It was not one of the strongest turnouts that Riverkeeper Jeff Turner has ever seen for Clean Rivers Day in the 15 years he has been doing it.

Typically, around 30 teams go out in the community and on the rivers to help keep trash from washing into the river and then ultimately into the ocean. They usually clean around 5,000 pounds of trash. This year, they managed to pick up around 2,200 pounds with some still left to report.

It’s all due to weather, of course, as the week was unexpectedly cold, wet and the day of, Saturday, even had some snow. Some volunteers took initiative, knowing Saturday was going to be bad and went out to clean the area on other days.

Even then, it took some time for temperatures to warm back up. So those who went out are still to be commended for the work they did making our community more healthy.

Having cleaner Blackwater and Nottoway rivers would naturally be better for the environment, but it’d also be better for us with the wealth of recreation for boating and fishing in the area. The rivers bring ecotourism dollars to our area.

We agree with Turner when he suggests that people not only think before they litter, but also that every citizen should consider picking up that stray piece of trash here or there when they have the opportunity.

If they did, perhaps the day will come when only picking up 2,200 pounds of trash on Clean Rivers Day will be a resounding success.