fish or paddle or just sightsee, put your boat in the water that day (somewhere) and fill up a bag or two. I have trash bags and litter getters. All you have to do is call me and we can discuss what you need and where you will pick up.

Look, it’s only like a half a day once a year that I’m asking for your help.

Get out of the house and do yourself and the environment some good. Call 562-5173 or log on to www.blackwaternottoway.com for more information.

Jeff Turner

Blackwater Nottoway Riverkeeper