Merrimack River Cleanup

(Above) Ava gets a tour of the Clean River Project headquarters from Rocky Morrison to see all the pollution and debris they have cleaned from the Merrimack River.

I’m so happy that I was in my school play this year.  Why?  you might ask.  Well, the play brought out an important message about the pollution in the Merrimack River. As a special part of our performance, Dennis Houlihan from the Clean River Project came to one of our rehearsals and told us about all the pollution in the Merrimack and how we could help.  If you’re interested in helping the river, here’s a link to the Clean River Project’s website.  But be sure to come back afterwards so you can read more!

http://cleanriverproject.org

He told us about his experiences and how much he loved cleaning the river.  We all listened, wide-eyed.  Then he said that back when they started the Clean River Project, they’d created a song called “Rocky the Fish”.  We all sang along just before we had a 15-minute break.  Some friends and I then came up with the idea of an organization called the “Good Deed Association”, G.D.A. for short.  We asked Dennis if we could put up signs informing people to help the Merrimack, and he said yes!  Thanking him, we excitedly rushed back to our seats, chatting about what to do next.

I now will tell you about the Merrimack River and how it needs our help. So, the Merrimack has recently been treated horribly. People are throwing things in there like a trash can. The Clean River Project is trying to get everything that isn’t supposed to be there out of the water. What amazing people they are! Now, what have they found? Let’s see. They’ve found things like…

• Cars
• Books
• Needles (Shudder.)
• Tires
• Toys
• Plastic water bottles
• IPhones
• Parts of a toilet bowl (Eww!)
• LOTS OF PLASTIC
• Rubber
• Computers

And more.  They once found 997 tires there in one day!  It’s a huge problem, but the Clean River Project is making a difference.

Now, you can help!  Come pick up some trash in the summertime with the Clean River Project!  Now, you also might be more of an inside person.  If this isn’t really your cup of tea, then that’s okay!  Tell your friends, family, even enemies to come clean up the Merrimack!  That’s making a difference too!

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.  The Merrimack needs our help and together we can make a difference!  I’ll see you soon!

Ava Valianti

UPDATE!!!! (August 30, 2019)

Hi again! It’s Ava! I just visited the Clean River Project today to give them a check for $355, half of what I’ve raised so far with my photography stand. The other half is going to make more photo cards so I can give more to them. Rocky Morrison, founder of the Clean River Project, took us around the office and showed us all that they’ve collected over the years. They have done such a great job cleaning up the Merrimack! They even make their own boats! Everyone was so nice to let me come visit. I also took a boat tour on the Merrimack with Dennis Houlihan, Clean River Project volunteer. Thank you Rocky, Dennis, Janet, Elaine, Kevin, and so many more people for helping with the river and for making a difference! The pictures of the tires, bottles, and the parking meter are not even close to the amount of trash they’ve found in the Merrimack River.