[Awclist] May 17th river clean-up in albuquerque

[Mary Scofield]

*Since the RG Festival has been moved to June 28th - this would be a 
great day for AWC to help out.
*


*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE** *

April 23, 2008

*Beautifying the **Rio**: **National** **River** Cleanup Day 2008*

Join the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division and other local 
organizations in helping clean the Rio Grande during* *National River 
Cleanup Day, taking place on *Saturday, May 17^th *. “The Rio Grande and 
its lush cottonwood bosque are natural treasures in our desert city,” 
says Mayor Martin Chávez, “I encourage Albuquerque’s citizens to put on 
some work gloves and take some time to help restore the Rio Grande’s 
beauty during this important event.” There are over 2,600 acres of 
bosque and over 50 miles of shoreline in the Rio Grande Valley State 
Park, /and we want our visitors to enjoy it all/!


Many visitors to the Rio Grande Valley State Park do their part to pick 
up trash in the bosque, but not everyone has gotten the message that 
/trash has its place, and it's not in Open Space! / As our city grows, 
citizen stewardship of the river becomes more and more important. 
National River Cleanup is a great way to concentrate our efforts and 
beautify the Rio Grande!

National River Cleanup was started in 1992 by America Outdoors, a 
national association of outfitters and guides, and American Rivers, a 
North American conservation organization, as a way to assist local 
communities to keep their rivers, watersheds and shorelines clean.


EVENT DETAILS: The Cleanup takes place between *8:00 AM** *and* **1:00 
PM**. *Volunteers will meet on the west side of the river, north of the 
Central Avenue Bridge. Parking is available off of Central Ave., just 
north of Sunset Rd. Boaters are highly encouraged to attend. We will 
arrange shuttles for boaters to travel from Central Ave. to the launch 
point at Montaño Blvd. Bring work gloves, water, and sun protection. 
Kirtland Outdoor Recreation will have guided rafts in need of volunteers 
to help remove trash from the river (space is limited). We will provide 
refreshments, a BBQ and a prize drawing at the end of the event. 
Alternatively, if you have a favorite area of the bosque that you'd like 
to help clean up, please consider hosting a River Cleanup of your own! 
The Open Space Division will supply trash bags, courtesy of America 
Outdoors, and will dispose the collected trash. Call 452-5216 for more 
information.

Volunteers are encouraged to pre-register at REI. You can call 247-1191 
or stop by 1550 Mercantile Ave. to sign up. For more information please 
contact Jim Sattler or Kent Swanson at 452-5200 or jsattler at cabq.gov 
<mailto:jsattler at cabq.gov>. This event is sponsored in part by the City 
of Albuquerque Open Space Division, Adobe Whitewater Club, West Central 
Alliance of Neighborhoods (WeCAN), the Rotary Club of Albuquerque, 
Kirtland Air Force Base Outdoor Recreation, and the Open Space Alliance.