Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Abby!
/What better way to celebrate a birthday than on the Potomac!
Inspired by The Lorax, Abby invited friends to celebrate her 7th birthday at a river cleanup along the Potomac. Braving chilly weather, dedicated friends and parents helped Abby restore the Potomac River by removing litter and small debris from the shoreline and surrounding lands.
By morning's end, the group and other fellow volunteers removed over 1,050 pounds of trash. What a great way to kick-off 7!
The cleanup was part of Potomac Conservancy's Canal Stewards program which offers volunteers two opportunities a month to clean up shorelines in Washington, DC and Cabin John, Maryland.
Abby and her father Todd reflected on the day and the importance of taking care of our lands and waters:
Q. What is your favorite activity to do on or near the Potomac?
Kayaking and hiking.
Q. Why do you think it's important to keep the Potomac clean?
So the water doesn't get nasty and the fish don't get sick.
Q. What is something that surprised you today as you were out along the Potomac?
We found a lot of bottles and a fishing pole that shouldn't have been there.
Q. If you could ask everyone to do one thing to help the Potomac, what would it be?
Help pick up all the trash and help the animals if they are sick.
Q. The last Volunteer Spotlight participant, William, asks: What drove you to be passionate about this particular event?
Reading The Lorax.
Q. What would you like to ask our next month’s Volunteer Spotlight?
What wildlife have you observed on the Potomac?
Want to help volunteers like Abby?
By supporting Potomac Conservancy's Community Conservation program you're empowering volunteers by supplying the tools they need to help our Nation's River. Donate today!
Our dedicated team of river-loving volunteers removed literal tons of trash from our parks and waterways this year. This isn’t just important for keeping our water clean—it can also be a lot of fun! Take a look at some of the most unusual litter they found at our cleanups.