22nd Annual CLEAN THE BAY DAY

Saturday, June 5 from 9 a.m. to 12 Noon

Any boat that can get close to shore can be a big help removing harmful litter from our waterways. To volunteer, register at www.cbf.org/clean JOIN THE FUN! Clean the Bay Day, coordinated by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, is a statewide litter cleanup that focuses on the creeks, streams, rivers, and shorelines that feed into Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay watershed.Every year since 1989, thousands of volunteers of all ages have dedicated their time to clear debris from Virginia’s urban, suburban, and rural shorelines and waterways. In 2009 alone, 7,022 volunteers removed 102 tons of debris from 475 miles of waterways.

Cigarette butts, plastic bottles and bags, tires, paper, furniture, bikes, construction materials, are just a sample of the types of debris that pollute our shorelines and waterways, kill marine and other wildlife, and degrade our communities and the water quality of the bay. As rain falls onto our streets, roofs, parking lots, and lawns, the stormwater runoff collects debris and other pollutants, travels through the storm drains and ditches and ultimately deposits this pollution in our waterways and along our shorelines. The debris is a visible and pervasive reminder that the Chesapeake Bay needs restoration and improved stewardship.

Removal and disposal of waterway and shoreline debris is a service to local communities, the Commonwealth, and the Bay. Through citizen volunteers, Clean the Bay Day provides localities with a cost effective way to remove litter from the waterways and shorelines and increase environmental stewardship.

Get involved! By foot or by boat, gather your groups, friends, neighbors, co-workers and volunteer for a fun day and worthwhile way of helping us Save the Bay. There is something for everyone: litter pickup, volunteer coordination, compiling debris data, etc.

Get your 2010 Clean the Bay Day patches, posters, and t-shirts at our online store.

ANY QUESTIONS? E-mail ctbd@cbf.org.

THANK YOU 2009 Volunteers for another record-breaking year! View more photos from Clean the Bay Day or add your photos of the day’s activities to our growing Flickr group