Get the Litter Out of the River!

Earth Day 2012 Allegany River Bank Clean Up Initiative

Mission Statement
The project has two goals: One, protecting and two, increasing awareness our one of our greatest natural features in the Olean - Allegany region, The Allegany River.

Environmental Benefit
By

making a concerted effort to remove river bank debris, we reduce solid waste pollutants that enter our waterways, and reduce the chain of pollutants, plastics in particular, that ultimately end up entering the ocean. Plastic constitutes 90 percent of all trash floating in the worlds oceans.
(http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/la-meocean2aug02,0,5594900.story)

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

The

floating dump covers an area one and a half time the size of the USA (Observer 8 Aug 10) It has been estimated that over a million seabirds and one hundred thousand marine mammals and sea turtles are killed each year by ingestion of plastics or entanglement. (
Greenpeace)

80

percent of ocean trash originates on land (

L.A. Times 2 Aug 06)

Olean to Ocean
YES, The Atlantic also has a Garbage Patch.
The Allegany River waters have passage to the Gulf Of Mexico and Atlantic Seaboard via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Pollutants entering the river in Olean, have the potential of traveling all the way to the Gulf. Lets do our part to keep plastics out of the ocean, Get

the Litter OUT of the

Get the Litter Out of the River

Allegany River Bank Clean Up Initiative

By making a concerted effort to remove river bank debris, we reduce solid waste pollutants that enter our waterways, and reduce the chain of pollutants that ultimately end up entering the ocean. By encouraging our community to become caretakers of the river, we increase awareness of it's needs as a massive environmental resource, as well as become aware of the numerous benefits we can reap from a healthy river system.

Get the Litter Out of the River

Allegany River Bank Clean Up Initiative
Volunteerism in Action
Thus far, we have a few local organizations and businesses expressing interest in helping and many individuals are lending a hand too!

Allegany Boy Scouts, possibly the Olean Boyscouts Bona Responds Olean Area Hiking Club Worth W. Smith Hardware Cattaraugus County Department of Public Works Cojones Cantina Jeff Higley- US Forest Service Sarah Martin- Environmental Science Graduate Tina Mejas- Photography Melissa Dieteman- Project Coordinator

Get the Litter Out of the River

Allegany River Bank Clean Up Initiative

Target Area
Preliminary Target for the April 21 Clean Up effort is comprised of the north bank of the Allegany River stretching from the South Union Street bridge to the area near the Water treatment facility (apprx. the 19th street area) In the event that there are enough volunteers to create two teams, the area on the north bank that extends east past the South Union St bridge and around Adams Street to what would then be the Ischua/Olean Creek bank, as far as the East Union Street bridge.

Get the Litter Out of the River

Allegany River Bank Clean Up Initiative

April 21, 2012 Rain or Shine Location: Franchot Park Time: 10:00 am until +/- 2:00 pm Bring: Suitable clothing, foot wear, gloves, and friends Taco Lunch to follow!
On Facebook, Search: Get the Litter Out of the River
https://www.facebook.com/events/258652670893496/258667707558659/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity