Montgomery residents and members of the town’s conservation advisory council gathered at Canning Road last Saturday to volunteer for the CAC’s May tradition: the town’s annual river sweep, one of many efforts to keep the Wallkill River clean. Between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., volunteers donned bright vests and picked up any garbage they found along Canning Road and the Wallkill River. By the end of the two-hour session, the volunteers picked up about 1,485 pounds of trash, filling 32 bags of garbage and 15 bags of recyclables.

Anyone living in Northern Orange or Southern Ulster County is likely familiar with the Wallkill River, a tributary of the Hudson Valley and focal watershed for many municipalities. Over the years, the river’s health has deteriorated from pollution and waste, fostering harmful bacteria and discouraging activities like drinking, fishing, and swimming. Within the Montgomery area, the river contains a high amount of avian E. coli, a type of bacteria that is especially harmful to birds.

Not all hope is lost for this watershed, however, as many Orange and Ulster have made efforts to restore the Wallkill River to its former health. Saturday’s river sweep is one such example; during the first week of May, many groups in New York City and the Hudson Valley participated in sweeps, mitigating garbage that enters their local water sources. This movement is courtesy of Riverkeeper, a water conservation organization that encourages residents to care for the Hudson River and its tributaries. Many groups like the Montgomery CAC are also part of the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance, another organization that strives for river restoration through water monitoring, careful planning, and government advocacy.

Mark Palczewski, chairperson of the Montgomery CAC, was quite pleased with this year’s river sweep, and he appreciated everyone who came out and volunteered. Looking forward, he and the CAC hope to expand their river sweep, push the town to be more active in the WRWA, and work with more towns on restoring the Wallkill River.

“It went very well; Patricia Henighan and Karina Tipton of the CAC had organized this year’s river sweep. We had over 20 participants, and the weather was cooperative during the morning,” Palczewski said. “We hope to build on this for future years.”

For more information on the Montgomery CAC, visit its webpage at townofmontgomery.com/Government/Conservation-Advisory-Council. For more information on the aforementioned water conservation organizations, visit riverkeeper.org