News

A crowd showed up last Saturday for a clean-up day on Little Rock Creek in Raleigh.

According to Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop, the clean-out of Sound Rivers trash trap and the surrounding area “went splendidly!”

Joining Sam in the clean-up effort were more than 20 volunteers from the Carolina Wetlands Association, North Carolina State University, Enloe High School’s National Honor Society and the broader community.

“We had a blast getting to spend time caring for such a pretty part of the creek behind the Walnut Creek Wetlands Center,” Sam said. “We talked about the problem of stormwater and how litter journeys from our sidewalks and parking lots into our creeks. We also talked about the invisible pollutants that are carried into our waterways alongside the trash that we were cleaning up.”

In just an hour of creek-cleaning, the group pulled 77 pounds of trash out of the trap and creek — litter that would have made its way to Walnut Creek and eventually to the Neuse River. Much of the trash was Styrofoam pieces of all shapes and sizes.

“We love partnering with the Walnut Creek Wetlands Center and our community to take care of this important urban tributary,” Sam said.