 |  |
|
Volunteers Brave Stormy Weather to Cleanup Cain’s Brook
SEABROOK, N.H. – On April 29, a record breaking 134 volunteers battled downpours and possible hyperthermia to clean up 2869 pounds of trash and debris in areas around Cain’s Brook and Route 1 in Seabrook. Litter in parking lots, roadsides, trails, wooded areas, ponds, streams, and culverts were brought in by young and old alike. Dubbed “Earth Day, Plus Seven,” this event was held one week after the official Earth Day as part of the restoration of the Cain's Brook that runs from the west side of Seabrook to the salt marsh and ocean. The cleanup was a day full of activities. Volunteers not only cleaned up litter, they also learned about the brook and recorded data to assist in the planning of future litter prevention programs. The youngest volunteers also learned about whales and the ocean from Blue Ocean Society staff and their life-size inflatable finback whale. City Year volunteers performed skits and provided transportation for some of the older participating students. Partners and businesses from all over the Seabrook area made this cleanup a success. The Seabrook Conservation Commission coordinated this daylong event and the Seabrook Recreation Department assisted with coordination, secured countless donations, and provided their building, staff, and vacation camp campers to assist with the cleanup. Meals on Wheels volunteers from the Recreation Dept.. made lunch for the cleanup crews with food provided by Market Basket. Snacks and drinks were provided by Richdale’s Convenience Store, Shaw’s Supermarket, Walmart, Coca-Cola, Poland Springs, and Sam’s Club and the Yankee Fisherman’s Coop provided the ice. Home Depot donated cleanup materials and a sizeable crew of staff volunteers to help. The NH Department of Transportation provided cleanup bags and safety vests and the Seabrook DPW provided traffic cones and disposed of all that trash. Officer Jeffrey Baillargeon, Seabrook Police Department, utilized the department “mule” to scout the roadsides for collected items too heavy to carry and brought in numerous tires, lost shopping carts, an abandoned stop sign, and loads of wood and scrap metal. According to Sue Foote, Chair of the Seabrook Conservation Commission, “a computer hard drive, leather coat, and library book topped the list of unusual items collected.” Donning waders and a heavy raincoat in an attempt to stay dry, Duncan Mellor from Waterfront Engineers commented on everyone’s effort. “It is nice to know there are good people who care about the environment.Sometimes it gets a bit discouraging when you see trash thrown from car windows and no one seems to care.This was a real boost!” Additional volunteers included local Girl Scout troops, Board of Selectman, Seabrook Lions Club, Atomic Fireworks, Shaws, and teacher Cathy Silver and students from Winnacunnet High School. The Cain's Brook Watershed project is spearheaded by the Seabrook Conservation Commission and partially funded through a grant from the state Department of Environmental Services. |
