ED BARBER, Staff Writer, The Newport Daily Express
Sep 15, 2024

The third annual Clyde River clean up yielded 50 tires, the front end of a canoe, a children’s toy slide, and a whole lot more junk. On Saturday, 27 volunteers paddled 12 canoes and two kayaks down the river from West Charleston to Little Salem on a mission to clean one small part of the environment. 

A combination of organizations and unaffiliated volunteers worked downriver, searching for material that is not a part of the Clyde River’s natural environment. Two previous events successfully removed debris from the lower section of the river. Saturday’s event focused on a stretch of the river below a series of rapids that hadn’t been touched.

The Memphremagog Watershed Association (MWA) has organized river clean up projects in past years. Three years ago the members decided to restart the event with an original focus on the Clyde River. They teamed with the Orleans County Natural Resources Conservation District (OCNRCD) and Northwoods Stewardship Center to organize this year’s event.

“Beyond their value for wild trout and salmon, each of these parcels expands public access and offers opportunities for management to enhance flood resilience,” said Patrick Hurley of the Memphremagog Watershed Association. “The parcels include acres of floodplain habitat, intact wetlands, and potential to restore areas eroded by this past year’s extreme flood.”