Nov 7, 2009 4:27 pm US/Eastern
Group Works To Clean Up Back River
ESSEX, Md. (WJZ) ―
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Volunteers say Back River is finally getting the attention it needs.
CBS
It's a river restoration years in the making. Volunteers say Back River is finally getting the attention it needs.
Gigi Barnett explains how one community group is cleaning up the bay and getting volunteers and businesses to pitch in, too.
It took a crane to hoist the trash from the Back River. Hundreds of tires filled the water.
"So many tires in there," said volunteer Art Comer. "They pull out one group and the ones underneath start coming back up."
And it's not just tires. There's wood chunks, plastic bottles and trash, all picked up by hand from boats.
The people doing the work are volunteers with the Back River Restoration Committee, a task force with one goal--restore the river.
"Halfway out of Back River is the most beautiful river in the world, but when you cross this bridge and they see this junk and all of the bottles and the trash, people think Back River is dirty," said Back River Restoration Committee President Jerry Ziemski.
It's an image residents struggled with for years, until two years ago when they decided to do something about it by creating the committee and raising dollars to do it.
"It's like a snowball effect. We're starting to see businesses start to contribute and say we want to give back to the community just like the residents want to give back," said Baltimore County Councilman John Olszewski.
This isn't the first cleanup for the Back River Restoration Committee. It hosted another cleanup back in August. Then, volunteers pulled more than 300 tires out of the river. This weekend was a repeat.
"Trash is something that every single person can do, if you see it in your neighborhood and it's on the ground. If you're not recycling, you should be," said committee member Brian Schlipp.
Governor Martin O'Malley toured the river. He says volunteer work is crucial.
"The people of this community have really embraced their own responsibility and the power they have to clean up their piece of the Chesapeake Bay," he said.
The Back River Restoration Committee received a $2,400 grant for Saturday's cleanup.
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