Help Needed For Fox River Cleanup

OSWEGO, IL — The Prairie State Canoeists (PSC) and Water Trail Keepers plan a clean-up along the banks of the Fox River on Saturday, Aug. 3. The groups are seeking volunteers to help clean up the Montgomery and Oswego riverfront and collect trash out of the river and off the shorelines.

The clean-up will take place along the Fox River, starting at Violet Patch Park, downstream to Hudson Crossing Park, including the confluence of Waubonsie Creek and the Fox River. Volunteers on land will clean the shoreline of public property along the river, including the bike trail and parks. Volunteers on the water will clean the shoreline between these parks.

Fox River Yoga will sponsor a lunch for volunteers and award a $25 prize for the most unusual item retrieved from the river.

Volunteers will meet at Violet Patch Park at 9 a.m., then divide into teams with specific assigned areas. Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves and wear mud boots. Volunteers will continue the clean-up until noon, then gather for lunch at Hudson Crossing Park.

The Prairie State Canoeists (PSC) will lead the clean-up on the water, using their own canoes, kayaks and tools from the Water Trail Keepers. Car shift will be at 8:30 a.m. from Montgomery Park on the Fox (river right), downstream from the Montgomery Dam and upstream from the Mill Street bridge. Canoeists and kayakers can sign up for the clean-up online.

Safety of the clean-up volunteers is paramount. If the Fox River is too high (above 1000 cubic feet per second as measured on the gauge at the Montgomery Dam), the clean-up will be postponed to another date.

To volunteer for the Oswego Fox River Clean-Up, contact Ellen Von Ohlen at evonohlen@comcast.net or George Stenitzer at geo4747@yahoo.com.

Submitted by the Village of Oswego