Great Volunteer Turnout at FOTO’s Fall ‘08 Rain Date Clean-Up Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday's gorgeous autumn weather helped make the clean-up of our beautiful Occoquan Rivera huge success. The actual clean-up date scheduled for October 15th, 2008 was changed due to Saturday’s heavy rain and thunderstorms.
188 devoted volunteers--parents with their children, Rotary Club, Optimist Club and Lake Braddock Crew Booster members; Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts; Students from Freedom, Garfield, Lake Braddock, Osborn Park, South County High, Woodbridge Senior High School and its JROTC team and their leaders; L. Benton, Lake Ridge, and Marsteller Middle Schools; Lake Ridge Elementary School joined by combing the river shores for litter and hauling debris out of the water. We thank all of the environmentally-friendly volunteers who came to help make our drinking water source cleaner and keep the Occoquan a pristine waterway.
A big thank you also goes to our sponsors, The Fairfax County Water Authority, and others who contribute to FOTO’s efforts.
Not the least, we couldn’t conduct the cleanup events without the cooperation of the Fairfax County and Prince William County and the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authorities and staff, the Town of Occoquan and staff, and the Prince William County Soils and Conservation District and Public Works for proper disposal of the 178 bags of litter and other larger item debris.
Another thank you goes to the local newspapers, such as the Old Bridge Observer, www.theoldbridgeobserver.com, and the Potomac News, potomacnews.com, among others who always come out rain or shine to cover our events.
Fountain Head—Coordinator, Danielle Wynn 58 Volunteers South County High School students and teacher Deborah Buffington, Boat captain Bob Lerch and others
6 tires 2 crates 3 buckets 1 large plastic floating dock 1 framed window 1 large oil barrel, oil/lube bottles 4 Styrofoam pieces 1 kid’s 4-wheeler 1 propane tank 63 filled (20 lb) bags of trash
Bull Run Marina—Coordinator, John Rothrock 27 Volunteers Marsteller Middle School students, Lake Braddock Crew Boosters and leader Jug Jagodnik Rotary Club members, Several families Boat captains Duane DeBruyne and John Rothrock
4 lawn chairs 1 large picnic table with benches 3 trash cans 2 drainage pipes 4 car tires 1 truck tire 3 large Styrofoam pieces 4 paint cans 5 wooden boards 40 filled (20 lb) bags of trash
Lake RidgeMarina—Coordinator, Renate Vanegas 74 Volunteers Junior Girl Scout Troop 982 and leaders Casandra Zamora, Julene Pruitt; Boy Scout Troop 1369 and leaders Rich Sackett, Larry Brengelman, Marc Engelking, Gene Hauck, Tim Wallace and Tim Vecher; L. Benton Middle School, JRTOC Woodbridge High School and leader SFC F. Elliott; Lake Ridge Middle School and Lake Ridge Elementary School students, Osborn Park High School (Green Club) students; Optimist Club member Five Families
1 large iron cast propane tank2 car batteries 2 metal poles 1 car part 3 car tires Several shoes 48 filled (20 lb) bags of trash
Occoquan Regional Park—Coordinator, Alex Vanegas 15 Volunteers L. Benton Middle School, Freedom High School, Garfield High School, Lake Braddock High School and Woodbridge Middle School students
12 filled (20 lb) bags of trash
Town ofOccoquan—Coordinator, Betty Vanegas 14 Volunteers L. Benton Middle School, Osborn Park High School, Woodbridge High School JROTC students & leader SGM J. Neely Optimist Club member
15 filled (20 lb) bags of trash Litter included personal hygiene items e.g., syringes and diapers Cigarettes lighters, tips, wrappers; Plastic/paper bags, beverage bottles, glass bottles, beer/soda cans, caps, lids, forks, knives, spoons, plates, food wrappers and containers, shotgun shells, 6 pack holders; Fishing lines, strapping bands, bait containers, fishing lures/light sticks and light bulbs, children toys
178 filled bags @ an estimate of 20lbs per bag = 1.78 tons of litter, not including the larger items, e.g., tires, propane tanks, floating boards, docks, tables, car parts, batteries, etc. Hence, estimated trash collected = approximately 2+tons
