DINGMANS FERRY, PIKE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – While eagles fly up above, Donald Thompson’s floating down the Delaware River.
“Everyone likes the natural area. It’s so beautiful up here,” says Donald Thompson of Dingmans Ferry.
But he’s canoeing for a good cause. Donald joined more than 150 others to collect trash from the shorelines and river bottom.
Thompson adds, “we find tires and all kinds of debris. Everything from lip balm to broken fishing poles.”
Divers and paddlers combed the river from Milford through the Delaware Water Gap.
The water looks pretty on the surface. But over the years volunteers have recovered some interesting items from a message in the bottle, to a loaded gun, even a human spine. They’ve also dug up false teeth, pay phones, safes and bowling balls.
“You never know what you’re going to find! That’s what’d kind of fun about it. The unusual items,” says David Jones, president of Kittatinny Canoes.
But volunteers say this year they aren’t finding much trash.
“When we first started this, there were massive amounts of trash. But it’s very clean and it’s difficult to find. You have to really hunt to find it,” says Jones.
River lovers say they’re up for the challenge.
Thompson adds, “we get to do something fun and help out the community at the same time.”
Kittatinny Canoes in Milford sponsored the clean-up, which started Monday in New York state. In the last two days, volunteers covered over 70 miles of the Delaware River and removed about five tons of trash.
